i drank before and during work while a was a bartender all the time. The owner let me drink whatever I wanted..even stay after really late with the managers. at he bar drinking single malt scotch and expensive cognac..perfect job for an alcoholic..right?

Mine was before Highschool. My friend came to pick me up to "go to breakfast" and we parked a block away from school and took shots of Jim Beam. I passed out in 3rd period...

I did a couple of times. I'd put the booze in my big Starbucks travel mug with ice and drink on my way to work as well. I stopped doing that though. I had to walk from the parking lot one morning with an HR person and I was so worried she would smell it on me that I was too scared to try it again.

There was a period where I would drink a beer or two in the shower in the morning, get a few beers with lunch, and come home and drink till I passed out. This wasn't every single day, but it wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

Boss always asked me if there was something "wrong" because my work was slacking. Thinking back now, I'm sure he knew EXACTLY why....

Wow
 

I forgot about drinking in the shower. Yep one of my bosses asked me if I was ok or was there something wrong. Boss probably just wanted to hear me speak.
I know what's up.

Never before work. But during the day, more times than I can count. It started out in the mid 90's, I was working at a huge internet startup and it was the norm. I don't even mean going out for lunch, because nobody went out, we all ate as we worked. But we had a fridge in the designer quad, and it was open for anybody to drink at any time. Many times we were drunk while working a 16 hour day. Fast forward till the last few years. I have drank occasionally alone in my office. The only person who knows is my best friend, she has figured out I was loaded a few times, but fortunately/unfortunately she finds it funny. I haven't done this in quite some time, ever since I've tried cutting back. What was once fun and accepted is now a potential career ending stupid decision.

I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of times I drank before 5PM, it was testament to me being able to say "I'm not an alcoholic because I don't drink during the day". It wasn't true of course but it did at least allow me to keep my job and it also allowed me to drink for years until I decided to be honest with myself.

I don't dwell on this kind of stuff, I find it pointless. I choose to focus on the gratitude I've found in Recovery.

everyday working or not I would have at least one two or three gatorade plastic bottles in my back pack...maybe wine...maybe gatorade with gin, vodka...I remember one time when I was a chef leaving vodka behind the dumpster for my breaks. One day the head chef called me to the side and sat me down and said " listen , I dont like puttin people on the Dole but if you show up for work drunk again thats where youll be..." I still drank at work after that too...couldnt stop, ended up leaving before they could fire me...stuff like that happened with almost every one of my numerous jobs...20 years of it...

I work a rotating shift and never drank before the day shift, I made up for it after work. Though there were times when I was still a little "buzzed" 'til 10 or 11 am. I didn't drink before my eve shift, but had 4 - 6 beers by myself after. The midnight shift was different. I "needed" 4 or more beers to get to sleep, usually 4 or 5 hours before my shift started. I tell myself that it would just be before the first shift, just to get into a different sleep pattern, then I'd stop. But I found myself drinking again for the rest of the shift. Then back to days off/day shift drinking. I can't tell you how long ago that started.

bosses..
 

Yeah I hated bosses getting all close in my space..they were trying to sniff out alcohol. They were so close in my face I thought they were gonna try kissing me. LOL..but really not funny at all. I don't like someone in my personal space. I guess they only smelled my mouthwash because they sure made me work all day. I would have loved to have left straight to a bar.

to be honest
I don't remember the first time
but
towards the end of my drinking days
I drank almost every morning before work
retired and sober now but when I worked
I would get up at around 4 AM and
take a few valiums
jump into the shower with a can or two of tall buds
yes - I drank those down while taking an early shower before work
it was always a rough ride to work
wondering at times if I would even make it

also I was called on the carpet at work over and over because of my drinking

it's crazy what a full blown alcoholic will do
I went to work in that condition even knowing
that I had before crashed many times due to the drink
we just don't learn while still drinking
something must happen for us to have a desire to stop

Mountainman

Mountainmanbob
 

Mountainmanbob...is it true they cannot fire u from showing up for work drunk cuz its a disease? I loved being sent home to continue drinking. I could barely function at work drunk. I felt like I was going to die it was horrible. Very sick even from just beer. But I'm sure I drank liquor night before. Liquor makes me very physically ill next day. I slam it like a beer.

Please don't drink before work.

no that is not true
although many employers have what they call a "last chance agreement"
when ones are caught drinking or drunk on the job
they may have the drinker sign a last chance agreement
where I worked this meant that
they could test one at any time while on the job
if in the next year they found booze in ones blood at work
instant firing with no recourse of either party

knowing this -- should we all count on a second chance
by no means
we all know that drinking before and during work is a no no

Mountainman

I did it once or twice but thought THAT was the mark of an alcoholic so I usually just suffered through my hangovers. I really believed that if I never had a hair of the dog that bit me, I was okay.

One of many lies I told myself.

As a restaurant manager, I had to fire several people for showing up to work drunk. It is illegal to serve alcohol while under the influence. I always told them that if they got some help and wanted to come back down the road, the door would be open. No one ever came back.

DoPerdition
 

DoPerdition...I didn't know that and I.was a waitress..lol. why do bartenders drink shots with customers?

Yes, I do. I remember that work was fun for about 2 hours and then lunchtime onward was even WORSE than it was with a midday hangover....so then I discovered drinking during work via vodka in a sprite bottle. God, that all took so much energy and I felt so alone and exhausted back then.

Sick
 

I felt like I was gonna die when I was at work drunk. Id say never again. I always did it again. Just a menial job. They wouldn't let me call in sick. I tried.