Prosper

Hi guys. So today is my 4th day out of detox making it 9 days since my last drink. Tonight was my first night back to work. I am a bartender at a restaurant. After pouring all the drinks and being around it, I have never craved a beer so bad in my life. I am trying so hard not to go buy any. Any advise on distractions. I know I won't sleep tonight. I am sweating so bad I would think I was drinking. I'm confused on what to do. Thanks

doggonecarl

Remember the horrors of detox? Do you want to repeat the withdrawal process? Because that is what awaits you if you drink. Stay strong.

And I know it's easier said than done, but you should find a job that doesn't involve working with alcohol.

TheToddman

Another member here at SR mentioned trying to recite all of the other member names here he could think of. Also, I had an 'old' salt who had 37 years sobriety tell me that he would carry hard candy (like peppermints) to help assuage the physical cravings also.

Lots of other coping tools but the one that Carl mentioned is pretty hard-hitting and that is recalling the nastiness of withdrawing under medical supervision...

Take care and stay strong.

Danielle423

You might not want to hear it, but the first thing I would suggest and would do myself is find a new job. Think of all the effort you put in to continue feeding your alcoholism and use that same energy into searching for an alternate job. Your body is telling you that even if you think it is not a big deal working with alcohol, it is strongly affecting your mental and physical health and nothing is more important then your health.

I have also found that keeping a journal really helps me clear my head and it is also a good tool when you are having cravings since you can go back and read about how you felt in the beginning and what you were grateful and enjoying along the way as you made progress.

Only you know what is feasible for your life, but sometimes we have to take a deep breath and analysis our life and where we need to make changes and move from there.

It will get easier, and until then I hope you find some peace tonight. Don't forget to acknowledge how no matter how bad the cravings got, you still stayed strong and that is a HUGE accomplishment!

Gottalife

The detox has got you past the power of the phenomenon of craving, which is the craving generated after we take the first drink. The one that leads to a bender and is impossible to control. So that is all to the good. The next problem is in the mind. That is the obsession that leads back to the first drink and ensuing chaos.

That is called alcoholism and it needs treatment. Untreated, it probably wouldn't matter what job you had, a drink would eventually appear in you hand.

Quickest option to get treatment may be AA. It is freely available in most parts of the world, and has meetings at all times of the day, so it is usually very accessible. Maybe the detox had some suggestions too? Rehab or therapy might also help if they are not beyond your means.

I would certainly consider changing jobs, but I am not in your position so I don't know how difficult that would be. My advice is to make treatment for your alcholism your number one priority. If you do that, everything else will solve itself.

Forward12

I agree with handing in your resignation notice. Working as a bartender as an alcoholic is a recipe for disaster.

Prosper

Thanks everyone. Does NA beer help with cravings or is that just a gateway?

least

That's been debated here a lot, with some finding it useful and some finding it a gateway to past behavior.

I never saw the point of NA drinks since I never drank for the taste, only the effect.

Prosper

For some reason I am really craving the suds on my taste buds. I'm sure it would lead to wanting the affect though.

grayghost1965

That's the thing with the NA/beers and virgin mixed drinks....we associate the taste/smell with THAT feeling, and those faux drinks don't get us that feeling, so what comes natural to an alcoholic ? You guessed it.

I would find another job ASAP, too.

Dee74

I used to believe I was craving the suds but I was really craving the buzz...NA beer was just an exercise in frustration for me that led me back to the real deal.

I agree with everyone else that it's a tough job to have in early recovery - but I've known people here who did it.

Re-read some of your old threads.

You have every reason in the world to stay quit...it won't always be this hard

D
.

Prosper

Thanks everyone. I was able to survive my first night of my first major cravings. I am able to wake up to day 10. I even got 6 hours of sleep. Thanks for the advise everyone.

Dee74

I do recommend having the best recovery action plan you can if yoiu have to work there, Prosper. Some good ideas here.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ery-plans.html (Psst...wanna know why I'm always recommending recovery plans?)

D

Rar

I tried NA beer for a few days during my first quit. I didn't like the taste, so went back to regular beer.

August252015

Agree.

And despite common opinion/those above - I do not necessarily recommend another job. I say that as a server who has worked in the restaurant industry- increasingly drunk, now sober. It's not for everyone, so to speak, but I firmly believe it is possible to be a sober person in our world. I run a recovery group specifically for our industry and there are an increasing number of folks coming out about their sobriety in it. That said, I went back to it sober as a COMPLETELY committed sober person. It took me a few months to get physically well enough to work tons of hours as a server; other people I know went back the day after rehab, out of financial necessity or other reason. I do not believe that we have to be afraid of alcohol- it's going to be around us and as I don't believe in "triggers" - life is a trigger, so it's a concept I don't accept re any specific "thing" "causing" us to drink- a restaurant can be just another workplace; it is its own world, the island of misfit toys in one way, but not -just- bc of partying.

I'd also say that having very good habits around the job, such as leaving right after a shift not hanging out at the bar as most people do, was an important start.

My program is AA. As Dee says, there are plenty to choose from.

A plan of action and a daily effort at living in RECOVERY is the key for all of us, not just resto peeps. PM me if you would like to discuss more.

You can do this.

RetiredGuy

Prosper, congrats on getting through those cravings. It was very smart of you to post here instead of giving in to your AV. Good job, keep it up!

Prosper

Thank you. Today was day 2 back to work and may cravings was half as bad. So I am seeing a brighter side of things. Thanks everyone. I was in desperate need of some quick advise last night. Now tomorrow I will wake up to day 11

Done4today

Great job battling those urges. I will second Dee on getting a recovery plan. Your will power is only so strong and the beast is patient and hiding in the shadows. AA and SMART are two recoveries that work well. As for your line of work, it's obvious that being around booze and customers willing to buy you drinks is a huge challenge but surmountable with a proper sobriety plan. Get a sponsor and work the steps. Your life will be better than you can imagine. Good luck

Congrats on 11 days sober, that is a tough feat.

SoberDirk

Man-
I feel... I really do.
Thus is just my 2 cents, since you asked...
N/A Beer. My experience, no flipping way. It all has .05 ABV, and, if you are as alcoholic as I, you will drink sooner than later. At least I sure did. I even dumped out na beer, and filled the bottles with real beer. That's a lot of work, but damn I sure did it. Plus, fake beer smelled like real beer, so I thought I could fool everyone.
Man...my list goes on...
But again, I'm just an alcoholic.
Next, get out of the bar. Seriously, get out now. Wait tables, if nothing else, but it's a bear(!). I'm in the hospitality business, too, and I get it. But get as far away as you can.
If you go to meetings, go to a LOT. If you don't...talk to a LOT of people.
But all that crap is just 'mental masturbation', if you catch my drift.
Best of luck...it's HARD WORK!!!
And if I've been able to do it this far, anybody can. It was tragically bad for me.
In new to sobriety, but have three years as we speak. I feel I'll always be new, as it's one day each day. And some of them suck.
But, just don't drink
Dig?
Dirk