If I have more than 2 or 3 drinks I lose control and cannot stop myself from going crazy. I do not always remember what happens later on in the night when this occurs and there have been a few instances when I have woken up in a surprising location – like in my car in a supermarket parking lot with no recollection of how I got there. Whether or not this makes me an alcoholic I do not know since when I am on my own I rarely drink, or if I do I would have only a glass of wine occasionally. The challenge I face is that my job demands that I be out competing for files and winning business 2 or 3 or sometimes more times a week and the guys I am courting are investment banker and very senior finance types and they like to play hard and they expect that I be up for what may or they aren’t going to be calling me for work anymore. I live in an eat what you kill business environment with a lot of people depending on me to make these deals. The reality is, if I start ordering club soda they will be very respectful of my wishes but I won’t get the call next time to go out and discuss business. This long preamble is to explain that I cannot simply stop drinking entirely, but I need to learn how to control myself after I get a few drinks in me. Please do not suggest that I stop entirely because this is impossible. It would be career suicide.
Hey thanks for your question It's one I've heard a LOT. I get the whole hyper masculine work hard play hard bullshit I just know that's not how a mature man behaves. I appreciate your candor - I get it - having the club soda is career suicide. What you're asking me alternatively is how do you control your drinking?
Short answer - you don't. You haven't identified a single cause or circumstance that resulted in you passing out and waking up in weird places. Saying you woke up in your car with no memory screams that you're taking chances not just with your life but with everyone else's too.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist or scare you - the results you've achieved should scare you. I suspect you're like me - my whole world is all or nothing - so I just dont drink or drug. Take a look at what you have to lose and you'll see it's a helluva lot more than a career
anonymous
