sobersovereign

I've been sober now for eight months, and I've been out of work for a while and desperately seeking a job with no luck....until I randomly got an offer at a high volume brewpub last week. (Craft beer of course also being my drink of choice.) I was supposed to start this weekend but after agonizing and agonizing I just finally left the "I'm going to go with another job, thanks for your time" voicemail. But there is no other job, and I'm looking at a zero bank balance here in a couple of weeks. My AV is screaming at me that I'm being ridiculous, I have this perfectly under control, I've been out to bars with friends and I've been FINE, etc etc etc.

I guess I'm just feeling all wound up after leaving that voicemail and looking for some validation that I'm doing the right thing and encouragement that I'll find some sort of work that doesn't involve playing Russian roulette with my sobriety every shift. Hope everyone out there in SR land is having a wonderful weekend.

Dee74

For what its worth I think you made the right call Sobersovereign. I hope you find something else less risky.

sobersovereign

Thanks Dee.

biminiblue

I'm of the belief that your small quiet voice never leads you astray. Learning to listen to it is the trick.

(and I'm not talking about that screaming tantrum of an AV voice, either.)

I'm sure you made the right choice.

Notimetoloose

Great choice ....I hope things start to fall into place on the job front.

jaynie04

Hey SS. I am not afraid of being around alcohol anymore….as much. But I am still pretty early on too and I think being around anything that makes us sick isn't a good idea. I am allergic to dogs, LOVE them, but I could never be a vet. My daughter is allergic to nuts, she could never work at a peanut plant.

Pure and simple, working with something that is basically toxic to you is probably not a good idea. Congrats on your sobriety. Making the hard calls is what got you that time, this is just another one of those, if anything you should be proud of yourself that you are protecting something precious.

caboblanco

at a lot of bar jobs bartenders are allowed to take whatever the want for free after work. i used to drink stuff I would never buy for myself because of the price. One place I worked I swear the staff drank half the booze there. so yeah in early recovery good decision to hold up

LadyBlue0527

If you're looking for backup I'm on the bandwagon!

I can also be logical and finances really make it tough when you have the chance for a job and get an offer like this. I think you know though that taking this job is like playing with fire.

Is the above really true? Hit that pavement!

Hawkeye13

I love craft beer and no way could I work at a place like that and not drink
and I can pretty much go out with people drinking, be around alcohol in my home, and so on.

But having multiple types at my fingertips would just be like chocolate truffles by the bed, already peeled of their dainty foil wrappers and ready to melt. . .

I really think you made a good choice with this

Diplomat

Who wants to work in a bar anyway!

Riel

You made the right decision. That job was an invitation to the blues.

It would sneak up on you. You'd "taste" a new craft beer, or "accidentally" drink one, and "realize" that you can drink in moderation after all...

There's a much better job for you just around the corner.

Leshar

I think you made the best decision for yourself at this time. I think you are very courageous, well done!
Good luck with your work search.

grubby

You made the right call.

I can just picture it now........ you're there pouring drinks on a friday, then your co-workers are egging you on and yankin yer chain with "come on, loosen up a little!" or "just have a few, itll be fine!". In such a scenario its only a matter of time until a slip happens and its all downhill from there.

It's sad that the only jobs available nowadays are low-paying jobs such as bartender, we have Obama and his dried-up gutted carcass zombie economy to thank for that. Even worse is knowing that the economy will only continue to buckle at the knees and crumble under such same Obama policies.

Speaking of which, have you signed up for every possible government benefit you can while unemployed? Have you been collecting unemployment insurance? I would in your situation, there's no "pride" in refusing services that you already paid into while you were working......... that false "pride" belief is a bunch of american/puritan nonsense. It's OKay to use your benefits in a time like this, no really, it is.

CAPTAINZING2000

There have been members on here in the past bar tending and going to AA.
Tough call for you to make early in recovery. If, you're still having obsessions of drinking after 8 months, perhaps this job isn't the right one for you.

sobersovereign

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it. Heading out to hit the pavement again today....

yeahgr8

You made the right choice for you if you wouldn't be able to stay sober.

Following on from what Caprain said I knew a quite a few people in AA that work in bars, you haven't got to give your job up if you have done the work.

sobersovereign

I want to be careful about framing this dilemma as a question of personal willpower--I think that is where people can really get into trouble. I work my program every day and I'm not experiencing any obsessions or cravings, I have never felt better and more clear and I love my sobriety. But in this situation I really have to question my motivations for wanting to be in that environment to begin with. What do I love about craft beer and hanging out with a bunch of drunks if I'm not drinking? I want to believe I can find that kind of social dynamic and camaraderie in a less personally destructive line of work.

soberclover

I think you made the right choice

Hearts

I think that if you made a decision not to take a job then you KNEW that it would be bad for you. Work, regardless of what the job is, is frustrating or stressful and "stuff" happens. The last thing I think *I* would need is to be around a ton of opened booze bottles when I'm under pressure from work.

jaynie04

Totally agree. I think this is a beautiful example of "walking the walk" so to speak. You are making behavioral choices that support your sobriety instead of testing it. Bravo!