You Cover Their Shift When They Drink

You cover their shift when they drink. You can stop tonight, or cover once more and still go to a meeting after you clock out.

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Key takeaway

You cover their shift when they drink. You can stop covering tonight, or you can cover once more and still go to Al-Anon after. You do not have to announce their drinking at work. A meeting is for you, and it can happen when the shift is over.

Last updated: 2026-10-06

The text comes before the shift. They cannot come in. You are already reaching for the other shirt, or you are staring at it on the chair. You have covered before. Your name is becoming the reason their name still looks clean on the schedule.

You can stop covering tonight. You can also cover once more and still go to a meeting after. I am not going to grade which choice makes you good. Al-Anon is mutual support for people affected by someone else's drinking. You can look for help whether or not they seek help.

The shift and the meeting are separate

If you cover, the hours will be long and you may be angry by the end of them. The meeting can still be there when you clock out. If you do not cover, the schedule may wobble, and you may feel the wobble in your stomach. The meeting can still be there. Either night, the hour is for what this has been doing to you.

You do not have to announce their drinking at work. You can say they are not in, if you say anything. You can get help without turning the break room into a story about them.

The cover stories pile up. Traffic. A stomach bug. A family thing. Each one spends a little of your name at a job that is yours. Tonight you can decline the story. You can also tell it once more and still take yourself to a meeting when the shift ends. The meeting will not audit your timecard.

After the clock-out

Electronic meetings can be searched by day, time, and language. Keep the camera off if you are still in the parking lot and you do not want a face on a screen. "I'm just listening today" is enough if someone calls on you. What to expect the first time is a calm read on the way if you want one. You can also go without them knowing.

Friends and coworkers who have been affected can sit in that room. You do not have to share a last name with them to be tired. Their drinking is not a puzzle you have to solve before you are allowed to want your own hour.

Tonight

Choose the shift, or skip it. Then go to a meeting. Keep their drinking out of your mouth at work. If someone is in immediate medical danger, call 911. If you need a treatment referral, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral.

If you are in danger, call 911. If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Do I have to cover the shift tonight?

No. You can stop covering tonight. You can also cover once more and still go to a meeting after. Neither choice needs a lecture from me, and neither one makes you the cause of their drinking. Al-Anon is for people affected by someone else's drinking, including the person who keeps the schedule from falling apart. You can find help whether or not they seek help. The meeting can happen when you clock out.

Do I have to tell work why they are out?

You do not have to announce their drinking at work. A short 'they are not coming in' can be the whole sentence, if you say anything at all. You can keep the sentence short. Your job tonight can be your own job. Their drinking is not a staff meeting you have to host.

Can coworkers go to Al-Anon?

Yes. Friends count, and a coworker whose life has been affected can count too. You do not have to be family. Al-Anon is mutual support for families and friends. They do not have to come with you, admit a problem, or even know you went. You can listen with the camera off in an electronic meeting. Search by day, time, and language. One hour after the shift is enough to start.

What if I am furious and also worried they will be fired?

Both feelings can ride in the same car on the way home. You can be angry that you covered again and still hope they keep the job. A meeting will not sort the payroll. It gives you a room that is about your resentment and your fear, not a plan I am pretending to have for their boss. If someone is in medical danger, call 911. A shift swap is not emergency medicine.

Where do I find a meeting after I clock out?

Use the Al-Anon finder or the electronic meeting list, and read the time before you count on it. Camera off is fair, and you can say you are just listening. The first-meeting guide describes how an hour often goes. If you need a treatment referral for yourself or for them, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral.