Alcohol and Optics

[Mike Hunt]

Dear Ophthalmic Professionals,
I find myself being somewhat of a lone optician. I have been in the business for well over ten years and yet I feel like one of the young pups in the field compared to many of the old timers that have been around since the days of hand polishing lenses. One of the most common factors that I have found among us is that we all have a similar pleasure in the consumption of alcohol. Weather it be us sophmores, the senior professionals or even the freshman. We are all at different levels of knowledge in the profession and yet we all seem to enjoy the alcohol quite fondly. I have worked for a major chain, an M.D., O.D., independent optical shop and manufacturing. Not necessarily in that order though. Throughout my silly bio, I have experienced many different company parties. I have found one thing to occur at all events, a bunch of goofy a@# drunks getting stupid. Of course I am one of the most guilty of the bunch. So what is it that causes this dilemma? Is it our psycho patients, demanding employers, lack of respect, insufficient pay scale, inferiority complex, genetic disorder or all of the above. I would appreciate some insight from a few of you knowledgeable experienced OptiBoarders out there.
Cheers,
Mike(suck another one down)Hunt

[Shwing]

Aye!!!
Urrghh?

I think that you (&I)are jealous of the stockbrokers. They can bank the same amount in 1 day as I do in 2 years, but I can still drink 'em under the table.....

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Shwing;-}

[Pam]

While I am not a seasoned optician (roughly 6 years in the field) I have found that some of my best "partying" memories have happened at work functions. I happen to work with a very young company right now and we had a BBQ/drunkfest on the front lawn of our building just last weekend. Luckily no one called the police when a bunch of the guys played football on the 4 lane highway out front! I guess it would have been free (although not positive) advertising for our business had we all been arrested!

[Texas Ranger]

Pam, I remember Duluth as being a bit too hilly for drunken football. I don't suppose i've ever drunk much and not in the last 30 yrs., a glass of wine with a dinner ever so often. So I can't judge what anyone else wants to do, it's their business. But I do know there's a lot more peace without it. When I came back from Vietnam in'69, I suppose I had a lot of reasons to drown my grief, but I didn't. But I've known a lot of great opticians who could have been lots happier and had better relationships, marriages, etc. without the booze. and hey it's not unique to the profession. Most of it is knowing what a miracle each of us is, and how much we have to share. look in the mirror and know how great you are, without it! Al.

[Bob Rihl]

Mike:
First of all, I'm thinking of moving to Duluth, because it sounds to me like they're having a lot more fun up there than we are in Georgia, although I understand that from time to time wild bears actually enter bars up there, but I think that if you look upon alcoholism as one of the benefits of our profession you will feel better. I've been in it for 40 years and most of the best Opticians I remember were heavy drinkers. One guy I worked for back in the 1960's used to knock off at least a quart a day and recently died at age 87. I used to have a drinking problem myself, but am down to 8 drinks a day, now that I have mainly switched to crack cocaine and cough syrup. Bob in JAW-juh

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[Bob Rihl]

Originally posted by Shwing:
Aye!!!
Urrghh?

I think that you (&I)are jealous of the stockbrokers. They can bank the same amount in 1 day as I do in 2 years, but I can still drink 'em under the table.....

Suggestion For Opticians Celebrating Independence Day: Have a fifth on the fourth and you won't have to go back to work until the sixth.

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[Carol D]

Mike,
It's not just the boose we do to excess. I have never seen another industry with such a high number of chain smokers. And those that don't partake in either are probably in the breakroom hooked up to the coffee pot with an IV.

Carol (I fall into the last group) D.

[EyeManFla]

Ok, It's 1:30 and I have only had a six pack today.
When I can into the business 25 years age, the old guys that brought me in told me that I needed to learn three basic things...drink coffee, play golf and hold my liquor........
What do you expect from one of the top five most stressful jobs in the country....
But, nobody mentioned anything baout fooling around with sales reps......of the opposite sex,of course.....
Have a nice day!

[Caroline]

I thought for sure you actually had to be an alcoholic to become an optician! Since my dad is both (recovered(thank God!) and hoping to retire soon(he hopes)), I thought I'd buck tradition and not drink. But he sure can tell some wild stories from the 70's and 80's!

[Steve Machol]

Caroline,

When I started in this industry I thought the same thing as you. However my perspective was a unique one. In the early '70s I was a part time bartender at my Grandfather's Tavern in Phoenix. It just so happened that we were right next door to one of the largest wholesale labs in the city at the time - Valley Optical. As you could guess, the lab opticians were our major source of customers! ;)

When I decided to look for a full-time job, I just asked the guys at Valley Optical, and consequently I've been in Optics ever since!

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Steve
OptiBoard Administrator

[Texas Ranger]

I do rember when I went into business in '77, Junior Hill of Hill Labs in Dallas asked me to come over and he'd help me with some frame inventory. His desk was like a bar. shot glasses and fifths of Jack Daniels. I did some bar tending too, and my Dad's drinking caused our family great hardship growing up,but there was an element back in those days that felt it inhospitable not to drink with "friends". I'm glad someone got you into the bizz, Steve. One of our greastest needs is to be accepted, and you really don't have to drink to have people care about you. Al.

[stephanie]

Hey Steve! I got into the industry pretty much the same way you did!! I was a waitress and the first doc and his son that I worked for used to come in every Fri night. When I saw the ad in the paper I did not know who it was. Nor did I think he would ever hire me. He hired me on the spot since he said that I was always a very good waitress he figured that he could teach me optical. Guess I could be taught afterall!! :)
Steph

[Susan Henault]

When I saw the topic headline, I thought it was probably some creative use of words to get people in on a discussion of which is better to remove PAL ink markings, alcohol or acetone? :-D LOL, but seriously now -- that is really what I thought!

Don't be fooled, I only sound naive. After an extremely colorful drinking career, I'm grateful to say that I haven't touched a drop for over 9 years now. If we are honest about it, alcoholim really has nothing to do with our industry or any occupation in particular for that matter. A small percentage of the population in any field will party hearty - Mechanics, Food Service, Retail Sales, Lawyers, Doctors -- heck the only working Joes who are consistently clean these days are truck drivers and pilots (we hope) and that's often not by personal choice!

Because I do not drink, I tend to attract professionals in the business who choose the same lifestyle. In fact, most of the non-drinkers I've met just don't like alcohol or find that it doesn't fit in with their religious beliefs etc. I've come to believe that as a heavy drinker, I surrounded myself with people just like me. Now that I'm a teetotoler, the same rule applies.

A bit of trivia for you all -- if you want to know the difference between a party animal and an alcoholic, it's like this: After waking up in a holding cell for the 5th time, and yet another DWI, the alcoholic will look into the mirror and say to him/herself in all sincerety, "Damn, I've just GOT to quit DRIVING!" ;-)

[EyeManFla]

OK, I got a better one for ya. That 'Lenscrafters' wannabe chain here in Florida has gone out and recruited HOOTERS GIRLS for optical sales staff. Damn, if I knew they were going to do that......
Another thing to consider. For you guys and gals who have been around as long as I have, how many of your friends from years past have died from cancer and/or heart problems due to smoking and booze. I'll bet ya it's a whole lot more than the general population...and now, back to my Jack and Ginger.......

[azthoth]

Anybody who doubts the validity of the 'Red Nose Factor' in this industry only needs to attend a official optical gathering. The multitude of bright red noses and the foggy haze of tobacco smoke is analogous to the Christmas carol about Rudolph we hold so dear to our hearts.

Alas, my own snout has only reached a moderate shade of 'Apprentice Member Crimson'

[Mike Hunt]

Steve,
I also was a bartender before working in the optical field. I served employees from a Lenscrafters across the street from the bar. They were some of my best customers. When the place closed down, they told me to come work with them, it was fun and you could eventually make some money. It has been fun, but the money part has evaded me.