thirtybubba

Hey y'all haven't been in the main part of this forum for a while now, been busy with school (and actually graduated, go figure) plus I figured I didn't have many questions left about sobriety, and certainly don't have the experience to offer advice.

But, now, after a bunch of changes I didn't really mean to cause, unless intentionally graduating counts (I could have failed, I suppose), I had to leave the dorms and found out I don't have enough money for a downpayment on an apartment in Los Angeles. And, even though I'd been trying for a few weeks, no jobs (not surprised, I'd tried for months last year same results).

So, anyways, I realized it didn't matter what I did, I'll either make it or I won't, and I wasn't happy in So Cal, so I took off on the road. All I could have done there was go into a shelter--it couldn't be any worse anywhere else. I don't know anybody there. I have no home, no job.

I found a nice place to live, actually a couple, along the way. But, I kept pressing forward--had to stop by my hometown and say hi, then I was going to go back and live in one of those places I'd found.

Unfortunately, I had stayed mostly sober in that last little stretch of school by not caring if I drank a little. Surprisingly (to me at least) it worked. That did not, however, apply to the road. I overdid it one night, and I'm back in trouble. Second DUI, not much I can say. Surely not proud, but it's done now.

So my question is, since I realized that the last job I got was before I got the first DUI, I've never applied for a job under these circumstances. And, if I hurry up and get a job, the second one probably won't come up (I haven't been convicted yet).

But I was wondering, how does that look to employers, having a criminal record? I got a bachelor's and warehouse experience... don't even know how *that* looks to employers. I'm guessing not good, a week now and nobody's called back.

Don't know, I'm somewhere between feeling happier and depressed all the time.

Sorry.
TB.

NEOMARXIST

Hi TB. Good to hear from you. I was only thinking the other day that haven't 'seen you around for ages.

As you know I ain't from USA so can;t offer any advice/knowledge about your situation. Totally different in England.

I guess you can be thankfull you didn't injure or kill anybody ( assuming you didn't) in your DUI.

I know for me with my first drink-driving offence then it is a criminal record and I have to disclose it. But it doesn't really affect the type of work I wanted to do, though it certainly doesn't look brilliant.

I know if I ever drank again then the chances of getting another drink-drive conviction would be probable and that would really screw my future up.

But what actually was more of an incentive to stay sober in many ways was a possession charge. A drug possession charge on a criminal record would really scupper most jobs. I was already cautioned for class-A so if I had of been caught again then it would have been on my criminal record. Incidentally I was out doing Coke under a bridge off a key the very next day and could have been caught very easily. That's why I don't drink.

How I got caught the first time was a calamity though how I never got caught before is even more of a joke. Whats more of a joke is that the big-time druggies and dealers never get caught, just the p*ssheads.

Peace

thirtybubba

Hi Neo- No, I didn't hurt anybody, thank God. And yeah, it's given me more than enough to reflect on.

I'm sober again, and trying to do this right, but this is sort of lingering over me--the economy is bad and all. If I can't get a job, I have no idea what I'll do. That's why I was wondering.

OZboy

..TB..if it's a criminal offence in 'Cali'..(it's not in Oz)..

..then everyone else is the same boat..so be honest..
..and stay true in yourself..good-luck...ozy..

thirtybubba

yeah, i ask myself why i bother. take care everybody have a lovely day/night/what have you.

i know, i shouldn't have posted in here. dunno why but, it's been this way for months now. ty neo & ozy fwiw... nice to see you again neo, i might skip in here for y'all but i guess it's back to being all alone in this mess again. i did it myself, i reckon i'll either get out of it myself or go down in flames...

HumbleBee

Please don't feel this way.

That's why we're all here - to support each other and NOT go through our struggles alone.

Not sure what you do for work, but some jobs will not even ask about past offenses, criminal records.

Also don't know what/if the DUI requires in terms of loss of license so driving may be a factor, but it doesn't mean THE END.

There's still public transportation and work from home stints that may be available.

I read an article the other day that said that for the first time in a very long time, some people are quitting jobs in favor of better paying ones.
This is a good sign for the economy in terms of job opportunties and finally (!) not being paid minimum wage for college educated professionals.

Please don't throw in the towel or feel like you deserve to go through this alone - nobody deserves that.

I look forward to hearing more from you!!

thirtybubba

I'm not alone... just in real life?

Nah, it's okay by now. I cared before, but now I know I'm gonna go through the rest of my life all alone.

I don't "do" anything anymore. I wasted a couple years of my life going to school, was laid off for the recession, and according to the school job-getting center, a bachelor's degree is not going to get me a job, which is fine by me. I just want to get back to normal work-and-pay-bills kind of life. I was thinking cashier or the like, but when I talk to the managers, they just seem nervous and won't look me in the eye.

Reckon I'm doing something wrong, but don't know what it is.

Think tomorrow I'm gonna not mention the school. Maybe that will help. I don't really have a high school diploma, but maybe they won't ask for it.

yeahgr8

Hey TB good to hear from you again, i've missed you!

Congratulations on graduating thats no small thing!

I see how with a degree that the kind oif jobs you are going for might look at you a little funny, you could say tell them a bit about your atory how you were lucky enough to be able to get back to college and then add that you still have some more studies to do in your own time and that you need to get a job to earn some money as you are really in the red...people love the underdog that has done something like get a degree...if you can come across like they will be doing you a favour by giving you the job, as they will see the degree on paper, this will massage their ego and you might find it alot easier to get a quick job...i did when i was younger...

That said somewhere still awiats your behind...a chair in a room;-)

I always thought i would be alone too, i liked to think it was because i didnt want to hurt anyone else but the truth is i just felt plain worthless and couldnt see how anyone would want me...the work i have done in the last year has changed all that and it will do the same for you whether you believe it or not...its just a matter of getting it done just like you did on your graduates course...

Take a ****** job, get a ****** place to live, take the dui and do the work...you got nothing to lose...you sound like you think you are ****** anyway which is a good place to be for change:-)

I was alone a year ago in real life and i mean alone, alone as i had pushed everyone away...wish you could see what has hapened to me but you will meet lots of us in the rooms if you just look...BIG HUG (didnt know what my sponsor was doing when he gave me one of them when i first came in)...

HumbleBee

TB,

While the economy is showing signs of improvement, it's still a bit of a jungle out there. There are lots of college graduates who are stuck with mounds of debt and are dismayed at the current lack of job opportunities.

Did you say you have a bachelor's yesterday and then posted today that you have no high school diploma? I'm confused.

Either way, I've got friends who have engineering degrees and are working at McDonald's because they have families and need to pay the bills.

We do what we gotta do. And work begets work.

If you have a degree and are talking to a hiring mgr about a cashier job, of course he/she is thinking that you're going to ditch the cashier job as soon as the economy turns around. These managers don't want to hire someone, train them, then turn around and have to replace you in 6 months.

Beat the hiring manager to the punch and put things out on the table before he/she has a chance to wonder about it.

By saying, Hey, I want to work and know that I can do a great job for you, is better than them rejecting you because they feel you're overqualified. Downplaying your education is an option, also. We do what we gotta do.

Convince them of your commitment to do the job at hand is my advice.

P.S. There's nothing wrong with being alone. Cliche, I know, but I was more alone in a room of 300 people when I was drinking than I am now by myself sober.

My life isn't boring. It's predictable and I like it that way. Had enough drama-rama to last a lifetime.

ElegantlyWasted

"Unfortunately, I had stayed mostly sober in that last little stretch of school by not caring if I drank a little"

that was the same for me, until I cared or thought I should care, then binge without abandon, then back to a normalized maintenance drinking pattern, then another binge. I feel u.

Here in ther greater Phoenix metro, every other successful professional has atl least 1 DUI. Very common in So Cal as well I would guess. Just don't worry about it. Some people will shoot you down for it, but some will actually be more inclined to give you a job if you set it up right. Only hard suggestion is build rapport with your interviewer asap and disclose, otherwise your wasting your and your interviewer's time.

Best of luck. Keep quitting till you quit. Try to get a little structure to your day. And try not to get hung up on the negatives, know that as you keep trying something will happen. I've come to believe that 80 of it is just showing up. The rest is being as honest as possible and actually giving a shat. Hope you rock it out!

Kjell

To us drunks a vehicle is a weapon. A very dangerous weapon.

I'm facing my 2nd dui charge (still waiting on the court date).

I actually just came clean to my bosses and it felt great. They are also behind me 100% and said as long as it doesn't affect my work, they have no problems even though I'll likely do a few weeks in jail. I think it meant a lot to them that I came to them in a open and honest manner, only telling the facts.

A 2nd dui charge in 5 years usually results in a few weeks jail time and a one year hard license suspension (among other things). That's been my toughest obstacle, the no driving, but I gave up my right w/ 2 duis.

TB - do you go to AA? I only ask b/c I remember you from when I first started and I also got my 2nd dui on a "relapse". Your degree is great, but it won't keep you sober. You gotta do whatever it takes to get and remain sober or this is gonna take you down (or someone else if you hurt or kill someone). To us drunks a vehicle is a weapon.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want me details.

keithj

A lot of us have experience with DUIs and associated employment trouble due to our drinking. We can share that experience galore, but it isn't all that useful to anyone else.

The solution is not trying to fix (manage) those related difficulties. The solution is to get sober for good and all. Many of us have achieved that and are happy to share our experience with that.

I've found that solving that problem was a lot more beneficial than scurrying around trying to repair the damage that I kept causing and would keep causing if I didn't solve that sobriety problem.

thirtybubba

I never graduated high school. I did graduate college. I know it's not clear, 'cause it's not normal, but I never did do anything in the correct order.

I'm not really clear on what one can do with a college degree anyways, so that's not important to me. In a few months, if I can get a job, then I will look into that whole sphere of employment.

McDonalds, Wal-Mart, every other chain I could think of... so far, nothing. Tried going into places that were hiring and asking, every single person I talked to, I somehow messed up--that's why I was thinking covering up my diploma might help. The interviews seemed to go south when asked what I did last. I was a student. To be honest, except for the applications I've submitted online, nobody has gotten to the point of asking me about a criminal record. The one question I had, which I kinda misphrased I suppose, was what does "Criminal Background Check" entail exactly? How do I know if I'll qualify--or do I merely apply recklessly and hope it's okay?

I no longer live in California, back in the midsouth. No license will require me to walk miles, but I did this to myself, and I guess I'm fine with that.

Alone, well, it's getting easier as the years go on... I'm just a ghost wherever I live. Don't suppose the stain of all those years in California will ever leave my eyes. Don't believe it'll ever leave my soul. I did that to myself, too, and I guess I'll just have to be fine with that.

ElegantlyWasted

Re: criminal bkgrd
Mostly they want to know that you don't stalk small children or kill people. I always said no, even after my DUI. Did the same for my current employer (large successful real estate firm) and no issues. I did disclose during the interview. That being said I would forego any dreams of being a cabbie or getting a CDL for a couple years.

Poooh

I wanted to see how you been doing since the last post has been a year and now you should be driving by now
I'm going through same situation as yours a year ago.. I could feel the pain in your writing and wanted to check up on you!
And I wish I can feel better after you can tell me your successful story

Fandy

This thread is over a year old. If you want to know how Bubba is doing, go back and read all of her postings, or see many threads pertaining to her rehab...She has had a very rough time....I haven't seen her around lately but I think she maybe posts on the newbie Bus regularly.

Dee74

TB is around.
Maybe she'll see this thread

D