Squizz

Hello all, I thought I'd start a thread about something that can be dangerous territory for us drunks/addicts: The workplace. I know work for me, can be a huge trigger. Somebody will **** me off, I won't sleep properly, etc., etc.

Lately though, I've been finding, that I work best on the midnight shift. Followed second by afternoons, and third by days. I simply have a much harder time staying sober on the day shift for some reason.

On midnights and afternoons, I have very little, if any, inclination to drink or do drugs. I don't know what it is, but it seems like, when I get off work on days, there's this voice in my head saying: "Matt, you've had a rough day. You deserve to go knock off a six pack."

You know "rewarding" myself with a drink or drugs. Which is point blank idiotic, or just plain insanity based on my track record.

So I'd like to hear your thoughts on the workplace. Where do you do well? Where do you struggle? How do you overcome these obstacles while trying to stay sober.

I think work is often overlooked in recovery, and leads many people in recovery to relapse.

I've been through treatment twice, and for all their talk about "tools" neither one was very effective at addressing this particular subject. As a matter of fact, neither of them addressed this area at all.

Because let's face it: Unless you want to spend the rest of your recovery doing nothing with yourself, you're eventually going to have to work. And sometimes work can be tough, sober or otherwise.

So let's hear about your trials and tribulations in the workforce, and how you've been able to deal with them. Thanks!

hypochondriac

Urgh, work is the place I spend most of my time and it pretty much always comes first in my life. But it is the people which makes it so hard. I love them all like family but most of the time I want to murder them too. Dealing with other people early on in recovery was very tough. But it gets easier.

I work 9 til 5 and I always found the afternoons tough for cravings, which really confused me for a while because I never drank in the day, but I think that was when I started giving myself permission to drink and totting up all the stuff that p;ssed me off that day so I could justify it.

What I really noticed though is that work is less stressful when I am not thinking about the next drink, ie, after I quit. Okay, early on it was tough but now I am not not using every little annoyance as an excuse to drink, I don't let stuff bother me so much anymore.

Thepatman

Nice subject. I had one yesterday about bad day at work. Man was it hard to remain sober after that day.

Personally I see work now as a play. You put on a nice suit and act nicely. By pretending I'm on a movie set helps. If it was just me, many people would get told to f off. But I play, when I leave I live my real life, sober.

pattyj

I am a teacher and trying to work through a hangover and deal with children whinning and yelling was not fun. I would count the minutes as to when I could get home and drink. I also have a stepdaughter and could barely handle being sober around her. I was around kids all day, why would I want to be around one when I got home? So I drank a ton. The first week or so was tough when I quit. The symptoms weren't fun but I drank a lot of coffee and ate my bodyweight in ice cream. I now find that I can handle my students much better while sober and can help them tell me things rather then whine at me or yell. I also enjoy my stepdaughter and have a better relationship with her. Work is still work and I am in the process of finding another job, children are not my life long dream and I want something new and different. It still sucks and I have bad days here and there but I find that I can deal with them much better with a clear head and not a hungover one.

Squizz

Wow. It's funny that I created this topic. Yesterday, I had a doozie of a day at work. Yet, I managed to handle it well without blowing up on anyone.

Some lady kept getting on my nerves, trying to tell me and my workmate that we weren't getting enough work done. (I work in a production environment.) She literally said something along the lines of: "You guys better hurry up, because I ain't staying here until 5:30. I'm not staying an extra hour because you guys are working too slow."

What's funny about that? We got our production done half an hour EARLY. I felt like saying, "Listen here honey: We're way ahead of schedule, and are working our butts off. Secondly, it's none of your business just exactly how much work we do or don't get done. We have a supervisor for that, and last time I checked, you started exactly ONE DAY before me. So why should I listen to *anything* you have to say? You're not my boss."

But I said none of this. Why? Because I knew this lady was not someone who was likely to back down from a confrontation. So I just kept saying: "Yeah, okay. Yep." Just totally ignoring her, which I'm sure irritated her to no end.

You see, I've come to the conclusion that confrontation simply must be avoided at all costs in the workplace. Employers simply don't want those types of problems on their hands. Of course, I'm not suggesting you shouldn't stand up for yourself. Of course not. That being said, pick your battles *very* wisely. I've been fired numerous times from jobs, because I fought for what I deemed to be "right". Some battles simply are not worth fighting. It's simply better to maintain a calm, composed, demeanor.

Which is exactly what I did. And somebody must have taken notice. Why? Because my employer called me, and told me that they want me to return in the New Year. This was supposed to be a temporary position, but they called me back.

And I'm going to go out on a limb, and guess that the aforementioned lady will not be returning. Why? It's all in your attitude. Employers take notice of someone who has a positive attitude on the job.

And those who do not, will be weeded out sooner than later. I've seen it a million times.

Anyhow, let's keep this thread alive. Why? Because I feel it's an often overlooked subject when it comes to sobriety. Because let's face it: Working is just a fact of life, and sometimes, it can be extremely stressful.

Just my $0.02.

Grimes

haha they hired some new guy at work on monday, who for some reason thought he was the boss. on his second day tried to send me home, i laughed in his face, ive been there over 6 years now. kinda wanted to drink but moreso wanted to take a baseball bat to his head.

my boss had to straighten him out, and now i just ignore him, and hes trying to be all buddy buddy. but probably not the last of it. i can see some big fights coming in the future. the thing is its not only me. he also tried to send the shipper home who has been working there for 15 years or so. dudes a nutjob.

Squizz

AHAHAHA. The delusional type. I've seen those a thousand times. Trust me, when I say: That he will not last too long. He tried sending you home? HAHAHAHA.

That's too funny. It's like on the radio show I listen to here in the morning. The guy worked at a McDonald's, and his manager at the time, was told "You're fired." in a joking manner by a truck driver.

Well the guy just never came back. And he was the manager! He literally thought the joking truck driver had the authority to fire him! HAHHA.

I swear, you see and hear all sorts of crazy stuff in the workplace. Some of it funny, some of it no so funny, but almost ALWAYS entertaining.

Let's keep this thread rolling, because I have a feeling we're going to hear some very interesting stories.

LadyinBC

I was on sick leave and after talking to my doctor I decided to just quit and go on regular EI. The job isn't worth my sobriety. I wasn't happy there and it sucked up alot of my life and I was basically just done with it. I would like to go back to school, but right now I am going to find something that will make me happy and let me be around people. Money isn't everything. I'm lucky as I live with my daughter and my bills are low right now.

Squizz

Yeah, sometimes it's a tough choice to make. Do you keep working, and risk your sobriety? Or do you stop working, and stay broke? On one hand, it sucks being broke. Yet on the other hand, it sucks going to work everyday only to snort, smoke, drink, or inject all of your money away.

Natom

My old job didn't help keep me clean. It was full of stress and pressure. My new one is ok at the moment. I put the effort in. Everyone is happy. They are a very rocky part of life for many in recovery. All I can recommend is going into work knowing that the only thing you have to do that day is focus on your recovery. Because in the grand scheme of things work is only work. I mean if you're a doctor or something pay attention....but meh work. It's the boring time between meetings, sleep, and hanging out with friends.

Natom.

Squizz

This is true to a certain extent. If you're working in some dead-end job, just barely making it by........I wouldn't worry too much about your job. In those types of jobs, it's best to leave work at work.

Now if you're in a career, or profession, that's a different story. There's a lot more dedication in being a lawyer or a doctor than there is in being a garbage man.

For me, the best part about staying sober, is that I am employable. And I seem to excel at jobs when I stay sober. I actually bring something to the table, as opposed to being the proverbial "dead weight".

One thing I've come to realize of late, is this: Many people talk about the tools required to stay sober. And there are quite a few. But of late, I've found, that sobriety in and of itself, is a tool. A tool that can be used to bring me to the places I always wanted to go, and knew I *could* go, if I just got my head on straight.

mwstylee

This is easier said than done, but I just don't allow my job to affect me if I'm not in the office. I'm only getting paid for the 8 hours I'm there each day. If I take time to dwell on my boss/coworkers/projects at home, then that's time being spent on "work stuff" that I'm not getting paid for. It just doesn't feel right to me. For the 16 hours/day that I'm not physically in the office, those 16 hours are my time and not the company's.

Wifi

Honestly I guess I'm lucky to even have a job after my last "little episode"...

Anyhow I'm a project manager for a construction company.... It's not necessarily the people that make me want to drink it's all the problems and fires I am putting out on an hourly basis... I would love to get a low stress job but this is pretty much all I know and it pays pretty well (when the economy is good). Right now it just pays but like I said I feel lucky to be employed. They have put up with a lot from me over the past 15 years...

Whatever the case... Drinking isn't an option because when I drink I am totally unemployable...

LadyinBC

I was a project coordinator for an electrical company so I feel your pain. Very high stress and at the end of the day I just didn't enjoy it anymore. The money just wasn't worth it.

Xune

I don't drink alcohol, so no matter how bad a day I've had, booze simply isn't an option.

It's a mindset that works for me and I encourage others to try it.

Citrus

I have been a SAHM for over 10 years. Last December I started a business and did really really well and finally had a little income for myself. But my little bit of drinking in the evenings turned into heavier drinking in September and I really screwed things up. I don't foresee it being fixable. So for now no job for me. But I hope that working on being sober and focusing on my family who haven't had 100% of me like they will deserve for a while will get me back to a place to start over someday soon.

courage2

Here's my position as to working:

I'm in a fairly high status job (college professor, LOL, if they only knew what I could "teach" them) with a lot of autonomy. Basically, if I hold office hours 2 hours per week, teach about 6 hours per week, & attend about 2 meetings per week, the rest of my time is my own, to write, do research, prepare lectures etc.

So, I can sit in my office with the door closed hour after hour drinking, and no one will so much as knock. Or I could barely show my face at my college, stay home & drink, or go to bars. But what I did was drink while I "worked".

Now that I'm not drinking, I'm a bit leery about sitting in my office. I'm keeping the door open for one, and running lots of stupid errands around campus to get out of the room where I've done so much boozing.

I'm going to have to learn to work sober!

Squizz

I'm glad I created this thread. It's interesting to see what other people on here do for a living.

Squizz

Update:

I've been called back by my old job to start again on Jan. 2nd.

Well today I got a call from a much bigger company, for a much better paying job. Just goes to show you: If you do the right things, good things will happen.

Thanks to all of you for your support!

FreeFall

Good thread topic. In my drinking days work triggered so many binges. Extra bad day-stress reliever. Great day-reason to celebrate. Meetings with clients at the local pub could happen at any time. Now that I'm sober it's a lot less stressful, but now that I'm not in the bar as much I have less leads for work which is costing me big time. Oy!