You’re invited to a birthday celebration for your friend’s wife at your favorite bar. Your spouse accompanies you, and there are several other couples at the gathering. Some of them are co-workers and some are single. Everyone is having a good time, and you, especially, are enjoying the festivities. You arrived with a buzz since you started drinking at home, and the drinks continue to flow. By now, you’re not thinking clearly.

Your spouse decides to leave, maybe due to an argument about your drinking. In any event, the alcohol has decreased your inhibitions. You begin flirting with some individuals, getting nowhere in any of your attempts. It gets to the point where you nearly get into a fight with the date of someone you flirted with earlier. Eventually, you’re asked to leave. All is well, right? You seemed to escape without any problems, except a co-worker heard about the incident and made a complaint to the Department.

Now there is an investigation, and you’re worried about possibly being relieved of duty (ROD) pending the Department’s finding. Your life is put on hold while this investigation proceeds. No one from your unit of assignment talks to you, and you’re kept in the dark, all alone. You don’t even remember all that happened. You could be jeopardizing the good reputation you built over the years.

What did everyone else do while this person was getting wasted? Did anyone intervene, or did they assume that he or she was having a good time? Perhaps no one noticed what was happening. The drinker has the ultimate responsibility for his or her drinking. Getting an early start before arriving at the party was a possible indicator that there is a drinking problem.

Take a look at your drinking behaviors and those of your friends. If any of this hits home, or you know someone on edge, take steps to stop the problem drinking and think about making some changes.

It’s time to be proactive, so reach out for help and develop a plan to get sober. Psychological Services Bureau (PSB)/Substance Abuse Resource Program is an excellent place to start, and you can call at (213) 738-3500. This will be one of your best calls to preserve your future success.

You can also contact the Peace Officer’s Fellowship (POF) from the list above. There is no better time than now! If you think that you might have a drinking judgment problem or someone has mentioned this to you, there are several options available to you. Call me at PSB at (213) 738-3500 for a confidential consultation or counseling. Check to see if you have a Peer Support Program member at your unit and talk with them, or call one of the Peace Officer’s Fellowship (POF) members listed above.

These members have agreed to give up their anonymity so that others who are in need of help can find the support they need. Don’t worry about calling us, helping other alcoholics is one of the ways we stay sober.