About to be fired for gross misconduct...need advise

Manxman_in_exile

ds383 wrote: »

That's a really good idea. I should give them control of my debit card, that way I'd have no way of buying alcohol at all.

Er...not a good idea t all. If you are physically dependant on alcohol it is extremely dangerous to just stop. You can have seizures or even die if you just stop. If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms ( most common being the DTs) you need something to drink immediately.


You say you are attending Change, Grow, Live sessions. You should have a nominated Case Worker and they can give you a plan to gradually and safely reduce your alcohol intake to zero. Might take one or two months of gradual reduction.


Going "cold turkey" with alcohol is far more dangerous that doing it with heroin.


Many people, with good intentions, will say "just stop drinking", but it isn't straightforward as that.


Apologies if other posters have made this point. I haven't worked through the whole thread yet.

nicechap

Casey1709 wrote: »

You might be happy to be treated by a drunk surgeon but I wouldn’t be.

Or leave leave a 2 year old with an intoxicated baby sitter, or any number of other jobs where the employee has a duty of care.

Manxman_in_exile

marliepanda wrote: »

A friend of mine recently had issues with drinking (I appreciate its a lifelong thing but it all came to a head recently)

Her parents took away her ID so she could not purchase alcohol (in theory) and also spoke to the local shops asking them not to serve her (this is of course voluntary)

Is this something your parents would be willing to do to help you in the short term?

Hi Marliepanda


I know that you usually give good advice but I don't think this is one of those occasions.


As I say in my post above, if the OP is physically dependent on alcohol then just stopping suddenly can (but not always) be extremely dangerous.


If they are attending CGL then they need to agree a safe reduction plan with their case worker.


OP also needs a friend or relative to control the purchase (and storage) of alcohol while they follow a safe reduction plan. And NO secret drinking!

Manxman_in_exile

Les79 wrote: »

Well, technically an alcoholic surgeon would probably do a better job whilst at least slightly intoxicated because of their dependency to it.


But that's just an educated guess!

If they'd had enough they'd have a very steady hand! (That's why alcohol is a proscribed drug in shooting events - it steadies your hands).

Manxman_in_exile

OP - does your GP know of your problem with alcohol? If yes, why have they prescribed drugs that interact badly with alcohol?


You say you are attending CGL. Did your GP refer you or did you just drop in? Trust your CGL Case Worker to advise you and support you. ( I used to work for a Mental Health trust and their drug and alcohol service has been taken away from them by the CCG and transferred to CGL, a national charity.)


You are unlikely to get any meds to help you until your consumption is reduced either to zero or six units or less per day). You must discuss this with your CGL Case Worker.


There are very few NHS inpatient detox beds available these days, and where there are any, waiting lists are very long. Most people have to self-detox through a safe reduction plan.


(OP - if you've seen your GP what tests have been done? You need blood tests for liver and kidney function and may also need outpatient appointments at your hospital for an abdominal ultrasound and a fibroscan of your liver). Sort it out now while you are young - it can only get worse if you don't seek help.

BrassicWoman

Post 62. Been here before.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5894318&page=4

The best advice here is to take a parent to see the gp with you, to be really assertive and help you get help. Claim benefits meantime. You need space to sort yourself out.


Good luck.

Manxman_in_exile

BrassicWoman wrote: »

Post 62. Been here before.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5894318&page=4

The best advice here is to take a parent to see the gp with you, to be really assertive and help you get help. Claim benefits meantime. You need space to sort yourself out.

Seeing a GP is a good first step. Bringing a parent with you is excellent advice.


However, in my experience GPs can be limited in what they can offer. Either inpatient detox or a home detox (a nurse visits you every day). The OP needs to be referred to a specialist secondary care alcohol team. They will advise and support him in doing a self-detox. It's perfectly possible given self-will and determination (if he really wants to stop drinking).


Anyway, the OP says he is already attending Change, Grow, Live. Where I live it's the only service on offer. (The mental health trust I used to work for no longer provides a drug and alcohol service.).

Manxman_in_exile

Oh God! Have I been wasting my time!


I've just noticed the OP previously worked for the police and MI5, and presumably got sacked from both!


Yeah, right...


(Interesting he knows about CGL though.)

Parking_Eyerate

@Genuineguy03

Thanks for your reply. I still do not see that location of drinking is a critical factor. If the OP had had a pint or two off-site at lunch then he would have been less likely to have appeared as being under the influence, but I think it is the under the influence bit that matters. He could have sat outside in his car and had several shots of vodka before going in to work, and I also don't see how drinking outside, just before a shift, would be a mitigating factor. Drinking in a workplace itself is not necessarily prohibited. In fact some workplaces even provide alcohol for staff.

Regarding protected characteristics, alcohol dependency simply does not qualify. The OP mentions anxiety, and I understand that anxiety could potentially be a disability, but that would have to be certified by a medical professional and, moreover, it would have to be determined that the anxiety makes him drink. I don’t think there are grounds for assuming that a doctor would come to such a conclusion. If it is anxiety that compels the OP to drink it is not clear to me why he could manage the first part of his shift (before break) without drinking.

Further, if an employer is aware of a disability then they have to make reasonable adjustments. There is no stipulation, to my knowledge, that reasonable adjustments necessarily include forgiving an episode of working whilst drunk. Yes, some employers may be particularly supportive and forgive a first incident but there are other factors, such as whether being drunk could put yourself or others at risk, that could be hugely influential. So I do not think it is reasonable to make a blanket assertion that going straight to dismissal without giving previous warnings would definitely be unfair dismissal. Depending on circumstances it could be perfectly fair.

Anyway, best wishes to the OP.

ds383

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Oh God! Have I been wasting my time!


I've just noticed the OP previously worked for the police and MI5, and presumably got sacked from both!


Yeah, right...


(Interesting he knows about CGL though.)

No, you haven't. I worked for the police in 2014 (training to become a communications operator for TVP in Oxfordshire, they dismissed me on performance grounds (due to drinking). I was offered a job with mi5 (working in admin) in 2014 too right after I finished University but didn't go through with the DV process due to saying something I shouldn't have which delved them to dig deeper into something I didn't want to go into. Interestingly, I showed up to the interview there after having had about 5 shots of vodka and still got offered the job, that's when my drinking started. I became a different person, confident, assertive, very well spoken. I've never gone to an interview sober.