Pipping

Wow. That man has some serious issues, getting so upset about you not drinking says a lot about him. You handled that well.

Tiptree

Very cool

jdooner

well done!

Renarde

Great job!!!!

Tang

Autan I have to say I feel a bit vindicated. I have seen first hand business lost because of a person not wanting to drink. People find it hard to believe but in very male testosterone filled businesses, there is a very strong culture of doing business over booze. You are my hero. Thank you!

wpainterw

You were magnificent in the way you handled this difficult situation. In view of the kind of person he appears to be, it is not surprising that he finally threatened to withhold his business from you unless you drank. To assume that you would imperil your sobriety just to retain some financial advantage is really pathetic. Sobriety is worth more than money, than power, than "career" or, to put it negatively, the absence of sobriety is far worse than having all the money, power, "career" in the world, because, at the end, alcohol will take all of those things away. The end result is drinking not for the sake of a "buzz" or "companionship" but merely to feel "normal" and, as time goes by, even that is no longer possible.

W.

SparklingSeven

I think Geoff sounds more of a Richard.

Good on you!

Skye2

His strong reaction suggests to me, that HE also has a drink problem and felt he was being deprived of one of his drinking associates - what a jerk. Well done!!

autan

Quick Follow Up: Thank you for all the positive messages of support.

After I had left, he rang a friend of mine, moaning about me and saying he thinks I have a drink problem, can't hand my liqueur, alcoholic, on the wagon (all the usual insensitive things that non-alcoholics say too try and tick box our condition), to a friend of mine.

My friend was laughing down the phone at him and said, that I had had a problem with the booze since 1996, at least now I had the b--lls to do something about it.

My friend even told him, that he was re-evaluating his drinking habits too, because he considers me a good friend and doesn't want to drink around me.

The Geoff changes he mind why I apparently I no longer drink. To save face.

Geoff said this to him, (Please ensure your not holding a hot drink as it might scold you from laughing),

"I think he is not drinking because he cant afford it anymore, why else would he stop ?"


What a complete tool.

Tiptree

Maybe he has a drink problem and you pierced his denile

autan

I think you may be right ?

Its a comforting lie, I told myself every time I relapsed. I wasnt as bad as such and such, I could stop when I wanted to drink and drink as much as I wanted to also.

Funny, how I also wake up sometimes in a strange place, with no recollection of getting there or events leading me there, sick all about my person and wet myself, sometimes poohed myself. But you see this was all under control, I did it because I wanted to do it you see.

Sure !!!

FreeOwl

that's the way!!

Feck em!! It's pretty godawful the hold that alcohol has on some people and some aspects of society.

I see you're in the UK. As I've done business there and in Oz and NZ.... I've honestly found those places to be the absolute worst where it comes to "ya have to drink if you're a MAN" nonsense.

You played this very well, I commend you. I'm going to borrow your words when I confront this situation myself, which I'm sure I invariably will.

You may have lost some business from an a-hole... but you kept your honor, you kept your health, you held onto your LIFE.

I suspect anyone who acted that way is probably a pretty massive problem drinker himself.

phoebe64

I read this last night, and did not really have any advice or comment, but want to chime in with how well you handled him. There is also a bigger picture than the forced drink. He was so bull-headed and trying to force you, and would likely be that way throught your dealings with him, not only about booze. You are so much better off not doing business with him, on so many levels.

I am so impressed with your strength and courage to speak up and walk away from him.

Jessicacat1

Well done Autun! A good outcome overall. Can you let a newbie like me know a bit more about your hypnotherapy? It sounds fascinating

ClearMind

You handled that great! I'm not sure if I would have had the strength to act the same way, but I would have regretted it had I caved in. I am thankful I wasn't in that position. But yeah, he does sound like a total jerk - no big loss!

autan

Hi, Yes of course. The link below is a thread I started on the subject. Hope it helps.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-voice-av.html