Getting harder and I work in a bar
 

Hello all

I'm back again. My drinking has got worse. I now can drink a bottle of vodka a night and not be hung over. I have a digestive illness which is really bad at the moment due to drinking

I know I need to stop because it will kill me and I can't do moderation.

The main problem is that I work in a bar. I'm planning to move abroad in September and hopefully the change will help me make more changes.

Should I just wait till I stop working in a bar or should I try to stop now?!

I'm in your same boat. Drinking vodka and digestive illness. My gut tells me (No pun intended) that you should stop asap. But it won't work unless you are really ready. Unless you are sick of being sick. Either way I'll be here and the rest of the forum will be here for you. Whatever your choice. :) I've been part of this forum, watching, lurking, learning since 2012. I'm finally ready. You can be too! Take care

You should stop ASAP. Perhaps you've been hung over so much, it feels normal.

Welcome and thanks for sharing. FWIW - my suggestion (a very very strong one) is to stop now. Your mind can start to clear a bit and you can see if it really is too much to work in a bar. I say this as a dedicated AA-er and someone who went back to the restaurant world serving at 5 1/2 mo sober (I am almost at 17 now and am just taking a few weeks to decide if a diff resto or position in the industry is what I should go for). IMO, it is possible to work in any job or industry sober, if you choose to.

You sound like you haven't made up your mind to quit drinking or not. I know from my own experience that I HAD to stop in order to address my health issues (liver, gut, etc) and heal.

Best of luck- there are lots of resources here and IRL that can help.

Within 2 weeks after quitting... My "digestive" problems cleared up.

Much happier!!

Alcoholism is progressive. I do not think you should wait until you are out of your work environment. If alcohol has created digestive issues then what sort of other problems are ahead if you continue on down this path? It seems like the smartest thing to do would be to gain control over your health and heal yourself from the damage of alcohol.

although i strongly encourage you to stop drinking now,i would also strongly encourage you to see your doctor before going cold turkey.
drinking a bottle of vodka a night and no hangover- this could have turned into a physical addiction and cold turkey is dangerous and deadly.

why not find a job somewhere else?

Digestive issues are a sign your body is warning you. That is my lightbulb moment. When I started feeling sick every morning.....its time to stop and get help. It's never too late. Scoot on over to your gp and let them know the situation, honestly. They will know the right course of action for you. :) I'm with you. I'm literally on day 1 and failing miserably. It's effing hard. But please listen to your body. It's saying hey! Stop it please.

Try to stop now.

You think working in a bar makes it hard, I own a bar.


It makes it hard! It's exhausting to make it through the day but you can do it!
It becomes empowering after a while.

Sounds pretty serious, I would move towards a medically supervised detox and as hard as it is to quit a job, you need to quit to possibly save your life. Wish you the best man.

mine lasted much longer but the black tar poo stopped after about two weeks.

What the heck is black tar poo? Will I have that? Oh my.

I would only worry about your own symptoms and not fear that other symptoms will appear. Not everybody has the same experience when leaving alcohol behind.

Good idea. Thank you. I will not google.

Are you drinking that bottle at work? I suspect not, so quit blaming the job for your drinking. Quit now. You don't know what the situation is going to be in September, except that if you don't quit now, you'll still be drinking then.

Imagine how much more confident you will be in your sobriety if you have 2 months of sobriety under your belt before you go abroad!

Working in a bar can't be the problem, because you aren't allowed to drink while you're working. Go home as soon as you cash out.

The truth is, if you're an alcoholic, your problem is with you where ever you go. It's not harder to stop because you work in a bar. You would just be sitting on the other side of it otherwise. Or buying your vodka from the liquor store. You'd find some other reason why the pull is much too strong.

Good point.

It helps to have a history of sobriety under your belt, I find hitting 30 days is a massive confidence boost...

On the other hand, after 187 days sober, I decided I wanted to drink and so I did. I knew I was capable of abstaining, but I wanted to get drunk, so what did it matter if I *could* make the choice.

Where ever I go, however much time elapses, I'm always right where I am, an alcoholic.

some great advice here Al - good to have you join us :)

D

That is not necessarily true and brings up a point I was going to make.

If the bar you are at now doesn't say anything about drinking on the job you might want to change venues. It's always easier to not drink at a new place and corporate places will be far more strict. It's also much easier to find a job in this business if you are already currently employed in it.

Laws vary by state. Many places it's perfectly fine to take a shot with a customer if the customer buys you one. Some folks make a fake shot some folks take a drink. In my late 20's I was wasted at the bar every shift. I actually made more money because I related with the drunks and that was a 300-400$ a night gig.

At my bar I cannot drink if I'm behind the bar because I'm an owner. My manager could.

black tar poo can be a sign of liver damage, blood turns black when you digest it.

I was at early stage liver damage where the doctor told me I was going to go someplace bad soon if I didn't stop.

That was january 2014 and I have 5 months now. I didn't even try to stop for a year even though it was already starting to kill me.