August252015

I think you are flat out awesome! I work in the restaurant business and after taking a break to work at a fast food place, went back to serving at 5 mo. I made specific plans for pre shift, during, after....and gradually my "rules" like leaving immediately after a shift check out so I wouldn't be hanging around with the drinkers and druggers, which was most everyone, became my normal.

Keep going. Whatever we do for work, and our every day everything, becomes so much clearer and easier with more sober time.

Very glad you are here and appreciate you making my heart smile wth your share.

Fearlessat50

I loved reading your first post and not catching the date until you posted the update. So amazing! Congrats on your success!

roguedreams

Hey there! I remember CRAVING stories of long-term success - I needed ANY proof that it could be done. I was willing and ready to believe and hook my sinking boat to the side of bigger, stronger boats. Today, I see more and more clearly how equal we all are - you are working on a day sober, so am I. We are in this together. The big boats help the little boats and in so doing the little boats help the big boats keep going. I love my sober family, online and in person.

Thank you everyone for the replies! My love to all. Maybe I'll start posting more here again... love to be of service as I can. Xoxo

roguedreams

Hey friend.

I had a waitress at the club I used to dance at that had 25 years sober when I was just getting sober then in 2014. I used to really admire her! (She's still sober - we're friends on FB.) She works a rigorous program of recovery and is very god-centric. In the big book it talks about how "job or no job, wife or no wife" we can get sober. It's all contingent on our spiritual fitness! I personally did need to exit that industry, but that is not the course for everyone. There are plenty of sober dancers and waiters and waitresses and bartenders, etc. Big hugs to you!

Finalround

Very amazing outcome for you. I'm most impressed that you have taken your experience and sobriety and now try to help others as a sponsor. I hope you know that you are a remarkable person. You should be very proud.

Spider

I had worked in hospitality for years, and it was hard. For just under 10 years, I taught and wrote curriculum for a culinary school. I taught wine, spirits, and beer for an intro class and wrote an AA degree program (with a BA ghosted behind it) for FOH....heavily structured around wine and spirits. I've opened many restaurants where I was GM or Bev Director or both and it was nearly impossible to do clean. Believe it or not, authoring a wine list is hard work and though you never "drink" to taste the thousands of wines, you do taste and spit. Essentially there was no exit if I was to be sober. Purveyors are constantly courting you with perks that fall within the world of partying.

The industry is difficult, but not impossible to stay sober. Back when I served, it was a perfect storm of triggers....first was the flush cash. Cash on hand is dangerous thing getting off at night. Some hundreds on hand and being young (I am not) can lead to dangerous situations. The community itself did nothing to disincentivize partying. Many establishments have friends working for them. Many peeps in the biz are constantly being invited to parties where alc is central. And finally, it takes forever to settle after a push or several pushes in the biz. I wasn't unique in that after a busy shift of multitasking and rigorous mental and physical demands that self sedating became common, even medicinal.

Please know, I am not moralizing, but in my experience with adult clubs (albeit in an admittedly different capacity) in my city, these things are exacerbated and in my case with heavy drug use. And all in all there were the responsible peeps in all, but from what was observable, they fiercely protected their clean lifestyle choices/lives. Best of luck to you, and beyond the ideas on the industry, the younger an alcoholic quits, the better. There are NO absolute bottoms with the exception of death...it progressively gets worse beyond my wildest dreams, every time

OceanGuy

I hear you. As a creative person I pigeon-holed myself into the age-old false belief that if I were drunk or high I could reach new heights of expression, etc. I have had to perform in front of strangers as well and felt I needed to be at least buzzed before I could.

Total nonsense when I look back at those times. You can still be as creative (and even more) while being sober and guess what? -- You'll actually remember all of the fun details too.

And doesn't driving home from a club/party while being totally sober feel dayum good?

roguedreams

Haha, yeah I totally dig driving sober!!! That will never get old GOODBYE ANXIETY.