Not too sure how to start this, guess I should same - call me Liieah. Im a binge drinker who is constantly at a bar because I’m also a bartender.
I started this sobriety journey after an incident on 12/26 at my bar during a tournament. I blacked out and yelled at some of my friends and a coworker with some choice words, then proceeded to try and separate myself from the situation by starting my car and smoking a cig. While sitting in my warm car I fell asleep at the wheel, thankfully I was parked and I wasn’t driving. My friends found me and took me home where I woke up on my couch with no recollection of the night before, which was very scary.
I tried not drinking “a lot” through the past week, but then on New Year’s Eve after work my friend got a DUI and instead of that motivating me even more, I was mad and got drunk at my friends house that I stayed at. The next morning I explained to my boyfriend that I stayed at my friends because I got drunk and he was extremely disappointed in me.
Ultimately I think for myself and my health it’s about time I do what’s right and get sober. It may not be much but I’m 1 day and 19 hours completely sober, which I can’t remember the last time I went more than my 8 hour work shift with out drinking. I guess ultimately I need some motivation, with my job, the fact that I’m a competitive pool player who runs several recognized teams in my community.
Any advice would be great guys, and I’m excited to have this forum to communicate with others who are taking this same journey!
As a former binge drinker I know the feeling after one of those blackouts all too well. And I also remember how scary and difficult the idea of being sober seemed at first. You are not alone
I’m linking to a post I was writing on yesterday cos there is some great advice there…
I appreciate if you work at a bar alcohol is hard to avoid! Saying that it can still be done - @Faugxh do you work in a bar or have I made that up?!
This post also has lots of helpful forum info and links to other threads too (some of the replies do need updating a bit, but hopefully still useful!)
Connecting with other people who get it here has been so helpful to me over the past few years. I hope you find it is too!
I’d say 1 day and 19 hours of sobriety is great and worth of a big congrats from me! It’s one day at a time for all of us, and some times even one hour or one minute. Doesn’t matter where we are in our sober journey. We’re in this together. Being a pool player would be motivation to remain alcohol free for me. Nothing gets better through alcohol. Welcome to the forum, it’s agreat place for support. Hope to see you around and all success in your journey Liieah!
Hi @Liieah77 and welcome to this place. It sounds like work, albeit you are around alc and drunk ppl, is not your biggest obstacle, if I understand this right:
So, you have good reason to stop drinking, the chaos you’re describing sounds very familiar to me. Your life will become a lot more manageable sober …
I also work bar and have for a long time. I don’t think i had more than five shifts sober in as many years before I stopped drinking for good. It certainly exacerbated my alcoholism and escapism to be in this environment. I’m even grateful for that now, as who knows how long it would have taken me otherwise to quit one of my oldest, dearest and certainly most destructive coping mis-mechanism…
Work has not been a trigger for me, and I decided to keep my job when I got sober as I needed the stability and security (I’m good at it) while I turned around and started facing everything I’d been running from in recovery and therapy. I wish you the same period of deep connectIng with yourself, learning and rebuilding sth for yourself. That said, had work been an issue in sobriety, I would have known which one had to go.
Thanks for the links! I’ll be sure to check them out. I think the hardest part with bartending will be the after work shifters with all my coworkers talking about how our night went - but I feel like a couple of NAs will be fine while chilling with them.
I don’t wanna quit bartending because I definitely am totally passionate for it. I think you’re right about maintaining something stable during this as well. I appreciate you reaching out and can’t wait to keep in touch!
The pool thing will absolutely be a huge part of this! I’m very competitive and strive to be the absolute best I can, also I shoot a lot better sober. thanks for the encouragement and hopefully will be posting some cool pool stuff soon!
thanks for the encouragement and hopefully will be posting some cool pool stuff soon!