# I'm rather upset about work. Someone reported me for drinking on the job. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577 "2017-06-21T23:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/61 "2017-06-22T14:36:31Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Dear lord if you want to keep your job don’t write letters, you’re putting things down in writing that they pretty much have to respond to and blowing the situation up into formal, written complaints instead of a minor incident that has good odds of not even being on paper. Letters aren’t going to make anything better, and can make things worse by escalating a minor verbal investigation into something written and formal, or by convincing the company that you’re planning to sue them. I think he needs to clearly deny the accusation in writing. I’m not saying I know enough about his situation to say that is absolute course of action though. But if the accusation and his response got written down somewhere it won’t look good for him in the future. If he does write a letter it should be to make his response clear, not to sound in any way like a threat. > [@](#): > > How are the bosses ‘assholes’ for choosing to ‘confront’ him like that? It sounds like the boss was told something, boss asks the guy accused of drinking ‘were you drinking’, guy says ‘no’, boss wraps up the situation. Are the only bosses who don’t qualify as ‘assholes’ people who assume that all employees never do anything wrong and dismiss any reports of wrongdoing? “Ask the employee about the situation, then close it out if there’s nothing to it” sounds like the reasonable, non-asshole way to handle most situations like this. It is not reasonable to take action on a claim from some employee that they smelled alcohol on someone’s breath. Why would an employee come to them with such a statement with no other reason to suspect he had a drinking problem? I’d be suspicious of someone coming to me with that comment and ask them if they had any other reason to think the person had been drinking, and why they were concerned about it. It is not normal for employees to make such statements about other employees without some other purpose in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/62 "2017-06-22T15:01:48Z")
On a previous job a man well known for actively hating white males over the age of 30 reported me for drinking on the job. Well technically all he said was that I reeked of alcohol. Which was technically correct since I’d just used hand sanitizer in front of him and another guy. When one of our management ‘confronted’ me about it, the other guy was present and collaborated my story. Which of course meant the other guy deliberately lied about me, but given the employer, nothing happened to him. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/63 "2017-06-22T15:41:38Z")
**Leaffan** , Have you been checked by a doctor to see if you have diabetes? It is possible that you may have related [ketoacidosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketoacidosis). > [@](#): > > Originally posted by Wikipedia > > Ketoacidosis is most common in untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus, when the liver breaks down fat and proteins in response to a perceived need for respiratory substrate. Prolonged alcoholism may lead to alcoholic ketoacidosis. > > Ketoacidosis can be smelled on a person’s breath. This is due to acetone, a direct by-product of the spontaneous decomposition of acetoacetic acid. It is often described as smelling like fruit or nail polish remover. Ketosis may also smell, but the odor is usually more subtle due to lower concentrations of acetone. There is another metabolic process whose name escapes me at the moment. In that process, the carbohydrates that a person eats ferment in the gut and effectively turn the person’s alimentary canal into a brewing vat. Either of these may have triggered the person’s nose, but the first one is definitely worth having checked. Granted, it was a douche move to go to your boss instead of coming to you personally and asking if everything was alright, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/64 "2017-06-22T15:45:50Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > **Leaffan** , > > Have you been checked by a doctor to see if you have diabetes? It is possible that you may have related [ketoacidosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketoacidosis). > > There is another metabolic process whose name escapes me at the moment. In that process, the carbohydrates that a person eats ferment in the gut and effectively turn the person’s alimentary canal into a brewing vat. > > Either of these may have triggered the person’s nose, but the first one is definitely worth having checked. > > Granted, it was a douche move to go to your boss instead of coming to you personally and asking if everything was alright, etc. Well, it’s been a couple of years since I had blood work done. Anything’s possible, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/65 "2017-06-22T15:47:10Z")
I see that **spiderman** beat me to it. I looked for “ketosis” and didn’t see it so I thought it was a fresh idea, and then changed the phrase to “ketoacidosis”. Upon further reading, I came across spidey’s post. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/66 "2017-06-22T15:55:14Z")
What a shit situation. It’s nice to have a few beers after work to unwind if you want to, it’s not interfering with the quality of your work and now it’s causing stress because someone either thinks they are doing the right thing or has it in for you. Honestly, if it were me, instead of 2 beers, I’d probably end up having 4 after this incident because I’d just need to chill, I’d be so annoyed. I think the best thing you can do is just be honest about it and I agree with everyone else that said have a bite to eat. Good luck, I hope it doesn’t turn into anything major. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/67 "2017-06-22T16:08:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’m ornery in situations like this. I’d buy a flask, fill it with water, and “sneak” a sip every so often at work. Better, get an old used AA Big Book, cheap to free depending on where you go, buy small flask that will fit in a cutout in the Big Book of AA and then do as **Kayaker** suggested. Do not do this if your boss has no sense of humor. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/68 "2017-06-22T16:16:31Z")
Jesus, what kind of shitty companies do you people work for? In the office at 9am? ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/69 "2017-06-22T16:34:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think he needs to clearly deny the accusation in writing. I’m not saying I know enough about his situation to say that is absolute course of action though. But if the accusation and his response got written down somewhere it won’t look good for him in the future. If he does write a letter it should be to make his response clear, not to sound in any way like a threat. And I think this is a good way for him to tank his career by turning a minor incident that will be forgotten about in a couple of weeks into a formal, documented investigation. Jesus H Christ do not write a letter saying that you’re not drinking and send it to… who, HR, the CEO, the boss? It’s just an awful idea. > [@](#): > > It is not reasonable to take action on a claim from some employee that they smelled alcohol on someone’s breath. Why would an employee come to them with such a statement with no other reason to suspect he had a drinking problem? Why is it not reasonable to investigate a situation that an employee reports, especially to the point that it makes the boss an ‘asshole’ for handling it in a simple fashion? To me it seems perfectly reasonable to go ‘one guy told me this other guy might be doing something, so I’ll ask the guy who might be doing something, then when he says he’s not and doesn’t seem drunk to me I’m done with it’. And it’s really absurd to say that they shouldn’t take action - they HAVE to take some action, even if it’s just dismissing the report out of hand. And the employee would come to the boss because… they think another employee is drinking on the job and they’re not supposed to be. I’m not sure what you’re wondering about with the ‘why’ there, ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/70 "2017-06-22T16:35:29Z")
Hey Leaffan, I hear you. I got stabbed in the back by the same co-worker a couple of times and it’s changed the whole social tenor of my workplace for me. What to do about it? I haven’t a clue. On one hand I don’t want to stoop to her level so I’ve told nobody, so I feel ineffectual; on the other hand say or do something which could just blow up in my face. Whereas I used to really like my co-workers, now I just shut-up and do the best work that I can. My sympathies… ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/71 "2017-06-22T16:41:21Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > Granted, it was a douche move to go to your boss instead of coming to you personally and asking if everything was alright, etc. If someone is drinking in a non-drinking office at 9AM, the last thing I would want to do is get involved in their personal life. I’ll pass the buck to the person who’s paid to (and trained to) deal with people issues and stick to handling my actual work. If it’s just some misunderstanding the boss can handle it, if there is actually something not alright then I absolutely don’t want to get involved any more than I have to. The only people actually drinking at a non-drinking office at 9AM already have much more of an issue than I am willing to help a stranger with, especially with the poor impulse control that demonstrates. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/72 "2017-06-22T16:41:47Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Jesus, what kind of shitty companies do you people work for? > > In the office at 9am? I know, right? And can’t everyone have a beer at their desk in the afternoon? Sometimes our boss even brings them in. (Just having fun… not making light of your situation, **Leaffan**. I’m sorry you’re there.) ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/73 "2017-06-22T17:04:24Z")
HR person weighing in. First, don’t do a letter. It will be put into your personnel file and stay there long past anyone’s memory of the incident. Just say no. Second, if there was serious concern from your management that you had, in fact, been drinking, you would have been taken, not sent, to a testing facility for a blood alcohol test. This incident smacks of a pro forma response to an employee bringing their ‘concerns’ about you to management. It is, of course, very embarassing for you, but trust me, had the company felt there was a real possibility you had been drinking, the matter would not have ended how it did. Third, don’t turn your back on the employee who gave you up to management. For whatever reason, I suspect an intent to harm on his part. Try to limit contact with this employee, try not to interact with him unless someone else is present, police your desk and computer relentlessly, etc. Fourth, for a while, until this is all a memory, make sure you eat after drinking anything alcoholic, and perhaps give yourself a cut-off time of 8 pm? On the positive side, the enemy has outed himself and now you know exactly who to watch. Plus, I strongly believe your company gave you the benefit of the doubt in this situation, even if it dòesn’t seem so. Keep your head down and your guard up… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/74 "2017-06-22T17:26:09Z")
Is your company based out of California? You can declare you have an alcohol addiction, which would then make you a “protected class”. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/75 "2017-06-22T17:57:54Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > HR person weighing in. > > First, don’t do a letter. It will be put into your personnel file and stay there long past anyone’s memory of the incident. Just say no. > > Second, if there was serious concern from your management that you had, in fact, been drinking, you would have been taken, not sent, to a testing facility for a blood alcohol test. This incident smacks of a pro forma response to an employee bringing their ‘concerns’ about you to management. It is, of course, very embarassing for you, but trust me, had the company felt there was a real possibility you had been drinking, the matter would not have ended how it did. > > Third, don’t turn your back on the employee who gave you up to management. For whatever reason, I suspect an intent to harm on his part. Try to limit contact with this employee, try not to interact with him unless someone else is present, police your desk and computer relentlessly, etc. > > Fourth, for a while, until this is all a memory, make sure you eat after drinking anything alcoholic, and perhaps give yourself a cut-off time of 8 pm? > > On the positive side, the enemy has outed himself and now you know exactly who to watch. Plus, I strongly believe your company gave you the benefit of the doubt in this situation, even if it dòesn’t seem so. > > Keep your head down and your guard up… This is excellent advice. Furthermore, by bringing these baseless concerns to management, OP’s accuser might have inadvertently painted a target on their back if a pattern of harassment can be established. The nail that sticks out will get hammered down. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/76 "2017-06-22T18:01:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Thanks for the replies. > > It sounds like I should just keep quiet and let it slide at this point. > > And **Elbows** , I know exactly who it was because I only talked to one person up close as the regular printer was down and I needed to figure out how to install another network printer, which I hadn’t used before. I wouldn’t necessarily assume it’s the guy you interacted with. Could have been some troublemaker who reported it to management falsely for whatever reason. The only issue I have with you is that you mix beer with Clamato. There ought to be a law. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/77 "2017-06-22T18:04:29Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > When one hasn’t eaten in some time the body can produce ketones, which can smell like alcohol on the breath. **Eating some breakfast should eliminate this as a possibility/recurrence of what happened.** > > How many hours was it since your last intake? > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > Of alcohol? 10 hours or so. But no food afterwards. I meant last intake of food/nutrients. Even if you hadn’t had anything to drink the night before, you hadn’t had anything in 10 hours, & even longer since last real food, you were essentially fasting at this point. Assuming that’s what it was, there is a simple fix to this issue, see the bolded sentence in my original reply. I’ve had ketones before (though not at work) - no alcohol in at least 48 hours but I was fasting & yet, if you smelled my breath, you’d be sure I was coming home from the bar. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/78 "2017-06-22T18:14:25Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > This is excellent advice. Furthermore, by bringing these baseless concerns to management, OP’s accuser might have inadvertently painted a target on their back if a pattern of harassment can be established. The nail that sticks out will get hammered down. The more you make of a minor issue, the larger it becomes. As \*\*stillownedbysetters \*\*says in their post, if management was going to do something about this, they would have done it at that time. Let it die out. Stir the fire and it will consume more. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/79 "2017-06-22T18:15:26Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I meant last intake of food/nutrients. > Even if you hadn’t had anything to drink the night before, you hadn’t had anything in 10 hours, & even longer since last real food, you were essentially fasting at this point. Assuming that’s what it was, there is a simple fix to this issue, see the bolded sentence in my original reply. > > I’ve had ketones before (though not at work) - no alcohol in at least 48 hours but I was fasting & yet, if you smelled my breath, you’d be sure I was coming home from the bar. Sounds like I need to snack at night and again in the morning. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577/80 "2017-06-22T18:17:42Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m less worried about the alcohol than I am about the fact that you’re drinking Clamato. Because that shit is nasty. > … > [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > …The only issue I have with you is that you mix beer with Clamato. There ought to be a law. Don’t knock it till you try it. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rather-upset-about-work-someone-reported-me-for-drinking-on-the-job/789577.md?page=5)