dealing with work in early recovery
 

Do you guys have any advice how to deal with holding onto your job in early recovery. I go back to work next week and i am very worried. I know my mind and body will not be 100% up and running, and i worry about dealing with stressed situations and how to stay focused and concentrate and avoid doing too many mistakes.
I am pretty new in my current job and I am afraid work related stress and problems could push me towards relapse. This happened to me before when i lacked concentration and made silly mistakes at work which pushed me to pick up some drinks on the way home to dull the stress and regret.

You need new coping methods for stress. I read in your previous post that you plan on using AA. A formal recovery plan should help keep you sober. Google "Stress reduction techniques" on ways to deal with work stress.

And take drinking off the table completely. Better to be stressed than drunk.

Don't try to push yourself beyond your limits. Early recovery can be rough. Try to get plenty of rest and drink enough water to keep hydrated.

Read the big book chapter To Employers. It gives a pretty good idea on how employers might be feeling, and what your obligations are.

I would say never use your alcoholism as an excuse for anything, and neither use your work as an excuse to drink. One day at a time in this context means doing the best job you can just for today. Remember that God never sends you more than you can handle for one day.

Work is very good for the soul. Going home knowing you have put in a good honest days work will have you feeling pretty good about yourself, though of course you may be tired.

some good ideas here:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...44-stress.html

The bottom line is you'll be better able to be more productive and focused now you're not drinking...this is just the transition period - it will pass :)

D

Did you guys inform your employer or team leader about your alcoholism when you went into recovery?

As long a you are in recovery, and sober, they don't need to know anything. If you drink, you probably won't have to tell them anything. They'll figure it out.

You say this is a new job? Show up to work, show interest and diligence, and you'll met their expectations.

I would be quite apprehensive of informing anyone at a company- team leader, foreman, other workers,etc.

I think the best way to hold onto a job is do your best AND take drinking off the list of solutions for whatever problems may come up.
it would be wise to have your sponsors phone number and the numbers of others in recovery in your phone so if ya get a lil rattled/squirrely, you can make a call.

"i worry about dealing with stressed situations and how to stay focused and concentrate and avoid doing too many mistakes."

that there reads like me- not much self esteem and certain I was going to screw up. working the steps helped me see that.
and the solution was to not have any expectations of what was going to happen during the day.
as far as stressful situations, welp, theres solutions. something that took me some time to get from my head to my heart:
1) don't sweat the small stuff
2) its all small stuff
3) a drink wont help.
actually, I had #3 down pat. it was 1&2 that took time to "get."

I've found that work is a bit like meetings in that it tends to be that the days I feel like I really don't want to go and just can't face them, those are the days that they do me the most good. Having too much time on our hands in early sobriety can sometimes do more harm than good, so maybe keep an open mind about work. You may find it relieves more recovery-related stress than the work-related stress creates.

BB

Another vote for only telling people what they need to know.
These are work mates and bosses, not your closest fiends and family.

I'm not ashamed of who and what I am - it just has no bearing on certain areas of my life.

D

I vote NO DO NOT TELL THEM!! I worked in payroll for years. We coordinated with our HR office.. People would go out on leave and it is supposed to be confidential. It wasn't always. Infuriated me but that is the way it was. I would not want that in my file even in the "confidential" HR office. Keep looking forward and work hard. Show up for work. I have a feeling you will do fine.

Actually I couldn't hold a job.

I worked the same job for over 8 years. Last October I had a nervous breakdown from my severe alcoholism. I took a leave of absence to get sober. Their is no way I could have functioned at my job - I could hardly function at all.

I tried to go back to that job in February but I couldn't even get through the first day. I quit that job and now I am going to school and changing my career path.

I have completely changed my life.

Recovery comes first - luckily I can afford to take some time off.

Good luck.

Why tell them about a problem that is not a problem? There are two motivations that might prompt me to tell an employer. The first is a bad one, seeking sympathy, a little slack, so I don't have to perform to the same standard everyone else does.

The second is where it would be of help to the employer. I have disclosed my AA membership to help an employer help another employee. It never had any negative consequences for me.

I too am going back to work only after day 7. I'm taking a supplement from the health food store called GAB(I left out the last letter because I don't think I'm supposed to promote products). It helps relaxation and I'm finding no side effects. It seems to take the edge off a bit. It does say you shouldn't have alcohol with it though.
Eat healthy and keep focused and it shouldn't be too difficult to get through an 8 hour shift.

Here's another possibility:
When I went back to work after rehab, I found that work actually HELPED me stay sober, because it kept my mind occupied for 9-10 hours a day. I don't know the nature of your work, but mine is very analytical and problem-solving based. It was a great distraction for the majority of my waking hours.

Just prior to my quitting, I gained some new challenges at work. I had my doubts and fears about the new work. I found I was telling myself that I need the nightly drinking so I could handle the extra stress. That was just prior to my quitting. It took a few weeks but I found that I was better and handling the stress sober than I would've been otherwise.

Recently I just went thru an agonizingly stressful and worrisome period of combined home and work related problems. Sometime during the middle of it all, my wife talked to me about how I was doing and asked the stress makes me want to drink. My response was "People use stress as an excuse because they want to drink. Drinking does not help alleviate stress, drinking only stresses the body and mind. So then we end up with more stress not less stress.". Having heard my self say that strengthened my resolve to never drink again.

STD it really is an incredible experience some days. Good days or bad days...Sober MsCooterBrown outshines Drunk MsCooterBrown any day!!!

Sounds like you are having some good days. Good for you!!! :c011: