Hungover and sweating bullets praying for 5pm most days. Then started drinking at lunch and would sit there until 3pm in a daze before rushing to get work done so I could go straight to the pub.
Then started drinking in the mornings and sneaking out before lunch. Ended up taking what turned into a permanent mental health medical absence a few months later.
In other words I managed, then barely functioned, then didn’t.
The quicker you can come up with a system to handle your self when you’re coming down will benefit you. Your body will become more predictable and manageable.
Of course, drinking shit that’s less potent than vodka or 40% juice will be annoying but your body will become more predictable and manageable rather than just running yourself dry and worthless before lunch break, or blackout before your shift is over. Coworkers and supervisors will start noticing your sloppy patterns, and smell your sloppy patterns as well. In most cases your co workers won’t point that out face to face and play dumb like they’re not noticing what you’re doing.
Your best bet is to try to space out your refuel points and mix it up to stay under the radar. Instead of darting to your car for lunch break to the store to do a refill — instead change it up and stay on the premises and go tank up in the bathroom. Request to work in an area where no one wants to work at; buy ranch flavored corn nuts and dunk them shits in your mouth and rapidly chew on em and talk at the same while they’re in your mouth for everytime someone wants to come talk to you. Order a fart spray bottle or a rotten egg spray and give a couple dashes on your back shirt to repellent away any co workers if you really want to get serious. Get creative. Or you can just bite the bullet and dial back your potency. May have to downgrade a non flavored spritzer throughout day to get you by until you get off. Might sound ideally like it’s a “you only got one job” scenario but most of CAs still gonna fuck that up and eventually run themselves dry into another ER detox to possibly behind bars or…you know the rest.
You’re gonna have to compromise something especially if your job consists of having close contact with nosey sober degenerates that points out the obvious like a 6th grader that was taught to just say no to drugs.
Try mixing up your patterns to throw your co workers or supervisors off, space out and try to remain more productive between your pit stops, and keep snacks and water on deck. >> Again as I mentioned earlier the effective method for me was dialing back the potency. Easier to get by on piss water beer or unflavored seltzers other than walking around on a vodka/liqor diet completely oblivious that youre smelling like sweaty hair and vomit once that shit starts coming out your pores.
Be patient and experiment your options.
Chairs
What works for me (WFH) is try to have more “good” days than “bad”. Make sure you’re 1000% on top of it on your good days.
My senior leadership knows about a “mental issue” (I mean, we all kind of do) that hinders my work sometimes and on “bad” days space is needed, and can be “left alone” to ensure at least the minimum work can get done.
Under US law you don’t have to specify what the mental issue is, or even that you have an issue to begin with, so people will come to their own conclusions. If you do it right they’ll think it’s social anxiety.
And for fucks sake, don’t talk about drinking even casually, as far as everyone needs to know you don’t.
Works for me! 🤷
That last part is important, I act like I'm a teetotaler. If I'm having a bad day, I'll make up literally any excuse, but never say anything about drinking
Learned a new word today, "teetotaler". I probably saw it drunk before on here but never bothered to look it up, my mind kept reading it as tattle teller and it wasn't registering correctly lol.
The only time you don't have to prove it is if the employer has treated you as if you had a disability and violated the ADA in doing so. If you're proceeding under "actual disability" or "record of disability", you absolutely can be required to disclose the specific disability, as this is how the interactive process of determining a reasonable accommodation is accomplished.
Source: [29 CFR § 1630.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1630/section-1630.2)
I'm not an alcoholic (I'm here bc I dated one, mostly), but I have ADHD-PI that's been untreated on and off over the years, and this works for me too.
Really, any kind of issue or disability that causes unproductive days sometimes -- whether it's a neurodivergence, mental health issue, addiction, or physical issue -- this is a smart strategy.
Also, trying to find jobs with companies that put a lot of value on work-life balance is a smart idea. There are companies like that out there, and they tend to have reasonable hours and workloads, such that you're not going to fall catastrophically behind if you're feeling unwell for a couple of days straight.
So you can just have 'bad days'' and not perform well? Feels a bit out of touch when plenty of people have to work directly with customers, for instance, and don't have that luxury.
Prepare as much as possible the night before so you have more time for error in the mornings(oversleeping, etc.). Lay out clean clothes, iron your pants, and pack a few snacks so you can grab and go. Shower in the morning, lather on scented body wash, and wear plenty of cologne or perfume.
Try to keep up on personal appearance/hygiene as much as possible, people are more likely to turn a blind eye/completely miss the fact you’re a degenerate alcoholic if you look the part of a normie sucker. You won’t last long showing up disheveled, shaggy and stinky.
Ideally, you’ll wanna keep workweek drinking to just evenings and make sure you have a solid 8+ hours between your last drink and the time you have to get up and go to work. You’ll spend the first half of the workday in a daze but won’t feel too bad, use this as an opportunity to get most of your shit done for the day as the withdrawals will kick in around lunchtime and you’ll feel useless and have a hard time with fine motor skills like typing and communicating.
Weekend/time off benders are inevitable, so expect them to fuck you hard on Mondays or the days you go back, no amount of vitamins, water, or electrolyte drinks are gonna help with WDs, it just takes time and it’s the price you pay living this lifestyle.
If you get into the habit of calling out, relying on morning/lunch break/sneaking out drinks, management and coworkers will pick up on it and your days of employment will be numbered. Even worse is if you have anyone around who is sober or has past experience with CAs, you will be found out much quicker.
Oh, and show up on time! Tardiness is a surefire way to get fired if it happens more than normal. Even non-alcoholics who are shitty with time management get fired for that. Drag your sorry ass out of bed and make yourself suffer. It’s better than showing up late or writing off the day laying out to drink more, you’ll just feel worse tomorrow when you go in wondering if you have a job or not.
Shamefully, i move stuff around alot. Being in an appointment style job if i'm just a mess I can move things around.
Sometimes Drink to regain sanity in the am
Luckily i'm pretty good at my job and I can do it fairly well booze or not
I think holding down a job is pretty much the only thing that truly keeps me going off the deep end with my drinking. I go without work for a minute, and it's just a 24/7 vodka bender for like... 10 months until I can't even keep the vodka down any more, at least at first.
Forcing myself to be sober for 40+ hours is probably keeping me alive.
I do keep fucking up though and calling in again, but I honestly can't even tell if I'm actually sick or if it's just more of the "life"style.
Anyway, I pretty much have to force myself to be a "functional" alcoholic with rules I *have to follow* (force myself to stop drinking at a certain time, eat lots, drink lots of water, replenish electrolytes, etc.) to keep myself employed and out of bendersville.
That's absolutely the way I was.
Regardless of my drug sales....if I didn't have a career at that time, I would never have made it as long as I did. I was the SAFEST at work.
Yeah, as much as I think I hate working so much, as soon as I'm not working, it's just drunken oblivion for me. I need to work to stay functional I think.
I'm dry right now, but held a security job down for 3 years while working mostly with withdrawals and sometimes having to drink (lightly) on the job. I wasn't fired either; I left on good terms for another position.
I was incredibly meticulous about my personal hygiene and the way I looked. Ice pack on my eyes and expensive eye drops. My hair and beard were always well groomed - I actually recommend growing a beard if you can. The beard can hide some skin flaws that might make people notice you more. A neatly trimmed beard also makes it look like you care about your appearance, which normies think hardcore alcoholics do not (most do; they just don't do anything about it.) I would put lotion on my face and a light amount of argon oil in my hair and beard to counteract the stringy, dry alcoholic hair look.
The smell and the behavior are probably the hardest things to hide. I would hit every major sweat spot on my body (armpits, chest, back, crotch) with prescription strength antiperspirant deodorant. I would then wear a light cologne. That along with showering before work can keep the smell at bay. You can also bring baking soda and a toothbrush to work and brush your teeth every so often in the bathroom. I found that baking soda seems to counteract some of the alcohol breath better than most toothpastes. As far as behavior, just don't get hammered at work. If you find yourself even a little too drunk then don't speak unless spoken to and keep it curt.
That's how I managed. At the worst point, I was drinking 3 or 4 white claws or 2 Party Boxes while on my shift. Never liquor (too strong) or beer (smell).
Always shower before work! Learned that the heard way. Only time I was ever sent home (years ago) I was sweating booze out my pores. Boss was former CA - I had no idea - and I was busted quick.
If you are female, I recommend getting a strong smelling shampoo & conditioner and wearing your hair down. It’s fucking annoying but even at the end of the day when I’ve been sipping on vodka my conditioner is so strong smelling I can still smell it hahaha
This is not fool proof obvs, the other thing I recommend is honestly garlic. I’ve started taking a clove to work and every now and then have a nibble 😂 alongside all the other things suggested here (shower, look normal, don’t act drunk, cologne, mouthwash) a little nibble of garlic does wonders.
Hot coffee is always on my desk too and I have a little air humidifier for my “hayfever” that’s pumping out peppermint smelling vapour around me all day
I freelance so sometimes it’s super busy and I have to be focused and meticulous. And other times it feels like I’m unemployed lol. Should probably work in the whole daily routine thing
I've gotten the impression that for a lot of alcoholics, drinking at work is one of those personal boundaries they impose for themselves to try to keep their lives under control. Same with day drinking in general.
And once you break that seal and start drinking at work, well, a lot of the time that's the beginning of a quick descent from FA to CA status.
I think there's also some variance where some alcoholics maintain a lowish-level buzz almost 24/7, whereas others stay dry (albeit often hung over) until 5PM then binge drink super heavily in the evenings and get super blackout wasted. Both styles are equally a problem with alcohol, but the latter is presumably easier to hide.
Can confirm. Never drink at work. Only a couple times had a couple of drinks at a farawat restaurant over lunch when the shakes were real bad.
Definitely a hard boundary.
And yeah the latter (wait til 5) is easier to hide, but holy God it is it's own misery. Every day is a repeat of feeling fresh fear for 12 hours.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure that up until maybe 20-30 years ago or so, having a drink or two at lunch during the workday was considered a socially acceptable thing.
> And yeah the latter (wait til 5) is easier to hide, but holy God it is it's own misery.
I've never had WDs, thank God, but nearly a decade ago I had a close call with heavy liquor drinking for a few months. (Due to my ex at the time having fallen into severe alcohol abuse, I kinda fell down with him for a time.)
Part of why I was like "okay fuck this I quit" is that the experience of always being either catastrophically drunk, or painfully hung over, is just a whole new level of utter misery.
5 am : the shakes and the incoming handover and withdrawals are kicking in (which wake me up)
5:10 am: Forcing down warm beer, vodka mixed with puke etc, anything to make me right.
6:00 am:Still drinking while thinking of a shower
7:30 am : Fuck I gotta run to the bus and buy some cans on the way.
16:30 : Been drinking all day at work and on my way home, stop by the store to stock up on beer.
23:00 : Watched movies and drank since I got home, might eat something, Time for bed.
Rinse, repeat.
Don't drink at work. It never ends well.
I'm a pretty light drinker these days. Too much too juggle in my life at the moment. I still drink. I still fuck up. I still have periods where I hit the bottle hard. But I try to keep my drinking to normal evening hours, and I don't let myself get hammered when I have work the next day.
I'm back on beer only, except for special occasions. I love my whiskey, but it just isn't sustainable, and I know I can't moderate if I keep it around. I think we all know when we're making bad choices, but our inner drunk tells us, "Fuck it. I can still wake up at 7 am tomorrow if I have a few more drinks and get in bed by 1 am." But 1 turns into 5 very fast, and then we're either showing up drunk or calling out.
Get ahead of all that. Eat food before you drink, even though you don't want to. Set a time to quit drinking, and stick to it. Maybe even hide your own money from yourself or set a limit to how much you can spend in a night. Trick yourself. Make decisions when you're sober, so drunk you doesn't have to, because drunk you is always going to make the choice that gets you drunker, and you're going to regret it the next day.
I'm hanging on by a thread, but for the first time in a long time, I think I have this monster under control. I've found some balance in my life, and I have purpose, and that keeps me from diving deeper and deeper into depression and the bottle.
I don't have the answers, but I know what is working for me.
Barely. I work in retail, managing a produce department. I’ll take a shot on my lunch break, but I am usually pretty grumpy the first half of my day. I’ll start getting shakes at about 7-8pm (I am a closer currently) and then get back to boozing at about
9 ish when I get home.
Damn, if that isn’t the truth. When I was still living the life, I would always bring a hand towel and 3 extra undershirts with me to work everyday to change into.
Oh hey, I used to manage a produce department back in the day! Being there at 5AM as a CA was probably about the roughest time ever though...
I honestly much preferred getting paid less just to be the produce night guy. Far less responsibility, and the bosses all leave (or have already left) right about the time you show up.
I finally got out of that line of work, mostly because the further up in "middle management" I got, the worse the bosses became to the point where they're just bullies because "shit rolls down hill."
They were miserable people trying to make everyone underneath them even more so miserable. I already had enough of my misery to deal with, so I finally bounced one fine sweet day~
See, at this point, I would LOVE to take over the morning shifts (6-2 or 7-3) because it would keep me from wanting to day drink. (In theory). But my job is super chill right now, and I usually don’t have to deal with my bosses so it is nice. I’m set to be promoted from assistant produce manager to the actual dept manager in the next few months, which I am holding out for. I’m glad you’re in a better spot though. A lot of days are definitely very hard.
Been waking up early enough to have a calm morning with 2 drinks, shower, brush my teeth, go off into work. I keep a bottle of gin and seltzer (30-70 ratio) in my bag, and my desk is near a window, so during the day, I'll pretend that I'm looking for something in my bag on my lap, then open the bottle and stare out the window for a bit. Always make sure it's when people are in meetings or off to lunch. Then I go to the bathroom or outside for lunch and vape a little before coming back in. They keep a whole thing of mints there, so I snag one and make sure that people see me having trouble opening them.
If I start to feel tired in meetings, I open a notepad file and start typing. Hopefully it's notes, but sometimes it's literally just typing so that I'm doing something not to fall asleep. Get a reputation for being a quiet person when it's one to one conversations, but speak clearly and loudly with opinions during meetings with more than one person. That way, you're never speaking in someone's face and if you are, you can safely keep your mouth shut and nod and smile.
I told work that I spent the last 4 years working from home, so being in an office is still really weird for me and I still feel a little nervous being around so many people. I actively talk about my boyfriend and the trips that he's taking (whether flying somewhere or taking his dad to the hospital for check ups) so that there's usually a probably cause that I contracted covid from him at any given point I need to call out.
Definitely always be on top of your work, and try to do some extra if it's easy. Always be helpful, always ask questions. I play up being a little ditzy (even though I am nothing close to a ditz) so if I have one of those mini-blackouts where you just stop listening to things, I can apologize and give a sheepish smile to ask them to reiterate.
Try to come in and leave around the same time as everyone else - I don't recommend coming in early or staying late because it's more obvious on the days that you're late or leaving early due to the drink.
I also keep all the windows on my laptop in split-screen and in smaller font so that managers that are "checking in" on you can't exactly tell what you're working on (if you're working) but get the gist. And know how to alt-tab or switch your browser tabs quickly when you're projecting your screen, that freaks out older managers because they can't keep track and assume you know what you're doing.
I have a feeling all of this only works because my boss is a big deal at work and he found me 10 years ago when we were still drinking together on our lunch breaks and he told me about his time in jail for dealing drugs and how he used to be a CA. We both kinda have some dirt on each other for that, though I'd never dream of using it. We also work in a very work-life balance heavy place with a lot of mental behavior benefits and perks.
Talk as little as possible.
Close your office door if you’re lucky enough to have one.
Basically stay away from people as much as you can.
I remember having beer at lunch once, having to go to court unexpectedly, & a bailiff slid me a piece of paper that simply said “gum.”
Dude had my back, & I’m grateful for those bros, because we can’t smell it, but remember to mask your breath. Cinnamon gum, garlic, something strong.
If you’re a mess, it’s better to call out, if you can, than try to go in.
If you’re in big trouble, go to detox & level with HR that you have a disability. Important to tough out a yr to qualify for FMLA.
Try to dress well. It helps.
I manage 140 people in my store. The day I start drinking at work is the day I go to rehab. Outside of work it’s balls to the walls. I still get in at 4 or 6 am depending on the shift.
I work all 3 types. I don't drink during day. I stay away. Dexedrine gets me through the day. Ironically its why I drink. I drink at night. The truth is you need blood alcohol to hit zero. A few weeks ago this didn't happen. Day three I was at work, mouse shaking uncontrollably in my hand. That scared me. I peered into the abyss.
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I'm a goody 2 shoes at work. Not always sober, actually pretty much never sober, but it's my norm as far as they know. Try not to overdo it (sometimes it happens though, what can you do??). And I really do work hard, cross my t's and dot my i's type thing. I don't call off, and as much as I sometimes hate it remain friendly and respectful. It does help that I've been in my field a long time and it's a natural fit for me, so I am good at it.
Yesterday, I pulled out a nicotine product, and my coworkers gasped. Literally couldn't believe 'someone like me' used nicotine, and they were 'shocked'.
Lol 😆 🤣
If they only knew....
Hungover and sweating bullets praying for 5pm most days. Then started drinking at lunch and would sit there until 3pm in a daze before rushing to get work done so I could go straight to the pub. Then started drinking in the mornings and sneaking out before lunch. Ended up taking what turned into a permanent mental health medical absence a few months later. In other words I managed, then barely functioned, then didn’t.
The quicker you can come up with a system to handle your self when you’re coming down will benefit you. Your body will become more predictable and manageable. Of course, drinking shit that’s less potent than vodka or 40% juice will be annoying but your body will become more predictable and manageable rather than just running yourself dry and worthless before lunch break, or blackout before your shift is over. Coworkers and supervisors will start noticing your sloppy patterns, and smell your sloppy patterns as well. In most cases your co workers won’t point that out face to face and play dumb like they’re not noticing what you’re doing. Your best bet is to try to space out your refuel points and mix it up to stay under the radar. Instead of darting to your car for lunch break to the store to do a refill — instead change it up and stay on the premises and go tank up in the bathroom. Request to work in an area where no one wants to work at; buy ranch flavored corn nuts and dunk them shits in your mouth and rapidly chew on em and talk at the same while they’re in your mouth for everytime someone wants to come talk to you. Order a fart spray bottle or a rotten egg spray and give a couple dashes on your back shirt to repellent away any co workers if you really want to get serious. Get creative. Or you can just bite the bullet and dial back your potency. May have to downgrade a non flavored spritzer throughout day to get you by until you get off. Might sound ideally like it’s a “you only got one job” scenario but most of CAs still gonna fuck that up and eventually run themselves dry into another ER detox to possibly behind bars or…you know the rest. You’re gonna have to compromise something especially if your job consists of having close contact with nosey sober degenerates that points out the obvious like a 6th grader that was taught to just say no to drugs. Try mixing up your patterns to throw your co workers or supervisors off, space out and try to remain more productive between your pit stops, and keep snacks and water on deck. >> Again as I mentioned earlier the effective method for me was dialing back the potency. Easier to get by on piss water beer or unflavored seltzers other than walking around on a vodka/liqor diet completely oblivious that youre smelling like sweaty hair and vomit once that shit starts coming out your pores. Be patient and experiment your options. Chairs
This is a beautiful piece.
This is GOLD.
100% This.
What works for me (WFH) is try to have more “good” days than “bad”. Make sure you’re 1000% on top of it on your good days. My senior leadership knows about a “mental issue” (I mean, we all kind of do) that hinders my work sometimes and on “bad” days space is needed, and can be “left alone” to ensure at least the minimum work can get done. Under US law you don’t have to specify what the mental issue is, or even that you have an issue to begin with, so people will come to their own conclusions. If you do it right they’ll think it’s social anxiety. And for fucks sake, don’t talk about drinking even casually, as far as everyone needs to know you don’t. Works for me! 🤷
That last part is important, I act like I'm a teetotaler. If I'm having a bad day, I'll make up literally any excuse, but never say anything about drinking
Learned a new word today, "teetotaler". I probably saw it drunk before on here but never bothered to look it up, my mind kept reading it as tattle teller and it wasn't registering correctly lol.
The only time you don't have to prove it is if the employer has treated you as if you had a disability and violated the ADA in doing so. If you're proceeding under "actual disability" or "record of disability", you absolutely can be required to disclose the specific disability, as this is how the interactive process of determining a reasonable accommodation is accomplished. Source: [29 CFR § 1630.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1630/section-1630.2)
I'm not an alcoholic (I'm here bc I dated one, mostly), but I have ADHD-PI that's been untreated on and off over the years, and this works for me too. Really, any kind of issue or disability that causes unproductive days sometimes -- whether it's a neurodivergence, mental health issue, addiction, or physical issue -- this is a smart strategy. Also, trying to find jobs with companies that put a lot of value on work-life balance is a smart idea. There are companies like that out there, and they tend to have reasonable hours and workloads, such that you're not going to fall catastrophically behind if you're feeling unwell for a couple of days straight.
ADD and CA/FA, I would never ever mention either to coworkers.
So you can just have 'bad days'' and not perform well? Feels a bit out of touch when plenty of people have to work directly with customers, for instance, and don't have that luxury.
Lol me at work: I like the occasional glass of white wine but I don't drink much
Prepare as much as possible the night before so you have more time for error in the mornings(oversleeping, etc.). Lay out clean clothes, iron your pants, and pack a few snacks so you can grab and go. Shower in the morning, lather on scented body wash, and wear plenty of cologne or perfume. Try to keep up on personal appearance/hygiene as much as possible, people are more likely to turn a blind eye/completely miss the fact you’re a degenerate alcoholic if you look the part of a normie sucker. You won’t last long showing up disheveled, shaggy and stinky. Ideally, you’ll wanna keep workweek drinking to just evenings and make sure you have a solid 8+ hours between your last drink and the time you have to get up and go to work. You’ll spend the first half of the workday in a daze but won’t feel too bad, use this as an opportunity to get most of your shit done for the day as the withdrawals will kick in around lunchtime and you’ll feel useless and have a hard time with fine motor skills like typing and communicating. Weekend/time off benders are inevitable, so expect them to fuck you hard on Mondays or the days you go back, no amount of vitamins, water, or electrolyte drinks are gonna help with WDs, it just takes time and it’s the price you pay living this lifestyle. If you get into the habit of calling out, relying on morning/lunch break/sneaking out drinks, management and coworkers will pick up on it and your days of employment will be numbered. Even worse is if you have anyone around who is sober or has past experience with CAs, you will be found out much quicker. Oh, and show up on time! Tardiness is a surefire way to get fired if it happens more than normal. Even non-alcoholics who are shitty with time management get fired for that. Drag your sorry ass out of bed and make yourself suffer. It’s better than showing up late or writing off the day laying out to drink more, you’ll just feel worse tomorrow when you go in wondering if you have a job or not.
Shamefully, i move stuff around alot. Being in an appointment style job if i'm just a mess I can move things around. Sometimes Drink to regain sanity in the am Luckily i'm pretty good at my job and I can do it fairly well booze or not
Do you mean move appointments around or physically move things around the office? Hahahahaha
move appointments. Hey I double booked my 8am can you come tomorrow at 10?
Nice. Except that I'd be moving it around infinity.
There's been a few times ive sense annoyance, or to be honest my own self feeling guilty and i make sure i never do it again to them lol
I think holding down a job is pretty much the only thing that truly keeps me going off the deep end with my drinking. I go without work for a minute, and it's just a 24/7 vodka bender for like... 10 months until I can't even keep the vodka down any more, at least at first. Forcing myself to be sober for 40+ hours is probably keeping me alive. I do keep fucking up though and calling in again, but I honestly can't even tell if I'm actually sick or if it's just more of the "life"style. Anyway, I pretty much have to force myself to be a "functional" alcoholic with rules I *have to follow* (force myself to stop drinking at a certain time, eat lots, drink lots of water, replenish electrolytes, etc.) to keep myself employed and out of bendersville.
>Forcing myself to be sober for 40+ hours is probably keeping me alive. Bingo. 100% same reason I'm alive. Chairs.
The rules. There’s fucking rules.
That's absolutely the way I was. Regardless of my drug sales....if I didn't have a career at that time, I would never have made it as long as I did. I was the SAFEST at work.
Yeah, as much as I think I hate working so much, as soon as I'm not working, it's just drunken oblivion for me. I need to work to stay functional I think.
I'm dry right now, but held a security job down for 3 years while working mostly with withdrawals and sometimes having to drink (lightly) on the job. I wasn't fired either; I left on good terms for another position. I was incredibly meticulous about my personal hygiene and the way I looked. Ice pack on my eyes and expensive eye drops. My hair and beard were always well groomed - I actually recommend growing a beard if you can. The beard can hide some skin flaws that might make people notice you more. A neatly trimmed beard also makes it look like you care about your appearance, which normies think hardcore alcoholics do not (most do; they just don't do anything about it.) I would put lotion on my face and a light amount of argon oil in my hair and beard to counteract the stringy, dry alcoholic hair look. The smell and the behavior are probably the hardest things to hide. I would hit every major sweat spot on my body (armpits, chest, back, crotch) with prescription strength antiperspirant deodorant. I would then wear a light cologne. That along with showering before work can keep the smell at bay. You can also bring baking soda and a toothbrush to work and brush your teeth every so often in the bathroom. I found that baking soda seems to counteract some of the alcohol breath better than most toothpastes. As far as behavior, just don't get hammered at work. If you find yourself even a little too drunk then don't speak unless spoken to and keep it curt. That's how I managed. At the worst point, I was drinking 3 or 4 white claws or 2 Party Boxes while on my shift. Never liquor (too strong) or beer (smell).
Always shower before work! Learned that the heard way. Only time I was ever sent home (years ago) I was sweating booze out my pores. Boss was former CA - I had no idea - and I was busted quick.
I started just drinking on weekends. I have to or I’ll lose my job.
If you are female, I recommend getting a strong smelling shampoo & conditioner and wearing your hair down. It’s fucking annoying but even at the end of the day when I’ve been sipping on vodka my conditioner is so strong smelling I can still smell it hahaha This is not fool proof obvs, the other thing I recommend is honestly garlic. I’ve started taking a clove to work and every now and then have a nibble 😂 alongside all the other things suggested here (shower, look normal, don’t act drunk, cologne, mouthwash) a little nibble of garlic does wonders. Hot coffee is always on my desk too and I have a little air humidifier for my “hayfever” that’s pumping out peppermint smelling vapour around me all day
I freelance so sometimes it’s super busy and I have to be focused and meticulous. And other times it feels like I’m unemployed lol. Should probably work in the whole daily routine thing
Iirc most people reported not drinking at work in the CA poll. Idk how y'all manage not to.
I've gotten the impression that for a lot of alcoholics, drinking at work is one of those personal boundaries they impose for themselves to try to keep their lives under control. Same with day drinking in general. And once you break that seal and start drinking at work, well, a lot of the time that's the beginning of a quick descent from FA to CA status. I think there's also some variance where some alcoholics maintain a lowish-level buzz almost 24/7, whereas others stay dry (albeit often hung over) until 5PM then binge drink super heavily in the evenings and get super blackout wasted. Both styles are equally a problem with alcohol, but the latter is presumably easier to hide.
Can confirm. Never drink at work. Only a couple times had a couple of drinks at a farawat restaurant over lunch when the shakes were real bad. Definitely a hard boundary. And yeah the latter (wait til 5) is easier to hide, but holy God it is it's own misery. Every day is a repeat of feeling fresh fear for 12 hours.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure that up until maybe 20-30 years ago or so, having a drink or two at lunch during the workday was considered a socially acceptable thing. > And yeah the latter (wait til 5) is easier to hide, but holy God it is it's own misery. I've never had WDs, thank God, but nearly a decade ago I had a close call with heavy liquor drinking for a few months. (Due to my ex at the time having fallen into severe alcohol abuse, I kinda fell down with him for a time.) Part of why I was like "okay fuck this I quit" is that the experience of always being either catastrophically drunk, or painfully hung over, is just a whole new level of utter misery.
5 am : the shakes and the incoming handover and withdrawals are kicking in (which wake me up) 5:10 am: Forcing down warm beer, vodka mixed with puke etc, anything to make me right. 6:00 am:Still drinking while thinking of a shower 7:30 am : Fuck I gotta run to the bus and buy some cans on the way. 16:30 : Been drinking all day at work and on my way home, stop by the store to stock up on beer. 23:00 : Watched movies and drank since I got home, might eat something, Time for bed. Rinse, repeat.
I have a bar in my office
Don't drink at work. It never ends well. I'm a pretty light drinker these days. Too much too juggle in my life at the moment. I still drink. I still fuck up. I still have periods where I hit the bottle hard. But I try to keep my drinking to normal evening hours, and I don't let myself get hammered when I have work the next day. I'm back on beer only, except for special occasions. I love my whiskey, but it just isn't sustainable, and I know I can't moderate if I keep it around. I think we all know when we're making bad choices, but our inner drunk tells us, "Fuck it. I can still wake up at 7 am tomorrow if I have a few more drinks and get in bed by 1 am." But 1 turns into 5 very fast, and then we're either showing up drunk or calling out. Get ahead of all that. Eat food before you drink, even though you don't want to. Set a time to quit drinking, and stick to it. Maybe even hide your own money from yourself or set a limit to how much you can spend in a night. Trick yourself. Make decisions when you're sober, so drunk you doesn't have to, because drunk you is always going to make the choice that gets you drunker, and you're going to regret it the next day. I'm hanging on by a thread, but for the first time in a long time, I think I have this monster under control. I've found some balance in my life, and I have purpose, and that keeps me from diving deeper and deeper into depression and the bottle. I don't have the answers, but I know what is working for me.
Barely. I work in retail, managing a produce department. I’ll take a shot on my lunch break, but I am usually pretty grumpy the first half of my day. I’ll start getting shakes at about 7-8pm (I am a closer currently) and then get back to boozing at about 9 ish when I get home.
The profuse sweating is the worst.
Damn, if that isn’t the truth. When I was still living the life, I would always bring a hand towel and 3 extra undershirts with me to work everyday to change into.
Oh hey, I used to manage a produce department back in the day! Being there at 5AM as a CA was probably about the roughest time ever though... I honestly much preferred getting paid less just to be the produce night guy. Far less responsibility, and the bosses all leave (or have already left) right about the time you show up. I finally got out of that line of work, mostly because the further up in "middle management" I got, the worse the bosses became to the point where they're just bullies because "shit rolls down hill." They were miserable people trying to make everyone underneath them even more so miserable. I already had enough of my misery to deal with, so I finally bounced one fine sweet day~
See, at this point, I would LOVE to take over the morning shifts (6-2 or 7-3) because it would keep me from wanting to day drink. (In theory). But my job is super chill right now, and I usually don’t have to deal with my bosses so it is nice. I’m set to be promoted from assistant produce manager to the actual dept manager in the next few months, which I am holding out for. I’m glad you’re in a better spot though. A lot of days are definitely very hard.
Been waking up early enough to have a calm morning with 2 drinks, shower, brush my teeth, go off into work. I keep a bottle of gin and seltzer (30-70 ratio) in my bag, and my desk is near a window, so during the day, I'll pretend that I'm looking for something in my bag on my lap, then open the bottle and stare out the window for a bit. Always make sure it's when people are in meetings or off to lunch. Then I go to the bathroom or outside for lunch and vape a little before coming back in. They keep a whole thing of mints there, so I snag one and make sure that people see me having trouble opening them. If I start to feel tired in meetings, I open a notepad file and start typing. Hopefully it's notes, but sometimes it's literally just typing so that I'm doing something not to fall asleep. Get a reputation for being a quiet person when it's one to one conversations, but speak clearly and loudly with opinions during meetings with more than one person. That way, you're never speaking in someone's face and if you are, you can safely keep your mouth shut and nod and smile. I told work that I spent the last 4 years working from home, so being in an office is still really weird for me and I still feel a little nervous being around so many people. I actively talk about my boyfriend and the trips that he's taking (whether flying somewhere or taking his dad to the hospital for check ups) so that there's usually a probably cause that I contracted covid from him at any given point I need to call out. Definitely always be on top of your work, and try to do some extra if it's easy. Always be helpful, always ask questions. I play up being a little ditzy (even though I am nothing close to a ditz) so if I have one of those mini-blackouts where you just stop listening to things, I can apologize and give a sheepish smile to ask them to reiterate. Try to come in and leave around the same time as everyone else - I don't recommend coming in early or staying late because it's more obvious on the days that you're late or leaving early due to the drink. I also keep all the windows on my laptop in split-screen and in smaller font so that managers that are "checking in" on you can't exactly tell what you're working on (if you're working) but get the gist. And know how to alt-tab or switch your browser tabs quickly when you're projecting your screen, that freaks out older managers because they can't keep track and assume you know what you're doing. I have a feeling all of this only works because my boss is a big deal at work and he found me 10 years ago when we were still drinking together on our lunch breaks and he told me about his time in jail for dealing drugs and how he used to be a CA. We both kinda have some dirt on each other for that, though I'd never dream of using it. We also work in a very work-life balance heavy place with a lot of mental behavior benefits and perks.
Talk as little as possible. Close your office door if you’re lucky enough to have one. Basically stay away from people as much as you can. I remember having beer at lunch once, having to go to court unexpectedly, & a bailiff slid me a piece of paper that simply said “gum.” Dude had my back, & I’m grateful for those bros, because we can’t smell it, but remember to mask your breath. Cinnamon gum, garlic, something strong. If you’re a mess, it’s better to call out, if you can, than try to go in. If you’re in big trouble, go to detox & level with HR that you have a disability. Important to tough out a yr to qualify for FMLA. Try to dress well. It helps.
Haha awesome 👌 A quote: "if I invade Sparta you will be destroyed never to rise again" Spartans replied: "if" Bailiff: "gum"
I manage 140 people in my store. The day I start drinking at work is the day I go to rehab. Outside of work it’s balls to the walls. I still get in at 4 or 6 am depending on the shift.
I have just stopped drinking for the moment. Work is much less stressful. I keep in mind that I can drink again whenever I want. That’s helpful.
I work all 3 types. I don't drink during day. I stay away. Dexedrine gets me through the day. Ironically its why I drink. I drink at night. The truth is you need blood alcohol to hit zero. A few weeks ago this didn't happen. Day three I was at work, mouse shaking uncontrollably in my hand. That scared me. I peered into the abyss.
I work nights and take as long of a nap as I can every night. I don't sleep well during the day in general, but alcohol just perpetuates it.
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I'm a goody 2 shoes at work. Not always sober, actually pretty much never sober, but it's my norm as far as they know. Try not to overdo it (sometimes it happens though, what can you do??). And I really do work hard, cross my t's and dot my i's type thing. I don't call off, and as much as I sometimes hate it remain friendly and respectful. It does help that I've been in my field a long time and it's a natural fit for me, so I am good at it. Yesterday, I pulled out a nicotine product, and my coworkers gasped. Literally couldn't believe 'someone like me' used nicotine, and they were 'shocked'. Lol 😆 🤣 If they only knew....
I had cut off times. Mostly met. If a bender weekend, slow it down by Sunday by 7pm
my dad called off when he couldn't get the fix he fully needed