Erik1980

Hopefully my experience today can be as encouraging to you as it was to me. It's day 5. I'm feeling great physically, and positive emotionally. I went back to work today as a bartender and was a little concerned it would make me want to drink, but it didn't and for that I am grateful and optimistic. I'm lucky to have a lot of friends jumping on the wagon with me (not by any influence of mine, but a lot of my friends have hit this point in their lives at the same time I guess) so my fears of lack of socialization are relieved a bit to know that they all want to do sober activities too. Anyway, I hope that all of you that are struggling on day 1 or 2 , as I was greatly, know that it seems to get easier over time. My friends who have been sober for years say it's WAY easier after a long time, so keep on keeping on and let's do this and make our lives better! I'm sure there will be harder days ahead. I myself am dreading the holidays, but knowing that the general trend over time will be that it will get easier and life will get better is something we should all keep in mind when having moments of doubt.

Dee74

I couldn't imagine doing that job, but glad things are going well for you Erik.

D

Twinings

Oof....If you sit long enough in a barbers chair, you'll get a haircut!

I really couldn't do that job.
But good luck and congrats on 5 days.

sgs

I THINK YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

EndGameNYC

Hey Erik1980.

I was a bartender when I first got sober thirty years ago. But that was a different time for me. I didn't experience intense cravings, and I was scared to death of drinking again. I was going to AA meetings morning, noon and night, and I was working with a sponsor. I was doing other things in my life that didn't involve drinking or working at a bar as well.

After relapsing for three years in 2008, I couldn't go anywhere near alcohol for more than a year. Even now, I don't want to be around it. Not so much because I'm afraid I'll drink, but because it still can make me uncomfortable.

Hevyn

Erik, I'm glad you're feeling positive and motivated. I agree that it gets easier - I was quite resentful in the beginning, but now nothing could make me go back to that miserable way of life.

The holidays were difficult the first year I quit - but now they don't bother me at all. I know there's nothing for me at the bottom of that bottle.

least

I am glad you're doing well and feeling positive.

BackToSquareOne

I can't fathom how a bartender job could be a good thing for an alcoholic. I hope it works out for you tho.

FourSeasons

The only thing I would enjoy about your job would be watching the guests get bombed. That would actually reinforce my desire to never want to touch the stuff again. I find sloppy drunks to be gross... And, I was extremely sloppy for way too many years... Yuck!!!

Erik1980

Yeah i think dealing with sloppy drunks day in and day out can make you want to do one of two things:

1) join em
2) realize you don't want to act like that

It used to be 1 but from a different frame of mind it definitely can reinforce 2 I think ... For me at least .. It's like god do I really look like that??? Yikes ... I'm sure I did ... Worse probably ... Yuk

dirk626

Keep it up Erik! Way to go!

Kaneda8888

Erik

I wish you the best of luck and stay strong. You're profession is a tough one for sobriety so I hope you have a super strong recovery program !

spinape

Keep it up Sam Malone! ( hope someone picks up on that one)

BackToSquareOne

Cheers! Sam, Dianne, Norm, Woody, Frasier, Carla...

spinape

If I remember correctly. Sam was a sober bartender. He carried around the bottle cap of his final drink

LadyBlue0527

You are correct!

Gottalife

5 days seems a bit early, but your job is your job. At one point in my sobriety I owned a restaurant and had no problem serving alcohol. Having taken AAs 12 steps and had a spiritual awakening, the drink problem was gone. I would no more want to drink alcohol than a petrol pump attendant would want to drink petrol.

I worked for years as a rep entertaining clients most nights of the week without a problem. I sponsor a chap that lives in a remote area and works as a bar manager. There are no meetings where he is. He's been doing that work for two years and no problems, again because he took the steps and the problem was removed.

Our b ook even tells us we can go into bars if we gave a good reason for being there. I guess being your job is a good reason, but I still wonder about 5 days, and if it might be better to look around for another job. Bu that's only a thought. If you are comfortable doing what you are doing then go for it.

Erik1980

Yeah 5 days is early I agree, but I went to a bar tonight with my friend for dinner. I didn't feel the urge to drink as weird as that sounds. Maybe it's because I spend a lot of time in bars sober as a bartender anyway, so it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to be there sober. It was actually the grocery store today that made me think about drinking because I don't know the last time I went to one and didn't get some sort of alcohol with my groceries. I was like oh yeah, I guess I won't be buying wine for dinner! All in all I managed to have a fun dinner with my buddy and watch some football, for like 15 bucks after tip nonetheless! Usually that would have been at least 50 if not more! Then I just took a walk around downtown. It was actually refreshing not to be drunk by this point in the day.

360shoes

Hi Erik,
I may be the odd ball but I've worked in a bar twice in my life and neither time was I drinking. First time was during my 10 years sober...5 of those years working in a bar. Second time was just a few months ago. Trying to just get the bills paid while I found a corporate job in my field. It makes no sense to me how I never drank when I worked around it but I drank like a fish when I worked in the corporate world.

I just started my career job and I'm having more thoughts about happy hour than I ever did working a happy hour. No sense I know.

The only thing I know is what I know about me. I can't speak for anyone else. I never cared what other people did. They could drink and I had no interest joining them. I liked being different in that world. I liked having my sh*t together and walking out the door with all my tips.

I get where it would be extremely difficult for some people. I get it. It just never bothered me. But I also didn't want to do it forever anyway. I will say I had more problem serving it to people who obviously shouldn't be drinking it then I did thinking I would drink it. There came a point for me where I just didn't care much for seeing the ugly of the drinking life. Maybe that's why it wasn't hard for me. It was such a daily reminder of what a waste of time it is for people who just sit and drink in a bar all the time.

Great job on the 5 days!

Erik1980

Totally!