I am not The OOP, OOP is u/Lonely_girl1996

TIFU by getting too drunk at the office party after I got promoted to acting manager

Originally posted to r/tifu

TRIGGER WARNING: Alcoholism, accusations of drug use

Original Post  Nov 11, 2023

F 27 years old! Yesterday I got promoted to acting manager since our boss will be leaving for a year to travel.

It seemed like my colleagues, soon to be employees, had a good feeling about this. I am (maybe was) very respected in the company and very hard working, which are two of the reasons why I got promoted.

The same day we had a office party with about 100 people where I got pretty drunk. I have blackouts about half of the evening and at the end of the night I fell asleep in the bar. Where some people got really worried and called for ambulance. Imagine me waking up after half an hour and realising the ambulance is there to take me away IN FRONT OF some people from the office.

Today my boss said she needed to speak with me. It has come to her knowledge (she was not at the party) that I had been making out with one of the managers at other departments in front of everyone. She told me this is not very professional and will make my reputation bad and also take from the respect that others have for me. I told her I’m really ashamed and that I was really drunk sadly.

She hasn’t found out how drunk I was, which is good but it made me really worried that those people who saw me will tell.

There are some of my colleagues that are jealous and I’m sure want to fk this up for me as I am also helping them with my bad and unprofessional behaviour.

I don’t know what to do and how to deal with this problem.

I’m worried with this duck up they will make the promotion go away. And also I can’t imagine what the others will be talking about behind my back or to my boss.

F 27 y/o

TL;DR : the same day I got promoted to be new acting manager I got drunk at the office party, fell asleep at a table to be woken by ambulance per medics in FRONT of my colleagues. Found out I also made out with another manager in front of everyone and been kicking stuff. My boss isn’t impressed and is second guessing her decision to leave me in charge.

RELEVANT COMMENTS

[deleted]

Look OP, if you are serious that you think this was not how you are supposed to behave, just quit drinking, at least for half a year or some such.

This will show to your peers and boss you can easily do without drinking, and also it’s healthy not to drink.

Own up to the mistake and learn from it.

OOP replied

I completely agree. I will be sober from now and at least a year forward. This and the consequences coming from this is my reality check. I feel the most ashamed for letting my boss down but I have about two months left to prove her otherwise and I will do my best. As everyone been saying the damage is done and I can only do better from now on.

Update  Nov 13, 2023

Today my boss asked me in a room to talk about the work party. She asked me if there is anything else I haven't told her.   I took your guys comments in consideration and told her about the ambulance and that some people were at the bar and saw that. She told me that someone had contacted HR and told them I'd been using cocaine?!!?!!

I told my boss that I can admit that I celebrated the promotion too hard, fell asleep at the bar (which was not our office, and followed the permedics out. That they checked my pulse and told me I had low bloodsugar and sent me away with some candy (which was the case). I also told her I have never done drugs in work settings and it's nothing I do in private neither (which I don't anymore). I admitted that I was drunk and let her and also myself down. That I have been struggling with alcohol and that I have realised I need serious help and will be getting the matters in hand to find help.  

She told me that my reputation was damaged but that she trusted that I've told her the whole truth. She wanted to check with HR and her boss and will get back to me. But in case the promotion is still on the table I need to promise her that I won't be drinking in the work setting anymore. Done!  

She just got back to me through E-mail and told me that they have decided to let me have the promotion and give me a chance, but that I need to promise her nothing like this will ever happen again. I told her that I will never let her down.

Just to add, I think that it's one of my "closest" colleagues that has contacted the HR department. Since she's the one that told this back story about the permedics being there and said "people have been talking about in case you'd taken something". I asked her if she'd told them that I had not since she knows I don't do that kinda stuff and that I also have been like this before when I was drunk. To which she answered "I didn't talk much about you after the speculations."

It makes me somehow sad to think that of all the 10-20 people who saw that someone in the close circle would to that. I undrestand, but I don't think this was done for the kindness in their hearts, since they would in that case contact me first to find out exacly what happened.  

Long story short, lesson learned. I have now all the reasons to stay sober and show them haters that I got this chance because I deserved it. Though I am my own worst enemy and the only reason this situation happened, this is a proof that my boss truts in me even when I don't and I will never let her regret her decision and giving me this second chance.

I have contacted an online therapy site to do regular online visits and deal with my shit. I have found a mentor online [Someone in here contacted me and offered their help] and I've also joined the subreddit for other alcoholics. I'll look for some in person AA-meetings as well but they're not a lot available in my city.  

  TL;DR : the same day I got promoted to be new acting manager I got drunk at the office party, fell asleep at a table to be woken by ambulance per medics in FRONT of my colleagues. Found out I also made out with another manager in front of everyone and been kicking stuff. My boss isn’t impressed and is second guessing her decision to leave me in charge. This is the update.

RELEVANT COMMENTS

SquidsInABlanket

I’m too much of a square to really know what it’s like to use cocaine, but wouldn’t you be, I don’t know, all coked up and speedy, as opposed to passed out at the bar?

OOP replied

I know right? That’s what I said. I would be feeling much better if I’d been doing cocaine I’d say.

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP