Job Discussion Forums

[LPKSA]

Do you work with any here in the Kingdom? Are they abusive? How do you deal with them?

[johnslat]

I did - heck, I even was one.

"Are they abusive?" Some are - some aren't. But odds are all will be, sooner or later. Avoid them as much as possible - trouble waiting to happen (and it will.)

Regards,
John (sober for 14 years now )

[lcanupp1964]

I have met a few. A couple of years ago, the ELI at KAU had a teacher from the States that had it real bad. He would drink a liter (hidden in plain view in a water bottle) of Sid per day. I knew about his drinking because I was friends with the teacher that found the Sid (moonshine) for him. He lasted about four months. He finally f'ed up when he sent two emails to one of the "higher ups" at the ELI. The person who got the emails called me into his office and let me read them (like I'm the token American, or the union rep for the few Americans teaching at the ELI - ). He asked me what I thought because it really freaked him out. They were sent around 3:30 in the morning and I could tell that it was just a drunk ranting and raving. He wrote about drone attacks and how everybody wants to kill Americans. It was my job to speak with the poor guy and get him ready and able to leave. He was told to wait in his apartment until his final exit could be processed. It took about 3 weeks. He drank more waiting around. He ended up flying straight to a cram school in Vietnam making around 1000 bucks a month. He was happy because in a email to me, he said that he found someone who could get him real meth. He was a nice, sweet guy and I thought he could have been a good teacher.

Drunks and people who abuse drugs will always think that if they go to KSA, they will stop because they will not be able to get anything. KSA is like any other country. In Jeddah, you can get anything.

The single, best advice I can give anyone is to stay away and don't get involved. It is my experience that they will try to desperately drag everybody down with them. They will lie and say anything to keep that money coming in, so they can feed their demons.

John, good job on the 14 years!!

[scot47]

I worked in KSA drunk and I worked there sober.

Sober is better.

Scot47 - 24 years sober

[Grendal]

I drink almost nothing alcoholic here except when I do go to some compounds or the French Ambassador's House for a Mozart recital. Most of my drinking is done out of Saudi Arabia, and that is only for a month of holidays. I drink a beer or two once every two days and on special meals we get a nice red or white wine. I save a bottle of cognac for my Cuban cigars only. Other than that I am not really a big drinker because I know that with booze you loose, but with dope there's hope.

Sober for this one post.

Grendal

ps. Sorry John and Scot don't mean any malice or anything at all towards your sobriety. I am truly happy for your decisions. Congratulations to both of you.

[2buckets]

I had a friend, very sweet guy, would go on week long binges, not showing for work.

One time I had to break into his place to see if he was dead of alive. The place was totally trashed. Obviously he had been stumbling around grabbing onto anything to keep from falling. Every cabinet was pulled off the wall in the kitchen, all furniture was turned over. I was the token Yank here too, and had to resolve the problem. He was finally dismissed and went to the UAE where he lasted about 6 months. When they fired him, he recommended me for his job, and unbelievably, I got it.

[Rostom]

[johnslat]

Dear Grendal,

Hey, no "sorry" needed. You're a drinker, not an alki. Not every drinker knows the difference, but every alki does.

"with booze you loose" - and without it, you're tight, right?

Regards,
John

[LPKSA]

! nuts !

[Sashadroogie]

Shocking stories here!

To think there are places in the world where it is illegal to drink vodka! Can't imagine that at all...

[LPKSA]

People getting naked in public places (this is a family environment, with kids running around, mind you), showing up drunk at work, making hostile threats to each other, stabbing each other in the back, screaming "SHUT THE **** UP" off their building top, during the call to prayer, people sleeping around and crying like babies the next day, people apologizing to each other and committing the same transgressions not even 24 hours later, people picking up other people and throwing them around, people spiking each others drinks with flunitrazepam, people stealing shit out of other people's houses, going into the wrong house to look for alcohol at all hours of the night and waking the tenants up. Dude, it's fd up here. I want out. This place is a s*** storm. THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!

[Sheik Yerbuti]

Anybody reading this on the outside, do not get the wrong impression. It
is a total misrepresentation of daily life here. Some people make their
own a bit and drink (very) discreetly. But after five different jobs in
the Kingdom in four different cities, the above is not reality here. That
poster needs to get a better contract (or improve his CV in order to do so)
at a more reputable work site.

[plumpy nut]

How does one be an alcoholic in the KSA without landing in the pokie? I would think that the breath would be enough to cause somebody to do a stint. Although someone was telling me that 50% of the drivers here in Saudi Arabia are under the influence.

[MuscatGary]

The rich Saudis come to Muscat every weekend to drink.....and they fly their Moroccan hookers in as well!

[Grendal]