Dealing with an Alcoholic Guest


So I knew this day would come… the day in which we got a questionable booking from Airbnb.com.

This week we are hosting a 44 year old business man who flew in from Singapore to visit his family in the GTA.

I wasn’t around to receive him, but my roommate was. I was out at an event and came home to her frantically miming me to check my phone messages.

Turns out the guy is an alcoholic and showed up drunk at our door, which made my roomie quite uncomfortable. By the time I got home she assured me that she was ok with this guy and that he could stay, but after what just happened I am not so sure.

We all talked a little and he seems like a nice but very troubled man. I feel for him, I do.

But I wasn’t sure how to feel when I discovered that the Jameson whiskey my best friend gave me for xmas yesterday went missing while I was in my room.

Turns out Mr. Singapore was hiding in the bathroom with the light off, drinking my whiskey.

NOT COOL.

Thank goodness my iron spine has been growing back lately!

I confronted him and retrieved my whiskey and an apology. I discussed with him that that is completely unacceptable and that that kind of behaviour is not allowed here. I told him that instead of stealing our booze he should reach out and talk to one of us if he has the urge. Roomie is already going to an AA meeting with him tomorrow to help support him.

I also told him that I was taking all our booze to my office and/or locking it up so he couldn’t get at it. I told him that we had no other drugs or cigarettes in our home either. I know from experience that you just can’t trust an alcoholic of this degree. (Not knocking all alkies, but this guy is pretty bad if he can’t control himself at a stranger’s home)

Roomie and I rushed around while he was out for a smoke, gathering up all of our booze. Shit son, I have a LOT! Plus I still had wine left over from my party yesterday… I probably have over 30 bottles of alcohol in my bedroom right now.

I have a lock on my door (and am currently locked in my room for the night) and I really hope he doesn’t know how to pick those little door knob locks because the deadbolt on my door isn’t working right now.

I don’t really know what to do with this situation. I feel bad for the guy and want to help him while he’s here, but I also don’t want my things stolen from me or rifled through. I don’t feel endangered by him, it’s just how he took my booze that bothered me.

What would you do in this situation?

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14 responses to “Dealing with an Alcoholic Guest”

  1. Whoa…that's crazy!!
    How long is he staying?? And why is he not staying with family? (That would be my question)…I mean, he's hiding it from you guys and it's not like he even knows you!
    Between us, I would also get my locks fixed…even a simple latch with a lock on the outside of my door.
    I think you both did the right thing though…and if you are still not sure by the morning, I'd ask him to leave. Also, he may have drank from the bottle…so I'd get rid of it.*L* (but I'm anal retentive that way)

    M.

    • hmm good call. My friend suggested I get him to reimburse me for the bottle. I think I'll ask him to do so. There's no way he had a cup in there with him…

      *sigh* it's gonna suck throwing out perfectly good whiskey, but I don't know where his mouth has been!

  2. He stole from you. Doesn't matter what kind of problem he has or where he's from, he should be OUT THE DOOR. I would seriously be terrified of being in the same room as those 30+ bottles of alcohol, if he wants them badly enough he'll get to them.

  3. that sounds like a little bit of a scary situation! I would have asked him to leave after he stole my whiskey and went to the bathroom to drink it!

    I do have to say good for you guys trying to help the man out though!

  4. I spoke to him this morning and he's going to reimburse me for the bottle. He is also going to a local AA meeting, which I hope will help.

    We're bleeding hearts around here and feel so bad for him… but I notified Airbnb of my issue and they're giving me support. I will see how things stand tonight when I get home and make the call then.

  5. Holy sweet lord. I'm sorry that you got burned this time! It seems like you're dealing with it as well as possible, though. I don't really know what advice to give past what you've already done. :$ Keep your chin up, and don't let him steal any of your stuff.

  6. I'm with Canadian Saver. If someone (especially a stranger) disrepects (i.e., steals) any property of mine while in my home, they would be promptly asked to leave. You are a kind-hearted soul, but you are not running an addictions program at your home, you're offering a service of a room for rent. Eeep-I wouln't have gotten any sleep last night. Good luck dealing with this tough situation.

  7. I commend you for your bleeding heart. I also commend you for asking for the reimbursement and for notifying AIRBNB about this individual. I'd like to think I would remove the person from my house for such a thing, however I'm inclined to think that I would do what you are doing – though that would have entirely been dependent on how my roommate was feeling after the encounter in the first place.

    Though stressful, I would continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis to ensure that the first priority – your safety – is maintained the entire time. A door lock may not be enough if this person really really wants that alcohol, however I'm not sure that your boarder will turn to that – especially since you are (hopefully) off to an AA meeting.

    Stay safe – no matter what. If there is even an incling of doubt please remember that you live there all the time and this person is only staying for a few days.

  8. $200 an hour for the crisis counseling…plus, of course, the cost of the bottle of Jameson's.

    Holy mackerel, the guy must have thought he'd arrived in Lush Heaven when he found himself in a place with 30 bottles of delicious booze. IMHO he should be asked to stay somewhere else (the local mission, maybe?), and you should not have him in your house. Really…as an old bat who's been around the block once or twice too often, I tend to get real suspicious of this sort of thing. If you were my daughter I'd be frantic to think of either you or your roommate alone with the man, and I wouldn't relish the prospect having him present with both of you there together.

    Maybe someone in AA would be willing to put him up for whatever amount of rent he's paying you.

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