As entrepreneurs we face special challenges in being sober. Many of the ways we interact with employees, clients, and prospects involve alcohol. In this video, I share my early journey in sobriety and the ways I make it easy for me to either be in business situations involving alcohol or to avoid them all together. I know what it is like to be sober and an entrepreneur. If you are struggling, call me at +1 (604) 721-5732 or Contact Me.
Summary of Being a Sober Entrepreneur
- Always have a non-alcoholic drink in your hand.
- You get to choose if and when you tell someone else you are an alcoholic.
- If people ask you why you don’t drink, tell them you have made a choice for a healthier life without alcohol.
- Consider telling your senior leadership team that you are at an alcoholic.
- At trade shows, you do not have to go to the “big party” and if you do it is perfectly fine to leave early.
If you are finding it hard to be a sober entrepreneur in your business environment, please call me at +1 (604) 721-5732 or Contact Meso I can share more on how I have learned to be an entrepreneur and sober.
Audio
Transcript
How can I be a sober entrepreneur?
Hi Everyone. I’m Coach David J. Greer.
Today I want to talk to you about being a sober entrepreneur. I am an alcoholic in recovery thankfully and I’m also an entrepreneur. I understand what that journey is like. I remember early in my sobriety just how challenging the thought was of not having wine at dinner. Of course, I was ignoring the fact that I always had to have a six-pack before I even got to dinner. I remember just how difficult that early part of the journey is. If you are struggling with your journey, always know that can text me, call me, email me, I’m glad to have a conversation to help you out.
I want to talk to you about being an entrepreneur and being sober, because I think it has some special challenges. Let’s, for example, say that you meet with your team every Friday for drinks. You’ve decided to get sober. When you start showing up and not having a drink people might ask questions.
The first thing I would suggest to you is that find an alternate drink. People ask questions a lot less when you have something in your hand. I also want you to know that it is totally up to you when and where you break your anonymity. You don’t need to tell anyone that you are an alcoholic, unless that’s what you want to do. What I tell people is that I made a choice in my early fifties to no longer drink. That it was a health decision. That I don’t drink any more. I just leave it at that. All of that is true as well.
I break my anonymity when I think it might be helpful or it seems like the right kind of situation or the right level of trust. Until I started committing my career to helping entrepreneurs who are alcoholic, I was very careful about breaking my anonymity. If some of your team members are very uncomfortable about the fact that you don’t drink, know that probably that’s more about them and their relationship to alcohol than it is about you.
What about breaking the news to your senior leadership team? This is something that you’ll need to figure out when is appropriate and whether you want to do that. I would recommend that at some point you do tell your senior leadership team that you are indeed an alcoholic. That you have decided to stop drinking and if you have made a decision to go into recovery that you tell them that. A few things will probably show up. One is that a bunch of your team members may not be surprised. They are like “Well, we wondered for a long time whether you were going to do something about your drinking and we’re really happy that you have.” Most will be supportive. As you go out and operate your business together and are out in situations together, it’s also helpful to have your senior leadership team know that you are an alcoholic in recovery, because they can help make it easier for you not to drink.
Then there are the aspects of being an entrepreneur like going to a trade show and being the CEO when representing the company. There are a few things to know. My experience in trade shows is that there is so much drinking that goes on that it is very hard to avoid.
Like I recommended in meeting [socially] with your team members, just make sure you have a drink in your hand. That avoids people coming up to you and saying, “Can I get you a refill?” and you having to explain anything. Water is good. I often have a cranberry and soda. Find out what is the alternate drink that works for you.
Know that at trade shows you do not have to the big party. If you don’t show up, you’ll probably do as much business. If you do show up, in my experience after three drinks no good business ever gets done. It’s okay to leave early. In my experience, most people won’t notice because they are starting to have too much to drink. They are not noticing much of anything.
If you have decided to become sober and you are an entrepreneur and you are struggling in any way, know that I have been down this path. That I am now in recovery as a recovering alcoholic. I’m also an entrepreneur. I know the very special challenges that are part of that combination. If you want help, call me, text me, email me. Let’s book a call, let’s have a conversation, and let me share my experience, strength, and hope with you and your journey of being a sober entrepreneur.
