Addiction Discussion

Urban Dictionary:
HangOver Monday - Is when you drink so much on Friday Night that you obtain a level that is beyond drunk and the "consequences" of this ritual are that you don't have your hangover until Monday morning.

"Where is Mark today? Why isn't he here to meet that candidate?"
"It's HangOver Monday - He is probably so hung over he’s in a coma!"
"Oh, I see......"

There are people among us who manage to “show up” and do their jobs in spite of the fact that they may have a loved one, a co-worker, an employee, a boss, a spouse, a friend, a roommate who is an alcoholic, a heroin addict, a pill popper, a…whatever it’s called that their addiction takes them.

I am one of those people.

There are days I don’t want to get out of bed and there are nights I never go to bed because of the stress.

I know there are also people among us who struggle with addiction themselves.

Nobody talks about this. I want to. Will you join me in tomorrow’s MagicMethod class at noon EST to talk about how to do your job when you have all this stuff going on in your background? It’s not going to be easy to talk about this but it might not be nearly as hard as you think.

“In times of stress, be bold and valiant.” ~ Horace (Ancient Roman Poet. 65 BC-8 BC)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on January 5, 2009 at 10:17am

Maureen and I spoke this weekend about this; everyone with an addiction - either personal or with a member of their family - struggles everyday with demons that threaten to pull them under. Sadly, we're conditioned by our respective societies to not open up and keep personal separate from professional. We become balloons that are being filled with more air and there's less room to expand.

Two choices: Keep expanding and explode or let the air out. Perhaps not all of it but maybe just enough to give the time needed to work out a better solution.

See you tomorrow. Love you Mo!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 5, 2009 at 10:19am

You make me cry Steve. Thanks for your support. It means everything to me.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on January 5, 2009 at 10:26am

Her husband Bob makes her cry too but that's because he's a Republican.

Maureen Sharib said:

You make me cry Steve. Thanks for your support. It means everything to me.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Gerstandt on January 5, 2009 at 11:26am

Thank you for this post Maureen (and for your comments Steve). Its a great post because it touches on one of those topics that touches many (if not all of us) in some way, but we tend to deny it, ignore it, hope it will go away. We often do not share it in our personal lives and certainly not in our professional lives...and we suffer for this, as do our relationships. I am and have been in recovery for several years and it is one of the most profound experiences of my life...I have learned more from recovery about people, culture, communication, etc. than I have from any book, class, seminar or workshop. Even thought it is this huge, powerful part of my life I often chosen to not share it with people in the past...primarily because we all know the assumptions and judgments that are attached. A lot of people are touched directly or indirectly by addiction and our relationships, our organizations and our communities will be healthier and more authentic if we get better at speaking the truth. Thank you for your wonderful post.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 5, 2009 at 11:30am

Joe, thank you for your support. I agree with you, we can all become stronger talking about this taboo subject. I hope you can attend the "chat"tomorrow! If you can't it will be posted at the site later in the day. I welcome and appreciate your input!

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 6, 2009 at 11:12am

Sometimes stress and issues arise from unforseen illness as well. This can throw a huge monkey wrench into your ability to do your job. I am recovering and will be dealing with an ongoing illness the rest of my life. The illness was not something that anyone could of predicted but has has the same type of effect an addiction can have on your ability to be consistent.

Life and work have changed in a significant way. "The stuff" you mention can be overwhelming. This same issue can happen with a disrupted household. A spouse losing a job with no additional source of income in the offing. Fear is huge and can be paralyzing. I don't know what makes these things better other than rising each morning and being present each day. ~ Janice Walsh

Survey: Many Are Worried Sick About Finances
According to a new survey by the AARP, one in five adults say they suffer from health problems because of financial worries, and 22 percent say they have delayed seeing a doctor because of cost concerns.
“Right now people are increasingly concerned about their jobs, retirement savings and simply being able to provide for their families, and it’s taking a major toll on their health,” Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois senior state director, said in a written statement. “It’s a harsh irony that worrying about being able to afford health care is actually causing health problems,” he said. More here.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on January 6, 2009 at 11:18am

I'll dig up the reference but the kicker here is that the number one disease in America is loneliness... so bottling up exacerbates the problem. It's really a prisoner problem where someone in SuperMax is given one hour of solitary out-of-cell time every day; other than this, everything else is done alone. No wonder they become even more messed up.

Maureen Sharib said:

Sometimes stress and issues arise from unforseen illness as well. This can throw a huge monkey wrench into your ability to do your job. I am recovering and will be dealing with an ongoing illness the rest of my life. The illness was not something that anyone could of predicted but has has the same type of effect an addiction can have on your ability to be consistent.
Life and work have changed in a significant way. "The stuff" you mention can be overwhelming. This same issue can happen with a disrupted household. A spouse losing a job with no additional source of income in the offing. Fear is huge and can be paralyzing. I don't know what makes these things better other than rising each morning and being present each day. ~ Janice Walsh Survey: Many Are Worried Sick About Finances
According to a new survey by the AARP, one in five adults say they suffer from health problems because of financial worries, and 22 percent say they have delayed seeing a doctor because of cost concerns.
“Right now people are increasingly concerned about their jobs, retirement savings and simply being able to provide for their families, and it’s taking a major toll on their health,” Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois senior state director, said in a written statement. “It’s a harsh irony that worrying about being able to afford health care is actually causing health problems,” he said. More here.