aspiringwriter8

Hi guys! I'm having pretty intense cravings. I start a new job Monday. It is my dream job. I know that drinking will ruin this opportunity. This last year I have put my recovery first. It has been over a year since I had a full-time job. I feel guilty. I used to call in sick Monday mornings after a weekend of binge drinking.

I'm so grateful to even have a new job with everything going on. I feel like it is too good to be true. Cravings come and go...just curious if anyone else could offer some advice. Thanks!

Dee74

Resist., You don't want to start a new job on the wrong foot.
Some good ideas on dealing with cravings here

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-cravings.html (CarolD's tips for cravings)

Celebrating is ok - order some favourite takeout or something - but stay sober!

Congrats on the new job!

D

Dave42001

Stay strong! Kudos on the new Gig! I know you’ll be the first one in the office Monday!

Stick around SR this weekend! You got this!! Good luck next week!! I know you’ll do well!!

D

Obladi

Do whatever you need to do today to Not Drink. Get out of the house and take a very long walk, do a huge clean, commit to completing a 1000 piece puzzle... you know, just keep busy and leave the craving alone.

There's a lot to "unpack" in your post. In my opinion, it might be good to come back to it after you've successfully started your job, sober.

I'd venture that most of us are incredibly anxious before starting a new job. That's ok - just don't drink over it.

Congratulations! You'll do great.

O

RecklessDrunk

If it were me I may think of a drink in this case because my emotional and financial insecurity are on the line. I would make sure to get some exercise and pray. We do all the work to get in these jobs but God makes it possible. We can interview well but we can't actually force the company to hire us. Its God's plan so just do your best and let the chips fall. When that first overwhelming task comes up take a minute to breathe and pray. Know you are going to do your best and then you can live with whatever the results are.

It's like you are going there to kick field goals. You do everything right, right up to the point you kick the ball, from there it's in God's hands. Absolutely nothing you can do while the ball is in the air so just worry about kicking the ball.

fini

it's NOT too good to be true!
don't even go down that road...it is self-defeating. can you go for a long walk somewhere nice before you do that 1000 piece puzzle O suggested while having the dinner you ordered on Dee's suggestion?
you can hang out here, and know that cravings don't require you to do anything. neither to give in or to fight...i have found that "just being with them" has worked for me and life goes on in spite of them, and so can sobriety.
hm...maybe check out some online meetings? they are all over the world, all the time.

Anna

Aspiringwriter, I'm glad you posted here about your cravings. You have your dream job waiting for you on Monday morning, and I know you don't want to mess it up, so staying sober is essential.

aspiringwriter8

Thank you all for your encouragement! Sometimes just acknowledging feelings helps so much. I deep cleaned my entire apartment. I feel a lot better. Touch base with you all after what I hope will be a good first week on the job!

Aellyce

I had a similar pattern with cravings - they typically hit around the most exciting, positive experiences for me. Either when I was done with some great effort and accomplished something, or was excited about something new. Starting a new job may be associated with increased anxiety but, in my case, it wasn't the negative feelings (in other contexts, those almost never triggered me) but the positives. Most annoying and kinda weird because I even have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and anxiety rarely made me crave alcohol. But whatever your mechanism, there is no magic around it other than resisting and distracting yourself. Sounds like you chose something (cleaning) that was useful, too. Many people attend recovery meetings to deal with cravings. If nothing else, for me usually eating a decent, healthy meal eliminated the craving in the moment. I emphasize "healthy" because many people do this with sugar and that often just creates another problem.

Congrats and good luck!