I stopped drinking 13 years ago. I began when I was 14 and went until I was 26. The last five years or so I drank to point of passing out between three and four times a night. One night, I was at friends house, on my second 12-pack. I put aside my half-finished beer and said, “I’m done.” The thought just popped into my head. I just felt like things weren’t working.
The stupidity of my lifestyle just hit me in the face. My friends laughed. I was the life-of-the-party. The fool. Everyone’s pal. The guy who could always be counted on to start a fight, raise hell, make you laugh, do something stupid. I never took another drink. To this day.
I’ll never drink again.
The difference in my life from that day to this are, well, unimaginable. Certainly unimaginable to me, as the guy I was 13 years ago (hard as it is for me to remember what it was like to be that guy). I was in a dead-end 20K per year retail job. Today I’m making six-figures managing an organization of 50 people in a field that positively impacts millions of people. I’m married to a beautiful woman who earns twice what I do working only three days a week.
We have a great son. I hope he does not waste so many years of his life, like his dad did. 13 years ago I was 265 pounds of fat. No muscle. I played softball for exercise. Now I’m 220, around 10% BF (not that weight and BF is important at all to what I’m relating). Since then I’ve set and reached goals in (Olympic) lifting that the guy I was 13 years ago was not even thinking about and couldn’t imagine.
I play in basketball and baseball (no more softball!) leagues. I boxed for a time (but it worried my wife so I gave it up). I’m known as an outstanding athlete. My friends from the old days would simply laugh at that. I was too busy drinking to do much in sports when I was a kid, although I’m from a naturally athletic family. When you start drinking at 14 and that becomes your focus…well…a lot of opportunities went un-explored.
I’m in great shape financially, was well. I own my house and our three cars outright. I’ve no credit card bills. The guy back then missed car payments and owned nothing, lived with his parents (at 26!).
It’s embarrassing and it feels ridiculous to sit here and toot my own horn. It does not come naturally. Hammer for it if you want. I would probably roll my eyes if some asshole wrote about how great he was. I don’t think I’m great. I’ve just gotten to a place that, had I dreamed of being here 13 years ago, I’d have probably just laughed about it and grabbed another beer.
So, I’m not saying any of this to be arrogant, although I’m sure some of you will accuse me of it. I don’t talk much about this in my every day life. I don’t try to ‘help’ people stop drinking - although I have helped a few who’ve asked over the years, people who know my history (there are not many of those folks around where I live now - about 150 miles from where I’m from).
I don’t see or stay in touch with any of my old friends. I’ve made new ones. Very few in number, but good friends. Not drinking buddies.
I don’t discourage people from drinking. On the contrary, I know my wife has the proper prospective, I encourage her to have a drink when she feels like it. Same goes for the few friends that I have who drink and understand when enough is enough, something I never mastered.
This just seemed an opportunity to try and get some type of trivial message out to someone who may be struggling, just like I was, even though - though 12 years of drinking - I thought it was one big party, not a struggle at all.
Here endeth the lecture. Hope it helps someone.