I spoke to the human resource people and they made me feel a little better about the situation. they seem to know about what is going on in some detail.

I feel better knowing that they know there is a problem with him. I just hope they actually HELP him as opposed to firing him.

Hey, take it easy - its just someone you work with that you don't like, right? You don't come up with a a lot of facts
, let's not overanalyze this guy.

mm i think some of you are thinking backwards.. its not that he can't produce glucose, its that he can't absorb glucose..

diabetics have a fruity odored breath if their blood sugar is too high. if he is overweight, fat inhibits the body's ability to break down sugar (type 2 diabetic). other things, even genetics and natural causes, can lead to a type 1 diabetes where a persons body simply can no longer naturally break down sugar. one thing he should not be doing is drinking more... beer contain fructose and carbohydrates and alcohol in general.. will just make things harder.

reminds me of trainspotting.."see the headaches kept getting worse, so he just kept dulling the pain by taking more smack.. till one day it just happened.." 'what?' "a stroke.. a #@^!ing stroke... who new you could get noxopalaxoma from cat #!%@."
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heheh.. i had a buddy who worked at starbucks.. i wouldn't say he had a drinking problem.. he never had a problem walking away from a drink.. he just loved to drink!! well hell, he's irish. so he'd go out on a break or go to lunch and have a few beers.. and he'd make the best coffees, drunk.

Agreed, if he's drinking on the job.

Most people who have had a problem with drinking for an extended period of time actually will find their niche and do that specific task very well from what I have read and heard with talking to some in that exact position.

It has something to do with security in knowing that they can in fact claim drinking does not interfere with their job performance and it also lends to people looking the other way or backing up the claim that "Yes Billy Bob Ray has a drinking problem but that is a personal problem and it doesn't impact performance so we do not belong getting involved"

Except when the benders take place, the days where they call in sick or start coming in late and so forth.

Much of the time they will find a position where they answer to very few people and they tend to become fast and close friends with those above them, or suck up to the point that they are thought indispensable.

It is good to read that HR has some idea of what is taking place without a doubt. Many companys now offer assistance to employees to get a handle on such situations if they are willing to take them up on it.

I do hope for his sake and your for different reasons of course, that whatever the issue happens to be. It is worked out and if he does have a medical problem, addiction being medical also, it turns around for him and improves...

luck you Joe and co-worker...

In a job where safety is an issue one warning is all he should get (most places won't even offer that where safety of others is an issue) but everyone deserves one warning atleast and if other ppl are not at stake maybe even more warnings can help change a person...

as far as glossy eyes goes he could even be dusted on angel dust or something who knows that odor is funky w/ peppermint at the end of the funk, the first time you see someone eyes on that and smell that you will never forget it.