First of all you are all allowed to spank me. I have been a bad blogger and have failed to do consitent posts. I could bore you all with excuses but I won't, instead I'll publish a post for you.
There have been a few instances recently at my club where co-workers of mine I consider at least closer than the rest are beginning to concern myself and the club with how their habits are affecting their attitude and performance at work. Now let me definately begin by saying I have definately had my fair share of various addiction problems in my life whether it be legally acceptable in my personal life and tolerated at the club (i.e. Alcohol) or be illegal. So I am not a completely innocent party here. In fact, my third day working at the club I was sent home for being too drunk. "Mashed potatoes" was the way Andrew my manager described me as he helped a sleepy Sydni off of the lap of a Davis Monthan Air Force Base pilot's lap. I still blame the pilot, I didn't know what "Irish car bombs" were. (Possibly the word "bomb" in the name should have been a clue.) I also want to include in this part of my post that alcoholism and drug addiction are serious problems and though I may joke around on here, they are not a laughing matter. I do not condone using alcohol or illegal drugs on the job as obviously it will impair your judgement and could lead you to make some very dangerous decisions, such as going home with a customer and getting robbed or worse, physically hurt and/or raped. Being obviously under the influence will make you a vulnerable target to predatory customers, it doesn't matter how aware you think you are about your surroundings and the people around you, there are always people looking for an oppurtunity to take advantage of you or someone else. Don't become a target. If you or someone you know is endangering themselves and their employment with substance abuse, I strongly urge you to get yourself or the person you know help immediately. There are plenty of hotlines and resources available to get help yourself help, or to educate yourself on how to help your friend. Serious stuff aside for now, let us get to some stories.
What prompted me to do this post is that some of my friends I or either some co-worker noticed and discussed together how their behavior has changed recently and definately in one case, my friend, "Kayla", had gotten her permanently terminated from the club. Now with Kayla I had noticed a somewhat gradual descent, one decision leading to another, steadily making a series of events leading up to her termination. Now Kayla lived very close to me and was one of the few girls I'd socialize with outside of work. This year she was there alot for me after I went through a very nasty breakup with this girl Tyler. She was a customer I became smitten with and got her a job as a waitress, we began dating and even lived together for a short time. Then I found out she was cheating on me with one of the bouncers. She quit, couldn't handle constant flirtation from the clientele (which was humourous since even her friends describe her as a slut) and had frequent emotional breakdowns and the bouncer got fired for pocketing money from selling old VIP bracelets. Anyway I was struggling getting over Tyler's betrayal and Kayla was emotionally there for me. We would party outside of work together, sharing a box of White Zinfandel wine and a bottle of vodka while grilling some steaks on Sunday afternoon was normal for us. She did well for kIherself, worked alot, she did have a "sugar-daddy" that helped her financially with her daughter but she hadn't gotten into the escorting business....yet. She had this on again, off again boyfriend that was insecure about Kayla's and my strictly platonic relationship. (Though of course we flirted WE'RE STRIPPERS!) On more than one alcohol-fueled weekend, the two would fight, never physically but both were loud arguers while I awkwardly sat on the couch and tried to ignore how awkward I felt by chasing shots of vodka with my Pepsi. Well after many attempts she finally ended it after she befriended a more subdued likeness of him who was a customer we both knew named "Bear". Eventually her habits started to expand, now moving past pot and alcohol to cocaine. She began coming to work less and less and then compensating for the lack of income and needing to feed her growing cocaine habit by escorting. Well I found out a few days ago that last week while I was out with the flu that she was fired for being drunk and hopped up on coke, she became argumentative with the managers to the point where the owner's son, a head manager told Fred, the other manager that she was never allowed in his club again. She and I had our friendship slowly wane way before this incident.
Now I'm going to address a habit in the club that is becoming more and more the norm. Many of the girls have picked up the habit of smoking or more commonly snorting percs. This practice has gotten so serious that they installed a camera in the locker room that sees heat signatures. Therefore, this camera would see the repetitive on/off click of a lighter indicating someone was smoking something up there. This installment has not made it stop. I had just gotten offstage and went to the bathroom to touch up my make-up. There were two girls in the stall and one of them comes out to wash her hands. Right then Fred and a bouncer come into the bathroom and ask to search our purses because a girl who was in there and left before I walked in complained of smelling someone smoking drugs. The girl at the sink with me is searched first, her purse reveals tin-foil and a straw but luckily for her no drugs. The paraphernalia was confiscated and she was allowed to work. I was searched next revealing nothing. The last girl, obviously guilty and a little shaken asked to talk to Fred alone. She later revealed to me their conversation as I explained to her it may make good blog material. I was able to convince her to tell me by assuring her identity would be a secret. She revealed to me she wanted to be honest with Fred but feared what retribution she may recieve from the girls if I, the other girl or the bouncer saw what was in her purse. She confided she had a syringe, heroin and a spoon in her purse. Since she was honest and forthcoming with Fred in the privacy of the office he let her dispose of the drugs and narcotic paraphernalia in the office wastebasket and let her return to work under the promise she'd never bring anything like that on the premises again. Honesty paid off in this girls situation, but this leniancy was only made because she has been employed there for at least as long as me (3 years) and had few to no instances during her employment. Honesty wouldn't have paid off so well for someone with a more tainted history. For example a friend of mine from before my stripper days, someone I used to use drugs with became employed at my club. She told me she was sent home because a girl smelled drugs and the manager brought my friend in to question her. She broke down and cried but her employment status is still unclear. I told her new girls are a dime a dozen and promises mean little to nothing when the managers have no history of you to draw on. They will not endanger their employment as well as the rest of the people that work there if we happened to get raided and we took a chance on someone with no rapport and we all were punished for it. Raids are a reality.
This illustration of how drugs impair your thought process is so humourous I had to include it. I took a chance on this girl a friend of mine introduced me to and he convinced me to try to get this girl hired. She was hired and after a few days being employed there came in to work before I did. She came during the night shift and at this time the doorman inspects ALL of the girls' purses and bags for contraban. (drugs and weapons) I, myself carry a knife and pepper spray to and from work for protection. The doorman will hold my weapons for me at the front until I check out. Well "Ashley" gave her bag to the doorman to check, Fred was also lingering in the front, Fred was the one who relayed this story to me since he thought it was hilarious. What does the doorman pull out of a little make-up bag in her purse? A fucking crack pipe! The funniest thing is what she says to defend herself. "That's Sydni's bag," she tries to tell Fred and the doorman. Fred has known me for a long time and knew what drug I struggled with before being employed at Ten's and it wasn't crack. He couldn't contain his laughter as he told her to go home and come back the following day.
Drugs are not the only problem. Alcohol can be problematic for some. I struggled in the beginning because I was new to the Industry and scared shitless. I also sufferred from really low self-esteem and usually hid my feminine side rather than embracing it. I had been there maybe 8 months when a me and a friend of mine learned about trusting our alcohol (or any drink) with a client we thought we trusted. We both were rufied and driven home by the client and found out days later compromising photographs were taken of both of us while we were unconscious. I later found the customer, had his phone wiped clean and he was 86'd for life. Never leave your drink, alcoholic or not with anyone, even if you think you know them. You can end up robbed, assaulted or raped. My friend and I were extremely lucky photographs were the only things taken that night. Your reputation at the club could be ruined at the very least, and your reputation means ALOT. A girl or customer could take advantage of a moment in your impaired state and steal your purse and/or phone. I've had that happen more than once. I'm sure I'll post a blog on this subject again since I see so many examples of bad behavior but for now you get the idea. Drugs are bad, m'kay?
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