Beer in the morning?

Nurses Recovery

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I've gone snowboarding/skiing with a younger coworker three times this winter. We meet up at the slopes early in the morning. Others come sometimes, today another young nurse from our unit came, we have a little clique that gets together for outdoor outings.

On all three snowboarding outings this gal had a beer before hitting the slopes, at 9 AM. Today it was a beer and also schnapps in one of those stainless steel small liquor containers. Then mid morning we stopped at the yurt on the slopes and both these gals had another beer. Then at lunch they had more beer.

Honestly, that seems totally excessive to have any alcohol before noon. They both pooped out at 2PM, I stayed till closing time at 4PM. They are both the same age as some of my grown children and I have much more stamina. I think this one gal must have a drinking problem. Do any non-alcoholics have beer or spirits at 9 AM? I told her that she was having an eye opener, just like on our CAGE screening, but she just made light of it. Other than that she's a great snowboarding buddy and coworker.

Any thoughts?

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

When I worked night shift in Athens, GA, some coworkers and I used to hit the local pub after work. They got a beer and a burger, while I got a coke and a burger (I don't like beer). Because for us, your 0900 AM is our 2100 PM.

While in NYC on night shift, some of us when we got off of 3 in a row for the weekend, it was not uncommon for some of us to go to brunch w/mimosas or bellinis. Again, your 0900 AM Saturday is our 2100 PM Friday. And as it was NYC, we were walking home (or taking mass transit, thus no one was driving.

I consider the time that one drinks alcohol is not that big a determinant in who is an alcoholic.

However, several drinks before/during/after snowboarding at any time of the day is much more ominous than, say one or two champagne cocktails once a week or a mug of beer when getting off work.

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Does this person regularly work nightshift? 9a to her may be like the rest of the world's 9p.

That's my thought too. When I used to work 12 hour nights, I'd often have a glass wine just before bedtime--bedtime being 10am.

Now that I'm not working nights, have I ever had a drink in the morning? Sure, its happened on occasion...such as the one day during winter break that I FINALLY had the house to myself--relatives went back home, better half was at work, son was at daycare, and I had absolutely nothing to do and no place to be that day...so I threw Mildred Pierce into the DVD and had a glass of wine while I watched the movie. I felt no shame doing that. But it's not routine habit, nor are large amounts consumed when I do do it.

I agree with the others though: that much drinking--not so much the actual time of day she's doing it, but how much she's drinking in just a short time, plus the fact that while drinking she's engaging in activities that can endanger herself and others--that is a very big red flag. You can tell her you're concerned about her and offer to be there as a friend, but it's up to her to decide if she's got a problem and if she wants help for it.

Specializes in CTICU.

No, I've never had alcohol at 9am, unless I just finished night shift and went to the pub with coworkers, or I was still out from the night before :)

This may not be an issue. In the summer we take weekend trips to the beach/clubs. The entire time I am plastered.

There is even a bar that serves a Bloody Mary breakfast. It's not a problem because the 2-3 times I go = pretty much my entire consumption in a year.

Not a problem at all. I don't see mdrinking early as a problem. The best indicator of a problem is drinking solo.

Just the thoughts of a former binge drinker. ;)

ETA:

If there is a day I am going to drink (and if I drink I drink to get drunk, not totally plastered but drunk or what's the point of even drinking) I prefer to do it early in the day. Drinking late at night makes the effects drag on until the next day. A buzz early in the day leaves you time to recover and for some reason, the older I get the longer the recovery. DOH. Those days of drinking long and hard when I was 13 :D are LONG gone.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I agree with Stan. I think a big indicator of an alcohol problem is solo-drinking. Just the other morning, I met up with some co-workers at a pub near the hospital where they serve alcohol as early as 7am. I had a long island iced tea. It will probably be my last drink ever anyways because once I have my surgery, no more alcohol.

Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.

Actually, at our Peer Assistance workshop they said the single best indicator of a substance abuse problem is continuing to "use" dspite significant adverse effects resulting from "using". An excellent list from Family Doctor.org includes:

  • Can't stop drinking once you start
  • Have tried to stop drinking for a week or so but only quit for a few days
  • Fail to do what you should at work or at home because of drinking
  • Feel guilty after drinking
  • Find other people make comments to you about your drinking
  • Have a drink in the morning to get yourself going after drinking heavily the night before
  • Can't remember what happened while you were drinking
  • Have hurt someone else as a result of your drinking

Other excellent sources of information include:

Actually, at our Peer Assistance workshop they said the single best indicator of a substance abuse problem is continuing to "use" despite significant adverse effects resulting from "using". An excellent list from Family Doctor.org includes:

Drinking solo comes BEFORE any significant adverse effects. That's why Peer groups and abuse programs should be run by former abusers and not doctors. :D

I never had a significant adverse effect when I started drinking solo. In fact, the drinking solo LED to the adverse effects. Drunks, junkies, and other substance abusers can spot others light years ahead of doctors and peers. How do you think smokers always seem to find each other. :D

Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
Drinking solo comes BEFORE any significant adverse effects. That's why Peer groups and abus programs should be run by former abusers and not doctors. :D

I am a recovering addict...not a doctor.:D

I am a recovering addict...not a doctor.:D

Hi, me too (even though the addiction for me is a symptom and not the main disease). I was referring to the group and the standard lines given at these groups.

Honestly though, at what stage did the adverse effects start vs other overt signs?

Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
Hi, me too (even though the addiction for me is a symptom and not the main disease). I was referring to the group and the standard lines given at these groups.

Honestly though, at what stage did the adverse effects start vs other overt signs?

Hard to say since so many addicts are so good at hiding their use until it simply can't be ignored anymore. I know for me, alcohol was never a problem since I rarely drank. When I did, a couple of beers would make me so sleepy I couldn't enjoy the rest of the evening (or whatever I was doing). My drug of choice was opioids. I had chronic pain from spondylolisthesis, eventually requiring a fusion of L3 to S1....screws, rods, and bone graft. Unfortunately I was addicted before the surgery.

Night-shifter, nonalcoholic and occasional skier here. I have a very occasional beer or two in the am after I get off work. If I'm on vacation, I will sometimes have a drink in the morning. When I ski (unfortunately on rare occasions now), I almost always have 1 drink before I hit the slopes. It makes me a little less tense on that first run. I've never been impaired and skied but I have stopped mid-afternoon to go have fun and drinks in the lodge with friends.

For me these situations are kind of a decadent indulgence-I'm usually working and uber-responsible and occasionally it's kind of fun to let loose a little.

If someone only saw me on these few occasions where I get to relax, they might construe that I've got a problem. Frankly the only problem I have is so little time to actually let loose a little!:wink2: The sum total of my alcohol consumption may be one 12 pack of beer spread out over 2 or more months. I would think that before you confront someone, you should have some solid evidence of a problem (i.e. drinking and driving, putting people in danger (themselves included), etc. If you feel pretty confident there is a problem and you know this person well and present it in the right light all should be well.

But try not to judge harshly. You made the statement that it seems totally excessive to have "any" alcohol before noon. The way I see it is, what's the difference if you have 1 beer at 10am or 1 beer at 7pm. Barring (no pun intended :D) any other problems it's really a preference.

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