Do you think telling my employer about my alcoholism will help me keep my job?

harlans

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
99
Location
florida - the nation's sweaty penis
I've done some research on california labor laws and I'm still unclear as to whether or not full disclosure would help me. I tried to commit suicide again this week. I took about 2800 mgs of seroquel. A friend of mine came and kicked in my door - gunna love paying for that! I would've finally succeeded with that much seroquel, but I lingered too long saying goodbye to my babies and my friend showed up before I could go hide in the ravine. I just got hired in december and I've missed sooooo much work - always with a dr note. Will I gain an advantage in sharing my problem with HR? Anybody know more about employee legalities????8(
 
Good lord - I'm so glad you're still here, harlans. At this point, I think you must face the fact that whether or not you keep your employment is an issue that truly would not matter much if you had been successful.

If you're that worried over it, I would recommend checking with a lawyer first, but one thing's for sure - being an alcoholic is not grounds for termination. If you had come into work too intoxicated to perform your job (or intoxicated at all, for that matter), that would be a different discussion I am sure. But generally speaking, if a person is going through alcoholism/drug addiction concurrent with active suicidal intent and plan, your employer may already be aware of it. One of my closest friends told his employer about his alcoholism before he checked into rehab. His employer told him that he was so happy to hear it because, though my friend was (and is) one of his best employees, he was about to be terminated for poor job performance which his employer could tell was the result of either a psychiatric or chemical dependency issue. My friend is now 1.5 years sober and has the best relationship he could imagine with his boss - They have a mutual respect now that could only have been fostered under the conditions of self-disclosure and honesty.

~ Vaya

Edit: My HR department has plenty of health and wellness initiatives they offer to their employees who are coping with psychological and/or addiction distress, and as long as you express an earnest desire to get clean, they ought to work with you - should they offer such programs. Check with your HR department.
 
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