looking for answers to a shunned topic in trucking

lol im the same way. Similar story. Hooked on starbucks now. Expensive habit. Might as well take on a coke addiction will probably cost me the same.

Jk. Im healthier now. No regrets...

 

If a person drinks, but is always sober, on time for, and properly rested for work. If he pays his financial obligations before buying beer. If he doesn't abuse or neglect his family in any way, then how big of a problem could his drinking be anyway. Just drinking in and of itself doesn't indicate a problem. I know I made some assumptions for clarity sake here, but my point is, sometimes people think things are worse than they really are. Sometimes there just really is no problem, except in our head.

 

In my experience a drunk needs to want to change his life first. And once he decides to stop drinking can do it on his own. Not being around other drunks and trying his best to avoid "triggers" like going to a place a associate with drinking and and being around people who are real friends and can be patient and understanding is important. Hard liquor drinkers may have more trouble but I've known lifelong beer drinkers who just quit on there own, with no adverse affects.

 

Back in my teens and mid 20's (Early to mid 80's) I drank and toked up,.. a lot. Drinking was a part of every day life back then. I mean my boss would have a keg,.. we would be drinking out of it all day,.. and it was nothing for him to tell me to go pick up a machine to be transported. Things were a lot different.

I used to drink a 6 pack on the way home,.. just so I could feel right so I could drink more when I got home. LSD, pot, ephedrine pills, when Zanex first came out,. I'd eat them like candy,.. I'd be drooling and chewing on my tongue for hours. I ate so much codeine I ended up in the emergency room because I was so constipated and impacted from not crapping for 2 weeks.

I grew up bad,.. raised by social services in DC. My mother was an abusive alcoholic,.. she used to drag me out of bed at 2am because she had an argument with my father and beat me senseless. My father also an alcoholic,.. never hit me,.. but pretty much useless and undependable as a person.

So when my first wife gave birth to my first child,.. something inside me clicked. Holding my daughter for the first time in my arms made me think about my parents and what I went through. I took a long hard look at myself and realized that if I didnt change,.. I would walk their walk. I quit everything cold turkey right there.

I had physical and emotional withdrawals. I fought off the depression that came. I cleaned up my act.

Everyone is different. But anyone can quit on their own terms with the right mindset. If you dont want to quit,.. or dont have a real reason to quit,. chances are they never will. After I cleaned up my (old) friends would come over and ask me if I wanted to get high (I almost never paid for anything except alcohol,.. thats why it was so easy,.. the people I hung around with all kept me strung out),.. when I said no and asked them to leave,.. they seemed hurt and couldnt understand. It can be done. Just have to want to get clean bad enough.Then changing things in your life in order to maintain sobriety.

Realizing you have a problem is the first step.



Hurst

 

probably the hardest but most important thing is to stay clear of old friends and people you drank partied with. In many cases you really have to start a whole new life. The worst (not really the worst just the only ones I still talk to) is the old friends who weren't total drunks who can't understand why you don't want to go down to the pub for a few drinks. But any true friend will not push it is the way I look at it.

 

Do not go to hr or manager or dispatch or load planning! Only go to safety dept. Ask for a copy of company safety manual; cfr 49; and drug and alcohol policy. These are required by federal law and required to be provided to all persons required or obligated under cfr as safety sensitive position. usually the d&a policy is provided by the consortium provider and if you read you should find the policy to seek help and that as stated earlier the minute you ask for help you become a federally protected class and while stupid employers will knee jerk react, telling the safety department usually is your best bet to manage the situation. Understand that yes they can remove you from safety sensitive situation but they cannot just terminate you or "act in a discriminate manner" without facing both eeoc and civil suit. EEOC is a very scary thing. The point is know your rights and act accordingly. If the problem is drugs you must be prepared to pass an immediate "under suspicion" drug test! if you have reached the point where the problem is effecting you ability to safely perform your job yep u aint gonna drive til you get the situation under control. the thing is, there is not much your company can do to help you... if you have insurance you may get some help there and most importantly if you have short term disability thru work you can get a lot of help there as after your wait period the benefits kick in to help pay a percentage of your paycheck for the short term (after seeking help you are disabled)
NOT A LAWYER. But I was a safety director for a 50 truck company for several years. Asking for and getting help will NOT endanger your cdl in any way... dropping dirty and or drunk ALWAYS will affect your ability to get a job for 3-5 years after.... do get help.. dont get caught