| I've got a slightly different angle of approach to this than most others. First, it sounds like a lot of people here are far more expert about alcoholism than I am, so I won't touch on that part, except to say it sounds like a legitimate concern that should be watched carefully. To me it seems more important to look at what you're actually concerned about. You're bothered that you want to relax (beer may not be the best method, but that's what you're using it for) and spend time with your wife. It sounds like WORK is what you're more addicted to... or at least the idea of work. Now, I work a lot of hours myself between regular job and my own endeavors at home, and I won't ever try to say that's a bad thing in and of itself. But, assuming that your senior leadership role pays the bills comfortably (or at least your share of them, if your wife also works), what that means is that you're making a conscious choice that work and personal accomplishment is more important than comfort and relaxation and time with your family. Be careful when you read that last sentence... I don't mean to suggest that you don't ACTUALLY spend enough time relaxing or being with your family; obviously I don't know enough of your life to judge that. But what I mean is that you BELIEVE you should be working rather than doing that, and so even when you are sitting on the couch with your wife and a beer, you're stressed out because you feel like you should be somewhere else. That stress leads to the need to drink, which leads to less ability to do the work, which leads to additional stress, which leads to additional need to drink, and so on. I certainly understand the need to create something of your own outside of work, whether it's art or music or a business or a racecar or whatever. But maybe it would be better to take a vacation from that, and allow yourself some time where the only goal is to drink beer on the couch with your wife. If you set yourself a goal such as "For two weeks I don't WANT to do any entrepreneurial work at home", then you'll never feel like you're failing at something because this is designated time off. That in turn could take the edge off your stress level, which could reduce your need to drink, which could improve your productivity, and the cycle reverses itself. Good luck with it! |