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Alcoholism and real estate may seem like an odd topic for a real estate marketing blog, but at some point it is likely that alcoholism will affect your professional or personal life at some point or another, whether directly or indirectly. Increasing awareness of alcoholism in any setting is beneficial in the prevention of alcohol abuse, as well as encouraging help for those who may be struggling with a drinking problem to seek treatment.
Many people struggle with a drinking problem, but fail to recognize that they may be on the path to alcohol abuse or even alcoholism. This can be a loved one, yourself, your coworkers, or even your clients. Drinking is not something someone can control – it is not as simple as just stopping and not buying it anymore. Many people do not realize that alcohol withdrawal symptoms on their own can be fatal or that detox can eliminate most of the withdrawal symptoms to help a person recover.
One agent in particular I know received the majority of her clients from the bar that she frequented regularly. Her work performance was often affected by her drinking – she rarely showed up for meetings, she was often late or unreliable, and often would even disappear for days at a time with no one being able to reach her, even with a sales offer from another agent on one of her listings. Many times she would come into the office and others would comment about her appearance or the smell of alcohol on her. It was not until the intervention of her coworkers until she finally realized it was time to seek help.
Alcoholism can also affect our real estate clients. We had one situation where a woman who was battling with a messy divorce and in a drunken stupor burnt her home to the ground – just days before it was scheduled to close. This as you can imagine was a nightmare for both the listing and selling agent.
Increasing awareness about alcoholism will help make a difference in people’s lives. While it’s difficult to tell someone how to stop drinking or that they need help – and it’s likely they will only get angry or ignore you – learning about alcoholism and talking about it openly is the first step in helping many get the help they need.
And you never know – recovered alcoholics could be an excellent niche for generating new clients and helping others with their real estate needs. I’m sure it’s a very untapped niche, which is surprising when you consider that it is estimated that 1 out 10 people have problems controlling their drinking.
Do you have any thoughts on alcoholism and real estate? Share them in the comments below.
9 Comments
Those stories are so sad. Personally, I do not know any people who are alcoholics (I think) but I just can’t imagine how people would voluntarily give up control of their lives like that. Even though some people play the blame game, it’s a disease…
The agent that sold us our first house had a problem. He battled with it for years and finally managed to kick it. It did cost him though over the years.
There was a story in the local paper a couple of months ago about restaurant food sales being down but alcohol sales being up. Sad, but booze sells during tough times.
I think people frequently drink and it either starts or is prolonged because it interacts with work (getting clients or socializing with work related people). It would be nice to seperate drink and working since its so destructive to ones body and ones loved ones.
I just witness in someone who is very smart and has a lot of potential, but the bottle has hamper his success. Every negative thing you discussed in the article he has done. I have tried to talk to him and he managed to lay off the bottle for 2 months.
It’s tough because we all have our vice. For some it’s work, for some it family, and for others..
This is more of a general knowledge, not real estate specific. People with drinking problem usualy are unpredictable. And that’s something you want to avoid when dealing with high value property.
The real estate business can be a very depressing game. You have a lot of ups and downs, hopes and dreams in this business. I can understand why it can lead to drinking.
Alcoholism and real estate : I don’t think of the two being together often, but like any other industry there will be people that turn to the bottle for comfort.
I think that alcoholism is a big problem today. People who have a problem with alcohol louse jobs, family and friends reject them and this people are unhappy in life. Alcoholism and real estate are agree only in the sense of loss of real estate.