Chakra

Did anyone else sober up to realize they hate their job? I mean, I love the company I work for, its just the job itself that I can't stand. I am looking for a change but was just wondering if this happened to anyone else. Mind you, I have been off for 5 weeks now to recover and have had plenty of time to think about this so I may just be going off the deep end. LOL Currently, I feel its eating away at my soul. Too dramatic? haha

LexieCat

No, I don't think it's unusual. I think the advice of "no big changes the first year" applies to things like jobs, too. It isn't a rule, of course, but it makes a lot of sense when we consider how we are just starting to get our marbles back. I think it takes awhile before we have any real sense of what's truly best for us, and our perceptions of our current situation can change with continued sobriety, too.

Chakra

All of what you just said: Thats what I'm afraid of!!!! lol

foghead

i left my job while i was a drunk and realized i actually didnt mind it lol

mikefreak

: I'm not exactly thrilled with my job either- I may be wrong, but I think most people are in the same situation. But It pays the bills & Lord knows I'm not starving. Not trying to be flip about this, but becoming sober, I feel, will open up some avenue's for you sooner or later- It's just hard to have patience when you desperately want to make up for lost time............ Hang in there- I'll try to.

Chakra

I am feverishly applying to other positions just so see "where the chips fall". I just have a strong feeling there is something else out there for me and it wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit.

LaFemme

I'm a big believed in shaking things up when I am stuck...the problem before was that I always did it when I was drinking before so I was hardly in the place to see whatever opportunities were knocking or do anything about it.

I think everyone is unique regarding the whole "no big changes in the first year" if you feel solid its okay...if you feel shaky, it might not be a great idea. Change for the sake of change can just make a mess, strategic change is a different matter entirely.

See what you hear about the job opportunities and then meditate on why you might consider it or what stesses it might add to your life.

I do think that he no changes thing is very important to follow if you feel shaky or are struggling.

CarolD

To protect my early sobriety....I did change career fields.

I did not want to....but the Hospitality Industry was part
of the reason I started drinking excessively.
I took an office position...less money...regular hours and less stress.

3 years later....after re-llocating ..I found myself in a situation
where I had to lie to succeed That was not the new me.

I retrained and became a Certified Nurses Assistant
I found working with those in need of my services
the most rewarding job I ever had.

BTW----I was 52 when I left the food and beverage
jobs.....so don't be afraid to see what you can do.

Mark75

I don't know your situation.... The very last thing I wanted to do in early sobriety was "shake things up a bit"... Do you have a trusted person close to you, or if you are AA, a sponsor? Some one you can lay this all out for?

Mark

Fandy

not for me, I love my job and do it well...I found i hated myself for becoming a drunken fool.

(i have discovered in sobriety that i have an extreme dislike for my livingroom couch but that is easy to fix, LOL)

seriously, if you have been away from working for a few weeks, I would go back and give it another shot for a couple of months.....in this strained economy I would be more cautious.

recycle

Chakra, if you like the company, is there a job there that would better suit you? I really like the company I work for, but I am completely fed up many aspects of my job. I am just not the same person I was ten years ago: I don't have the attention to detail anymore, and I am not so keen on rising through the ranks. I am thinking of trying some sort of transition to a part time gig doing what I do best.

Chakra

Ditto Recycle. If there were something else in the company I were interested in, that would be ideal but there is not at the moment. I'm at a crossroads because if I use a relo package to relo back home, I'm on the hook in the same gig for another year and I don't want that....at all.

Chakra

Thanks everyone for their input. So much to ponder right now. Whatever happens, my arse will be back the F-L!!!

LaFemme

One last point...I know that I often react to things when they aren't going the way I want..it hasn't really worked.out that well for me yet:-)

Chakra

I kinda want to get back into property management. I'm not sure yet. I did that for years before I got hired on at my current company. I think I felt less suffocated.

jamdls

i got sober and realized I hated my boyfriend, i already knew I hated my job...

LaFemme

You know...this thread has me thinking...a lot of the things I hated when I was drinking. Don't seem so bad right now...maybe it was just the alcohol that made everything seem bad:-)

lildawg

I quit my job before I got sober. I thought, at the time, I'd have been happier if I had made more money. However, after I got sober, I realized that I'd have never been happy in that line of work. It was the nature of the work itself that I hated.

I'm working toward something now that is more creative, more up my alley. I hope it works out. If it doesn't, though, I'll pick something else and go for that. I'm fortunate enough to be in a situation where we don't depend on my making a salary to survive. I never made enough money for us to do that! LOL

I said all that unnecessary stuff to say this: Getting sober was like taking blinders off my eyes. I saw so many things that I had misinterpreted because I was drunk and couldn't think clearly. It makes perfect sense to me that you'd have a moment of clarity about anything that takes up as many hours as working full time does. Choose your next steps carefully and try to consider both the pros and the cons of changing jobs.

loveon2legs

I love my job, I work with animals so I appreciate it even more now!! my job has been the one saving grace throughout my drinking and now my sobriety... its been the only thing I can really feel proud about.....I would love to take some more courses this fall....my learning new things took a nose dive.....
Best wishes for finding your new position