Page 168 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

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TO EMPLOYERS 147
that you are not suspicious nor are you trying to run
his life so he will be shielded from temptation to drink.
If he is conscientiously following the program of re­
covery he can go anywhere your business may call
him.
In case he does stumble, even once, you will have to
decide whether to let him go. If you are sure he
doesn’t mean business, there is no doubt you should
discharge him. If, on the contrary, you are sure he
is doing his utmost, you may wish to give him another
chance. But you should feel under no obligation to
keep him on, for your obligation has been well dis­
charged already.
There is another thing you might wish to do. If
your organization is a large one, your junior executives
might be provided with this book. You might let them
know you have no quarrel with the alcoholics of your
organization. These juniors are often in a difficult
position. Men under them are frequently their friends.
So, for one reason or another, they cover these men,
hoping matters will take a turn for the better. They
often jeopardize their own positions by trying to help
serious drinkers who should have been fired long ago,
or else given an opportunity to get well.
After reading this book, a junior executive can go to
such a man and say approximately this, “Look here,
Ed. Do you want to stop drinking or not? You put
me on the spot every time you get drunk. It isn’t fair
to me or the firm. I have been learning something
about alcoholism. If you are an alcoholic, you are a
mighty sick man. You act like one. The firm wants
to help you get over it, and if you are interested, there
is a way out. If you take it, your past will be forgotten