artnetwork | 
03 10th, 2010| 
Russ dropped out of high school when he was sixteen years old and eventually got a job at a local office supply manufacturer. For the past seven years he has gained a reputation as a hard-working employee who seldom calls off work because of sickness.
Around four-and-a-half months ago he started dating a young lady named Emma. They appeared to hit it off right away and looked like they had a lot of fun with one another.
The Irresponsible and Hazardous Drinking Begins
When Russ met Emma, he hardly ever drank. This situation totally changed when Russ and Emma started seeing one another on a fairly usual basis. As a matter of fact, their relationship was going great until Emma called Russ one night about 3 AM and said that she had to call off their relationship and that she couldn’t explain the reason at that moment.
The next morning before he went to work, Russ went to her apartment and found out in an instant that she had already moved out. Russ took this awfully hard. Actually, he was dismayed because they appeared to be getting along so well.
When Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Leads to Problems at Work
So what did Russ do about Emma? Rather than working through his pain and sorrow, he started getting inebriated almost every night. It didn’t take long for his fellow employees or for his manager to notice that Russ was coming to work late at least once per week and that he time after time called off ill. Moreover, some of his co-workers made an appointment with staff in Human Resources Department and mentioned that Russ continually came to work with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath or on his clothes.
Russ’s manager heard about all of this from Human Resources and also from Russ’s co-workers. So one Thursday morning he asked Russ to come into his office. He told Russ that he had recently noticed a distinct change in his behavior, work performance, attendance, and in his sick time.
When a Manager Can Encourage a Worker to Get Help For His or Her Irresponsible and Excessive Drinking
Russ’s supervisor also articulated that a number of his fellow employees reported him to Human Resources because he had been coming to work with a noticeable smell of alcohol. His boss then stated the following: “Russ, your fellow employees are not reporting you to the HR Department to get you into trouble or because they dislike you but instead because they care about you. And I care too. I don’t want to pry into your life outside this company, but it is apparent that you are exhibiting some of the typical signs and symptoms of excessive drinking. As a consequence, I want you to go and see someone in the employee’s assistance program to discuss your drinking circumstance and your depression.”
“Russ, I’m no healthcare practitioner or a therapist, but I have seen several of my relatives and friends experience some extremely negative alcohol side effects. What is more, I have also seen the signs of alcoholism first-hand in my own family. When people have problems with drinking, these difficulties not only affect the drinker, but they also make an impact on his or her neighbors, co-workers, relatives, friends, and family.”
Russ respected his boss a lot and consequently followed through with his recommendation the next work day when he called and scheduled an appointment with a therapist in the employee’s assistance program.
Russ is Still Depressed But Feels Some Hope That He Will Get Back on Track With His Life
Even though Russ didn’t necessarily feel any better or less depressed about the hurt he still has about Emma, he felt comfort knowing that his manager and his co-workers cared about him and wanted what’s best for him. This gave him some emotional relief for the first time in several weeks and he truthfully felt some hope that he would get back on track with his life.
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