I think that the temptation is too great – why work there at all? It is a big step to be a recovering adict – but my friend who is a recovering alcoholic says that with discpline it can be done… tell me what you think. serious answers please.
How many years of sobriety should a recovering alcoholic have before working in a place that sells liquor?
I have a degree in Psychology and I have worked for years in the alcohol and drug field. I do not think that this can or should be done. I think that your friend is just fooling himself and is setting himself up for failure.
I think they are subconsciously finding a way to get a hold on some. That is totally asking for trouble.
that sounds like putting a kid in a candy store and telling them not to eat anything. if the temptation is there then they will
Infinite… just avoid working there if you can unless you are a masochist.
It’s the epiphany of the moth… after hearing that light is harmful to it, the moth should do its best to stay away from the light; but how can it possibly achieve such a hard task when there are light bulbs everyhwere?
Make the right choice.
You wouldn’t place a delicious hot plat of food in front of a starving person would you?
When you think you can .if they think they can do this then have full confidence that they won’t drink , otherwise your setting them up for doom it took my husband 2 years to even go in a resturant to eat that served beer, hes been sobor 8 years.but worked in a bar fine couple of years ago.
Perhaps it can be done. Perhaps. And addicts don’t fit a particular mold, though addiction itself does. To me (family and friend to several addicts), the real question is this: Is it worth it to even consider jeopardizing all of the work that goes into recovery?
For many addicts recovery is something they will spend their lives repeating. We all stumble and fall. The trick is to avoid the things that cause us to stumble, and that may take a long time to learn. If your friend is involved in a program such as AA or another recovery group, suggest that they ask the group for their opinion. If your friend is not in a recovery group, encourage them to find one.
Your friend also needs to learn that addiction recovery isn’t about self-control or discipline. Addiction isn’t something that can be beat, it’s something to be lived with. At some point, willpower is always weaker than the desire to feel better or return to the familiar. It isn’t about how strong a person is.
Blessings, hope this helps!
There is no certain length of time that one can say that it is OK to work at a place that sells liquor. I am a recovering alcoholic and my big book tells me that if I work the steps and find a God of my understanding and make a conscience contact with him everyday then I can go where they sell liquor if I have good reason to be there and I am spiritually fit. If you friend is doing the work and has a sponsor they can talk to and trust then it doesn’t matter how much time they have. Liquor is everywhere and we can’t stay in our homes and hide from it. On the other hand we can’t hang out at the bars “testing” our sobriety. If your friend needs a job and that is the place that will give them one it is between them and their God to decided if it is a good idea to work there.
I started to answer “No” to this question, but then I reread your question. What kind of place are you talking about? In the Big Book of AA, it says that we (alcoholics) should not avoid going to places that serve alcohol, as long as our motives are good. So, if the place is a convenience store, grocery store, or even restaurant, I would say that as long as the person has at least 1 year of sobriety, it would be ok. Let me state clearly though that the best person to answer this is your friend’s sponsor, because the sponsor would know best. If the sponsor said “no”, and your friend is fishing for a “yes”, I would agree with the sponsor. Now, if we are talking about a bar, or topless club, I would say “absolutely not”, no matter how much sobriety they have got.
One of the mottos of AA is “one day at a time” so who knows? Many alcoholics say the temptation is always there so why put yourself in harms way. That’s like a diabetic working in a candy factory, why make life harder? It’s hard enough!
Hell no! Run, don’t walk to your sponsor or someone that has really been down the long road of sobriety for many years and get advice from them. I knew of someone that did this and it went badly. Besides if it was truly a matter of discipline nobody would be alcoholics. One of the steps in the program is admitting we were powerless over alcohol or whatever substance. Doesn’t this discipline thing contradict that. I would watch the thinking behind the whole discipline comment. Not sure that’s gonna keep your friend sober. So, in my opinion hell no I wouldn’t do it.
OK here goes. So what is the reason do you want to work in this store? Is it because you will find fulfillment and know just what liquor will go with that free sandwich that the homeless alcoholic got from his local soup line. Or is it that you will give some epiphany to the young guy who will drink himself to a comatose state, Or are you trying to win a courage badge from the wizard of OZ. You must be out of your ever lovin f*ckin mind. What is wrong with you (besides being an alcoholic). Why don’t you just go out and lay down on some traintrack and forget doing it the long way. This way you won’t put so many people in grief that is to come while you kill yourself slowly. So having a dry date is not sobriety, sobriety is having healthy thoughts and decisions. So if you beleive this is the most healthy way for your self go for it. But on you way to this most sober decision make sure that you shoot your self in the foot and see if that is any more sober thinkning.
If you have the actual disease you shouldn’t work in any environment that sells alcohol or anywhere where alcohol is. The disease doesn’t go away it hibernates and will surface when exposed to the elements it needs to survive. Be smart don’t temp your self stay on track and find another place to work