My Job Involves a lot of Drinking and no Sleep

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Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    WAIT A MINUTE! Where are you located?

    Your profile says you are 19 years old. The legal drinking age is 21in the USA. I realize there are people on the forum that are not in the USA, but most are.

    Lots aren't in the US, and the fact that she said "pub crawl" tells me she is in Europe. People in the US go to "bars", not "pubs". And I don't really think "pub crawls" are that big here but they are in Europe.

    I agree with those who say drink something else and no one will really know what you are drinking. I think Sprite with lime or sparkling water with lime are perfect because people will assume that you have a vodka or gin drink. I did that several times when I was younger and pregnant but didn't want my co-workers to know about it. They would have thought my not drinking was odd, but they just assumed I was. I think @AJF230 has a great suggestion.

    I've been on many pub crawls. Never knew that's all it took to make me European...

    Yeah, I've been on some in the past and am exposed to some on occasion that are not far from where I live. So guess I'm European too!
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    edited July 2016
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Mentali wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Whoah, stop jumping all over this person!

    This is a very common summer job in Europe, particularly for British teenagers (who are allowed to drink from 18). They are expected to maximise alcohol revenue in the venues they take their groups to, by organising drinking competitions, forfeit games, etc. There is an expectation that they will drink, as their clients will also be drinking to excess. And yes, it is fairly common for people doing this job to be expected to drink to unconsciousness.

    These are not the most scrupulous of employers, and a dry host will be perceived as "boring" and is unlikely to last long - it's not unusual for them to be driven out of jobs.

    This sounds bogus -- drunk people aren't going to be good hosts, and are often quite boring and irresponsible. If you want someone organizing fun and encouraging others to drink (setting aside my issues with the last, which I don't think is ethical at all), better that person be sober and certainly not blackout drunk, ugh.

    Your link didn't work for me, but I found this: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/09/magalufs-new-drinking-laws-flouted-britons-punta-ballena-curfew-fines-police. What it talks about is pretty disgusting (not that there aren't disgusting pub crawls in the US sometimes), but it says nothing about it being an ideal for the host to be drunk.

    And yeah, it's pretty easy to make a bunch of drunk people think you are drinking with them when you are not.

    Why would that article say anything about the expected job descriptions for the host? That's a very silly argument to make. We now have two people who actually have experience with this phenomenon saying it's expected. Do you have any real reason to doubt their experience

    Yes, I do. You can't do a job of the sort described as well if you are drunk out of your mind, so no employer would require that the person be drunk. It makes no sense at all, and is not supported by the description of the events (as I linked), which refer to the behavior and actions of the vacationers.

    Anyone who has ever been on a Club 18-30 holiday, or worked as one of their reps would vehemently disagree.

    ETA: It wasn't really my scene, but I had plenty of friends who went on that type of holiday, and heard all the horror stories. Now hearing the same stories from the teenage children of these friends.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    get a different job.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    Pull the move from Coyote Ugly. Take a shot, and "chase" it with a beer. By chasing it, you're actually spitting the shot back in the beer bottle. No drinking on the job at all. Boom.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    so you don't have to drink, though you can. remember that many drinks are calorie sinks and consider that.
    many people work third shift and find time to exercise

    partying is not an excuse not to exercise.
    and of course, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. you just need a calorie deficit. however, drinking every night, you would probably want to exercise or you might not getting the nutrition you need
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AJF230 wrote: »
    Keep a business card or small note with you, typed with " I'm responsible for this group I brought in here and we are on a crawl. So I've got to drink very light. Fix me a club soda with lemon and lime and some cherry juice in a highball." Hand that casually to the bartender and say "I'll have my usual!" Pretty soon you won't need the card. Boom...nonalcoholic drink, no big deal made of it. Your liver will thank you.
    If you want a drink at some point, don't say "my usual."

    EDIT: you're bringing them business, so they'll do whatever you ask

    Good plan!

    What I'm used to is customers buying employees drinks and paying for alcoholic drinks but the bartender knowing to give the employee a non-alcoholic drink. I wasn't sure how this would happen when the employee is not in her home establishment, and you have one solution.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    I used to work like this in my 20's. Club soda, lime, and an umbrella. Laugh at dumb jokes, dance, and save the calories!

    The owners really just want you to have the energy around people so they continue to have fun and buy drinks. Carry a kit with you in your hand bag. If someone buys you a drink, sip slowly and then eventually excuse yourself to the restroom. Once there, dump the drink and fill the glass back up with sparkling water and some food dye if you need to. If someone offered to buy me a drink, I always ordered vodka/sprite because it's clear and you can easily switch it out for sparkling water.
  • thatdesertgirl777
    thatdesertgirl777 Posts: 269 Member
    Sounds like your job involves a lot of exercise to me. Dancing, walking to bars etc. Just lay off the high calorie booze and log everything.

    I really don't see what the problem is here.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I worked as a paid patron in my early twenties. I didn't have to drink alcohol, but did have a drink in front of me most of the time.
    I agree with others who say to just fake it.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    If you value your waistline, then just get another job! Problem solved!
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Mentali wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Whoah, stop jumping all over this person!

    This is a very common summer job in Europe, particularly for British teenagers (who are allowed to drink from 18). They are expected to maximise alcohol revenue in the venues they take their groups to, by organising drinking competitions, forfeit games, etc. There is an expectation that they will drink, as their clients will also be drinking to excess. And yes, it is fairly common for people doing this job to be expected to drink to unconsciousness.

    These are not the most scrupulous of employers, and a dry host will be perceived as "boring" and is unlikely to last long - it's not unusual for them to be driven out of jobs.

    This sounds bogus -- drunk people aren't going to be good hosts, and are often quite boring and irresponsible. If you want someone organizing fun and encouraging others to drink (setting aside my issues with the last, which I don't think is ethical at all), better that person be sober and certainly not blackout drunk, ugh.

    Your link didn't work for me, but I found this: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/09/magalufs-new-drinking-laws-flouted-britons-punta-ballena-curfew-fines-police. What it talks about is pretty disgusting (not that there aren't disgusting pub crawls in the US sometimes), but it says nothing about it being an ideal for the host to be drunk.

    And yeah, it's pretty easy to make a bunch of drunk people think you are drinking with them when you are not.

    Why would that article say anything about the expected job descriptions for the host? That's a very silly argument to make. We now have two people who actually have experience with this phenomenon saying it's expected. Do you have any real reason to doubt their experience

    Yes, I do. You can't do a job of the sort described as well if you are drunk out of your mind, so no employer would require that the person be drunk. It makes no sense at all, and is not supported by the description of the events (as I linked), which refer to the behavior and actions of the vacationers.

    Because it was an article....on the vacationers. Not on the job requirements of the hosts. Just like I wouldn't expect an article on migrant farm workers to include whether or not the owners of the farm got up before the sun rose, just because they happen to be in proximity and related to the subject of the article. I mean, even if the article was about farm owners and how they treat migrant workers I wouldn't expect that kind of information because it's irrelevant to the article. Unless the news article is specifically about whether or not they're expected to get drunk or specifically points out that they're sober/drunk for detail, no news article proves anything other than "that detail wasn't relevant enough to make it to the final cut".

    Have you ever met anyone who has done this job, since you're so sure of what it takes to do it well? Have you asked them about the alcohol expectations of the job? Note: other hospitality jobs don't count. Only the actual job we're talking about, in the actual culture we're talking about, located in the actual geographical area we're talking about. A bartender in Chicago does not have the same expectations as a hostel host in the UK.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.
  • momoftwins985
    momoftwins985 Posts: 653 Member
    I worked at a club where I made commissions on drinks and was expected to drink with customers, I talked to the bartenders and they gave me names of virgin drinks that look like regular mixed drinks. Still made money and fooled the clients
  • paigeg150
    paigeg150 Posts: 27 Member
    I've tried everything to keep my guilty pleasure of drinks with friends! But honestly the only solution is to cut it out. You're going to have to sub for water or club soda OR work it off to create a deficit and even then it can't be the norm because you can't run on empty calories. Although I wish it would.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,647 Member
    Do you have any marketable skills besides getting drunk? How are your grocery bagging chops?

    Yeah, you're probably going to have to settle for just a couple of drinks and use water/diet soda in between. Or else trade a great deal of food calories for booze calories, which is not a good idea.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.

    Most people don't get high quality sleep after being black out drunk. Especially if on a nightly basis
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    I've had a job where it was "understood" that drinking was included...and my husband once worked at a hostel and it was also "understood" that partying with the hostelers was part of the job. It happens despite what all the judgy mcjudgersons think.

    There's been a lot of scorn and derision here for a life and culture that you don't understand. She didn't ask for your moral condemnation, she asked for advice on how to keep her weight down while doing this job.

    OP, drink vodka sodas, with just soda every other drink, the extra club sodas will keep you hydrated so the hangover won't be as bad (so you can move the next day) and keep the calories down. Dance as much as you can and the biggest thing is to save a meals worth of calories for after work because you know after drinking you won't make great food choices.

    They're not entirely wrong though...it's not the healthiest lifestyle, don't let it last too long ;)

    This. Not really sure why people feel the need to belittle and scorn the OP because of her job just because they don't understand it.

    If I thought people were belittling and scorning the OP I would Flag > Report their posts to the mods. What I saw was disbelief that an employer would require an employee to get silly drunk. IME, employers like their employees to PRETEND to drink with the customers while they are in fact staying reasonably sober.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    mobogogo wrote: »
    hey,

    I recently just started my summer job which i am doing for a month, so basically i am an entertainer in a hostel so i have to go out and be friendly withthe guests so i have to conduct pub crawls, drinking games, and parties almost everynight.... In the day i am too tired to do anything let alone excersize ...But the thing is i dont want to gain a lot of weight... Gaining weight is inevitable with this job but i dont want to gain a lot...i lost a 20lb over the year and i dont want to start again.... Any advice?

    I'm confused where people got the fact that the OP has to get blind drunk from and that it is a job expectation, was it deleted?
    I'm just reading that they feel like they are drinking too much and sleeping too little in their new job.

    OP I've just arrived back from Magaluf yesterday and went on a few of these. Our host was only drunk really on our last night. The other nights he just had 2-3 rums spread out with coke lites in between. He was great fun and we loved it. As long as you are fun and getting involved the clients won't mind one bit.

    When I was talking to him about sleep he slept 7pm until midnight then again at 6am when he clocked off until 10.30am when he started a day time entertainment sports programme.

  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.

    Most people don't get high quality sleep after being black out drunk. Especially if on a nightly basis

    In fact...she never said she HAS to drink at all...YOU started this whole "you don't have to get blackout drunk" thing. YOU and your cohorts have blown this way out of proportion.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited July 2016
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.

    Most people don't get high quality sleep after being black out drunk. Especially if on a nightly basis

    In fact...she never said she HAS to drink at all...YOU started this whole "you don't have to get blackout drunk" thing. YOU and your cohorts have blown this way out of proportion.

    The thread title says "My Job Involves a lot of Drinking." Hence the assumption that she is doing a lot of drinking.

    A lot of drinking is a subjective term and does NOT mean "i get blackout hammered" get over yourself.

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited July 2016
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.

    Most people don't get high quality sleep after being black out drunk. Especially if on a nightly basis

    In fact...she never said she HAS to drink at all...YOU started this whole "you don't have to get blackout drunk" thing. YOU and your cohorts have blown this way out of proportion.

    The thread title says "My Job Involves a lot of Drinking." Hence the assumption that she is doing a lot of drinking.

    I took it to mean a lot of drinking over time since she has to almost every night, not necessarily all at once.

    ET - and FTR - legal age in Canada is 18 or 19 depending on province and pub crawls are a thing.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Oh, but it's not her fault, her employer REQUIRES that she be in a blackout.

    Nobody said that other than Packerjohn. Perfectly polite and in the spirit of this site.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited July 2016
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Honestly, I am unsure why you can't sleep during the day and just make reasonable choices at night. Vodka and like, diet sprite, lime -- that might be 100 per low ball. It's up to you how many you want to consume but I would have 2-3 and be done. I waste 300 calories a day on chocolate.

    Most people don't get high quality sleep after being black out drunk. Especially if on a nightly basis

    In fact...she never said she HAS to drink at all...YOU started this whole "you don't have to get blackout drunk" thing. YOU and your cohorts have blown this way out of proportion.

    The title says her job involves drinking. She said she is tired every and can't exercise. Maybe I'm putting too many dots together but most typical 19 year olds that aren't hung over have enough energy for at least a bit of exercise.

    Plus one of our European friends that is familiar with these pub crawls said the expectation was that the hosts drink to what many would consider excess

    Note, I'm not a prude. I have been black out drunk in my life and may be again. Not necessarily proud of it but it happened. Not judging the op at all, just offering solution to her situation.
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