I hang on the teat..? No idea what you mean.
I also work to live and I'm about as far removed from the alternative as you can get. Having roster changes on a working day does not disrupt your life unless you are stupid enough to plan something on a working day. If you are not yet aware of the nature of the business then more fool you. If you think you won't get daily disruption elsewhere then you are utterly naive.
That notwithstanding why didn't you have the balls to refuse such an obviously fatiguing roster, it sounds like it happened more than once too. Too tired for a beer but not too tired to go flying? That's working to live isn't it?!
Remember you won't report for duty if you're unfit.