TastyCheez

Hello again,

I just thought of a strange predicament for me. Being the owner of many businesses, having just signed a lease on a new store that is planned to open in January, after 3 months of construction and knowing I need to work 14-16 hours days, 6-7 days a week, at least until next March....is now not a good time to go sober? I'm concerned about my ability to function, stay calm and strategize my businesses if I'm withdrawing during all this. Pretty sure my business partner will kill me...

What's everybody's thoughts on this? I know it sounds like an excuse...but reading about how this affects everybody else...am I going to be screwed and end up losing my business??

Della1968

It's an excuse You will be ok. Would you rather keep drinking and possibly lose all the things you are building now? I did and rebuilding is a lot more work. You will find you can always come up with a reason not to quit if you look for one. I did it for 15 years. I promise it will be fine if you just stay sober.

doggonecarl

Sounds like it because it is an excuse. I doubt sobiety will ruin your business as much as continued drinking will.

If you are worried about withdrawals, see your doctor. It will make the first week a lot more doable.

Dee74

Well, I'd rather run a business sober over being drunk anyday TC.
If you need to unwind, start thinking of healthy ways to do that.

It is possible. Millions of people run businesses and stay in recovery.

D

thomas11

Hi TastyCheez, quite frankly bit surprised that you own many businesses and just now are wondering if stopping drinking might be a good idea. I guess you would be classified as a functional alcoholic? Anyway, the store opens in January, you have plenty of time, withdrawals don't last 6 months (if I understand this situation correctly). Just my opinion, but you'll thank yourself for getting clean before you open. If you're working 16 hr days almost every day of the week, you won't have time to be drunk. Anyway, sounds like you are already pretty successful, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

ScottFromWI

If you keep drinking there's a good chance you will lose your business also. So yes, it's pretty much an excuse to keep drinking.

Gottalife

A strange thing about alcoholism. People tend to lose things when they are drinking and gain things when they stop.

If you were my business partner you would be getting treatment or I would be finding someone else. I know where alcoholism leads and I would not be letting you drag me down as well.

You talk as if you have options. If you dance with a gorilla It's kind of up to the gorilla how you will dance and when you will stop. Alcoholism is like that. It doesn't take into account your business plans and hold off for a convenient time for you to do something about it. It will strike when it wants regardless.

sugarbear1

Why not try it and see what happens? You have the option to drink, if you want to at any time.

~Take a chance on sobriety~

biminiblue

Quitting is not that difficult. The issues you might have - and you might not - will be short term. If you are capable of running a business, I'm sure you are going to be capable of holding it together for a week of healing.

It will kill you and your business if you give alcohol a chance.

paulokes

There is a very old piece of 'rationalisation' that folks like us come up with our best ideas when drunk or drinking. We couldn't cope without our 'Muse'

I didn't come up with that particular piece of wisdom, but I certainly believed it for years.

P

TastyCheez

Copy

Thank you all for the words of wisdom.

6 days, 10 hours into this.

And I have a raging headache...

Dee74

I'd spend some time thinking about balance TC.

Work hard by all means but make time to relax too.
Find positive healthy ways to relax.

If you need some suggestions I'm sure the group here can oblige

D

TastyCheez

I definitely have issues with relaxing. Take today for example. I didn't go with my GF to see her family and her dad because I wanted to stay at home alone, and relax...I didn't do much of that, I instead worked. It was productive work, doing something I love and creating a new business community website for myself...but still was work. So now I'm exhausted and will work the next 7 days again.

I didn't go with her mainly because I likely would have drank as I can't stand those people...

lighter

As a rule alcoholics drink because they are alcoholics.

Stress from business... going to relatives... fathers day... nice sunny day sitting in the pub... cold wet day nothing better to do.... too busy... unemployed....

All these were 'reasons' for me to drink.

The real reason was I was an alcoholic. There was always a reason to drink.

Berrybean

Sometimes there are some difficulties going on with us (alcoholics I mean) and our emotions which we manage to 'lalalala' away for years and years, through different tactics. For example:
~by staying incredibly busy with work or whatever
~ by being incredibly drunk, and stepping outside of our sober selves for a bit so that we can be comfortably in-the-moment for a short time
~ by losing ourselves in 'exciting' *clears throat* relationships
~ abusing prescription or illegal drugs
~ overeating
~ risky gambling
etc etc etc (anything that might give us a buzz or take us away from ourselves)
Most of the time we either don't understand ourselves why we're doing it, or manage to convince ourselves we don't have a choice, or it's the most rational (pmsl) solution to a situation that we perceive we have no control over. Some of them can seem relatively harmless until they get out of control. For example, working long hours for a short burst may be sustainable, but indefinitely can be problematic for health; emotional stability; relationships (with partners; family and friendships). The single person who has no ties may not think their sexual conduct is damaging, until they realise the hurt they have caused others and themselves later on. Gamblers who are lucky or can afford to lose, get away with it for a while as well. And even drinking - we all know people who've managed to somehow keep things together. But it's all a risk. And an unnecessary one as well. Please don't take that risk. It sound like you have an exciting future ahead of you, and you have a partner who will also be relying on you.

Personally, I learned (and continue to learn) to cope without resorting back to my 'lalalal'ing strategies with the support of AA. It is no coincidence that out of the 12-steps in AA, it is only the first step that even mentions 'alcohol'. This is because, once it's gone, (as I believe you have recognised) we still have our dis-functional selves to readjust to the world and life we're living in. Getting sober, then finding a sponsor and working through the steps really would help your ability to function, stay calm and strategize your businesses. If you look at the AA promises you'll see what I mean (and those promises really do come true). Other people have have very different recovery journeys without AA and I'm sure that they'll be happy to share those with you as well.

Take care.

zjw

I'd be concerned about your ability to function /with/ all the booze.

sounds like your off to a good start tho.

I was just thinking how do people like yourself work such hours and live life? I guess for some work is there life?

I'm in a predicament where between family and problems and work i have little time for anything and I found myself asking someone yest how do people with tougher schedules then mine do it?

We should enjoy our lives too much of anything isnt always good.

Ken33xx

months of construction and knowing I need to work 14-16 hours days, 6-7 days a week, at Around 2009 I was some $400,000 in debt. Terrible time but the thought of a drink never crossed my mind.

I wasn`t sure of what I was going to do but one thing I did know and that was drink wasn`t going to help matters.

If you`re headed for rough waters you`re going to need a clear head. And while some people can have a couple of drinks at night to cool down people like me can`t. Why? Because I can`t be certain of when I will stop.

I got back on my feet financially because of a lot of hard work and the fact I kept a clear head.

You seem bright enough to have several enterprises in the works so don`t blow it.

I know a guy in AA who likes to talk about the millions his construction company earned years back. Ten years sober the guy was when he went back out. Hit the bottle/drugs hard and it all came crashing down.