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Well that didn't turn out as expected...

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Old 11-03-2014, 07:08 PM
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Well that didn't turn out as expected...

So some of you may remember a post a few weeks back about me having to go to the Board of Directors of my organization to essentially expose my boss's (and former closest friend/drinking buddy) growing problem with alcohol. "Problem" being a grand understatement as her drinking and the related consequences were not only putting the organization in jeopardy, but also the lives and livelihoods of a dozen other people. To say I felt like the biggest hypocrite and jerk in the universe would also be a grand understatement.

She was confronted last Tuesday, given the option of rehab and a return to the job after the successful (and continued OP) completion of a recovery program. She was shocked, apparently assumed correctly it was me who told on her although she was told it was not any one person, and was considering her options when...

She got offered another job by a firm we work closely with for double the salary as well as all sorts of other perks. Like "job of a lifetime."

I know, I know on some level that this is none of my business, that it's only a matter of time before they realize who/what they hired, and that, really, the point of the matter is that she is no longer our problem.

But.

I am flipping furious! I was given the blessed task of going through all of her emails to find out the extent of the damage and, to put it lightly, it is amazing we even have electricity in the office. Beyond that, she had highly inappropriate relationships with just about every male client in our roster and now I am faced with the indelicate task of repairing those relationships while making it clear that all the side "benefits" they had been enjoying are now over. We are likely to lose many accounts that keep us afloat and may all be faced with no job in the near future.

I want to strangle her, seriously. I am so angry and then so angry at myself for being angry because I know how sick she is. Because I was sick too. Albeit in different ways, perhaps, but sick nonetheless. I want more than anything to grow another inch of sympathetic (or empathetic) fiber but, at this point, I just can't get past my anger and feelings of betrayal.

Anyway, sorry for the rant but I can't really express this at my job as I am supposed to be the "professional one who understands this disease" so I'm putting it here.

My sponsor keeps telling me to "check my motives," meaning is my reaction also partly because I wanted to be the hero or the savior here in getting her into recovery and am annoyed it didn't go my way.

Maybe although I haven't unpacked the anger that much yet.

Any and all feedback and criticism is welcome, I always learn here and Lord knows, I need to get out of my own head.

Thanks for reading/listening, guys.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:14 PM
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I think it's fine to vent and be angry pt...just don't let that anger own you or rule you- y'know?

D
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:17 PM
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yes, of course you're angry and then angry at yourself for being angry.
that's what any reasonable person (otherwise known as fini) would feel!

Ptcapote, sounds like high drama, and i mean that sympathetically. i'm sorry you're tasked with cleaning up the mess, as it forces you to keep being engaged.
it all sounds entirely exhausting and infuriating.

can you go see some kind of other professional for some debriefing on this? maybe you have access to an Employee Assistance Program?
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:19 PM
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I can understand how you feel. You agonized over this and then did what you felt needed to be done, but, just like so many people, she fell in to a vat of shite and came out smelling like a rose. She gets a great new job and doesn't have to deal with the inevitable (yet), but you are kind of left holding the bag. I would be mad as hell, too.

But, you did what you felt you needed to do, and you made the right decision, IMO. Things may be a little weird at work for a while, but you did the right thing. At some point, her issues are going to catch up with her. She was offered a chance to get better where you work, but that may not be the case where she is going. Things seem to work out in the end for those who do the right thing. But yeah, I can understand your anger.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:26 PM
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Problem gone, that should be your biggest sense of achievement here whether it played how you thought or not. What she does is no longer your problem, before her actions could have impacted on you negatively. Now you have someone to blame for the next few months kidding of course but you know that's the running office joke when someone leaves. So and so did it for a while after they leave.

During your "cleanup" you simply have to keep dropping her name when things seems off in the books or whatever. Take pride in the cleanup you will do and when things start to improve you can take proper credit.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:31 PM
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Hiya pal

Sounds to me like she is NOWHERE NEAR the first step. Might she have taken your lead ?
Perhaps, but prolly not. :/ If she's sleeping with the clients and so on and so forth, chances are, old girl has a long way down still...

Maybe one of those dang "gifts in strange wrapping" for you ?
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:43 PM
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I would be angry too! But she won't be able to pull off that new job with her habit. You will calm down in a few days. And then get angry again. And then calm again. And that's ok!
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:46 PM
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I recall your previous post. A difficult situation. And now more of life's grand bounty.

It would be hard not to be upset for any employee affected. So, upset is ok. Furious doesn't seem good.

Funny thing, I spend my career largely cleaning up the messes of careless others. After many years doing so I have learned to realize that I might not have a job if it weren't for those folks.

Not sure how useful that is for you, but it pays the same, and I now choose not to be angry as often as possible.

I didn't always make that choice, though. Sometimes I drank over it instead. I'm not saying you will, but you do need to find a way to let it go. That might mean another job, or meditation, or exercise, or who knows what.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:47 PM
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Geez, that's tough. I can totally understand your frustration. Maybe, in a way, it's a lesson? There's someone here on SR (soberclover) who has a saying in her signature that says "not my monkeys. not my circus". And I do believe there's something wise in that saying. We know all too well that a successful recovery starts with a willing participant.

I do feel your pain - I have a good friend who just went through a major divorce. She day drinks on the weekend and slams a bottle of wine per night during the week. I secretly hoped the divorce would shake some sense into her...but she still parties like crazy, looks gorgeous, and appears to be having the time of her life. And it irks the hell out of me. But: not my monkeys.

Your colleague and her new bosses (unfortunately) will get what's coming to them. Things will unravel. Chickens will come home to roost. Or maybe they won't. But in the end, it's out of your control. You can't control it, you can't cure it, and you sure as hell didn't cause it. Not your monkeys, not your circus.

FWIW I think it's good your venting. Rage away! Just don't take it to bed with you. Go to bed tonight feeling happy for yourself, and proud of your own accomplishments in sobriety. Do something cool for yourself this weekend that makes you remember how good it is to be on this side of the fence. Sorry to hear you're dealing with such an awkward situation, but you can hold your head high and move on like the pro you are! We're all glad to have a person like you here on SR to share your experiences, it's quite helpful for all of us to ponder on these topics.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:51 PM
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What Big Sombrero said.

You can hold your head high.

The other person? Well ... I suspect the epilogue is already writing itself.
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Old 11-03-2014, 07:56 PM
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There are some me good comments in the responses Pt. I guess I would file this situation under "no good deed goes unpunished".

I know that you know life isn't always fair, but this outcome has to be a slap in the face. I can see why you're angry, and I'm not sure your motives are anything more than frustration over the unexpected turn of events. But I believe you did the right things, and you should take some solace in knowing that. It's just unfortunate you have to clean up her mess while she trots off to a new and much higher paying position.

Sadly, this woman may not ever seek help, and that's a shame. Just when it seemed she would address her problem, she's able to grab the brass ring and continue on with her drinking. If I were in your position, I would try to let it go as best as I could, and if possible, I would take the high road and leave open some type of communication with her just in case she may eventually reach out to you for help in the future.

But for now, I don't think a little cursing and kicking the wall is out-of-line
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Old 11-03-2014, 08:43 PM
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Hey Pt.

You did a courageous and noble thing, regardless of your motives. Motives are rarely pure in difficult situations that carry a heavy dose of conflict. There are reasons why such experiences make for great fiction and drama. And what you did is nowhere near as easy as it may seem. There are plenty of heroes who specialize in talking and who'd be happy to tell you that they "would have done the same thing" or who would have done it better.

I do believe in my own brand of karma, and you've got some karmic capital in your favor, even if for now it's nothing more than having done what you had to do. Doesn't mean you'll ever be rewarded for your efforts, though engaging such a difficult process does, I believe, have its own rewards. I honestly don't know what I would have done.

The person who pulls the fire alarm is often the one who is most criticized. It's just the way things are. (Funny. As I was typing this, the radio station I'm listening to started playing The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby.) With no pun intended, what this woman does or doesn't do and how the story plays out is no longer your business. The Universe neither laughs nor cries about the outcome. It can't. It's the Universe.
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Old 11-04-2014, 05:38 AM
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pretty scary. I'm in a situation now at my employer where I bite my tongue and keep my head down becuase I think the particular female co-worker could be having relations with a select person and saying the wrong thing when that sorta stuff is going down can cost you your job.

I hate that when your just trying to do the right thing and it bites you! This is why good people sometimes do nothing in this world.

I hope it gets better for you.
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Old 11-04-2014, 06:13 AM
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bigsombrero, "-but not my monkeys." -love it. im stealing that one.
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Old 11-04-2014, 06:23 AM
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Universal Truth

The Universe beat into me some years ago the Absolute Truth that 'Life Ain't Fair'. Accepting this leads to a sanguine Peace.

It all came down to me - and no one but me - grasping and not resisting this Universal Truth. That is, not resent the Truth that some Folks sleep their way to success. Some 'Brown Nose' the Boss and get ahead. Some play serious Games with their Expense Reports. Been there. Seen all this.

If Clients like this Gal, and her new Employer doesn't care that much about her 'methods', she'll do fine. Especially if she matures a bit and moderates her behavior. Between what goes on with large Accounts in the U.S. - not to mention the Bribes, Payoffs [like amazing Weekend Junkets] and Hookers I've seen Overseas in Business - not much fazed me by the time I Retired and bailed out of Corporate Life at age 48.

Reality proceeds with or without my consensus.

Most all of us here 'knew better' than those around us trying to correct our Behaviors to meet their Standards. Sounds like she might still be in that phase of 'knowing better'.
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Old 11-04-2014, 07:36 AM
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Oh my, Pt... I really feel for you. This would drive me crazy. I also engaged in a lot of unethical behaviors as a drinker, especially the kinds you mentioned your former boss/friend was doing with clients... not so many in numbers, but I really made a mess in some people's life in the past. Secret affairs were one of my specialty. Not for any professional gain, just for the affair itself. I wasn't in the corporate world and in my environments people do these things all the time without much consequence as far as the job goes, but it does not make it any less inappropriate to generate chaos in others' life because mine is a chaos... on any level, work or personal. I also did what your colleague did: moved on... and repeated the behavior. And all the lies related to drinking. And I was someone always preaching about truth and fairness and values... It was a constant, horrible dissonance in my mind and in my heart to live that way. Yet I would continue doing it for far too long. Here is human nature for you.

I also deal with similar situations to yours, just smaller, on a regular basis when I have to review other people's work anonymously, and judge whether it's acceptable or not, some people that I know well, and who do the same kind of thing with my work... sometimes it's very hard to make those decisions. The way I've learned to deal with this is what was suggested above in some posts. I view ethics like karma... an endless chain of cause-effect, actions-consequences. We can only do our best in each moment, if we choose to do so. Actions and behaviors often are not rewarded for truth and fairness, the world is full of corruption, and very often people using these kinds of methods flourish. We can only make our decisions in the present moment and things will unfold later without our control, regardless of whether we like it or not.

You have played your part in your own recovery, made a decision in this incredibly difficult situation, and now you are dealing with the consequences, both practically and emotionally. That's the only thing we can do, really...

Thanks so much for posting this, Pt! Even though there is no real solution to all this right now, it's always good to think about.
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Old 11-04-2014, 01:43 PM
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Who the hell gets offered a job with 2X the salary like that just as they are given an ultimatum at work like that? It wouldn't be me that's for sure. Let's go to the window and scream out WTF!
You lost a coconspirator buddy PT. Back in the day she had your back in a thick-as-thieves kind of way. You tried to help her and it didn't work out that way. Now you are processing a loss. That's no way for a friendship to end even if she is an active alcoholic. I don't know the whole situation but this is what I would do. I would clean up the mess and not say one bad word about her to anyone out of respect for the friendship. I would try to write her and explain how I honestly thought I was doing the right thing.
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Old 11-04-2014, 08:13 PM
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Thank you all so very much for the advice and understanding. As always, this is why I keep coming back

I appreciate the posts especially that remind me that I am in no position to be judging her, no matter how ticked off I am at having to clean up her mess. And, yes, I am beginning to process my motives and there was a (big?) part of me that wanted to see her hit rock bottom right now so that she could go into rehab, get "fixed," and be my friend again. And maybe I saw a role for myself in that whole process, too. I don't know if I wanted to be the hero, but I do know that looking back on where I came from and how much better I feel now (and how my life has turned around), I did sort of want to force feed her recovery so she would stop.

But that is not how this works at all, is it? And, hello, that is some incredible ego on my part, even if I think it was coming from a place of wanting to get my friend back.

And, Haennie, yes, yes...thank you for your post. I too made ridiculous and shameful decisions (if one could call them decisions) when I was drinking and although my "uglies" were a little different than hers...they were still very, very ugly and I am reminded of them on a regular basis by the absence of friends and family members in my life. Your post was a good reminder.

Silentrun, yes, she was offered a job immediately because, frankly, we all covered her a$$ for so long that if you didn't know her that well/personally (i.e. hadn't gone out drinking with her), and were just going on her reputation as an analyst, you'd maybe hire her too. But your point is a good one about not talking bad about her. I haven't, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought some less-than-awesome things. And obviously I am posting here about my less-than-awesome thoughts, too.

I am too conflicted to contact her now but I will do so in the future. If only to put it out there that I am still around should she ever want to talk recovery. But, frankly, she is in such deep denial right now and so much in the grasp of addiction, if I wrote her a confessional letter it would not do much more than pi$$ her off again and set off the paranoia that she is beset with that "everyone is after her." I know that. I tried the verbal route and even implied she didn't get some help we (me) were going to be in a position of talking to higher ups...she ignored that. I know the more it was thrown in my face when I was drinking that I was a drunk, the nastier and more paranoid I got. So, for now at least, my instinct is to let things lie.

And, as EndGame said, it is none of my damn business anymore. It is up to her, God/the Universe, and her new employers. I will be here but I have to remove myself from the situation at this point. At least until I can process it without anger. I am working hard with my sponsor and a therapist on making sure that anger does not turn into a big ole resentment.

Anyway, I really adore you guys and thank you so much for the support and for also reminding me that, yes, "there before the grace of God go I..." and that I have no business getting all judgy. Angry, yes, at the situation, perhaps, but not the person. I am working on it with all of your help...
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Old 11-04-2014, 08:25 PM
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BB pg 552:

"If you have a resentment you want to be free of....."

My sponsor directs me to that page when I need it.
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Old 11-04-2014, 08:33 PM
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We aren't punished for our anger; we're punished by our anger. Ironically, doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong to be punished for here.

Yes, it certainly sounds like you are having to pay a high price for your former boss's indiscretions. I have found that whenever I do the next right thing and pay a high price in doing so - the place I end up is always, and I do mean always, well worth the price of admission.
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