Why I Stopped Drinking ????

????????

I drank to self-medicate. Take the edge off, relax, chill-out. ??

Here's a snapshot of my journey. ??

I didn't drink at all in high school or college. Growing up, my parents didn't drink. Ever.

In 2008, after college, I started socializing with friends and co-workers. That summer, Friday night drinks turned into Saturday night drinks which turned into weekday day drinking. By the end of the summer after I graduated, I was drinking every day. Wine, whiskey, whatever. It was fun.

A year later, in 2009, I went to law school. My mom died. I went to see a therapist for grief and we discussed coping and alcohol. She said one rule of thumb for an alcoholic is 14 drinks a week. For the next few years, I tried to keep my drinking under that. I'd average 2 drinks a day.

The alcohol made me feel. Good. Numb. Smooth. Funny. Sharp. Invincible.

It was a slow drip throughout the day. A sip here. A sip there. A steady and constant dosage. I graduated law school and kept drinking. I tried Sober Thursdays, but couldn't make it to 10am without a dose of booze.

Then I met Kate (my present wife and life partner...woot woot ? ) We had a road trip to California on the books. Before the trip, I was shaking with fear because I'd have to expose how much alcohol I consumed. We'd just been dating a few weeks, and she had no idea. I imagined her wanting to go grocery shopping, and buy food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. At that point, I rarely ate. Just drank.

To save myself the humiliation, I gave up drinking entirely before the trip. Said I'd go sober for one year. And I did.

Then I started again. A year later. Slowly and with control. I set a limit of 2 drinks per week. But man did I look forward to those drinks. I planned the moment—waited for peace and quiet in the house, or on the porch. If there was a social event on a Wednesday, but I'd had drinks on Monday or Tuesday, I'd either decline or get anxiety about the event. Planning my drinking was a priority.

On holidays, birthdays, vacations, weddings and any other occasion I could justify, I made exceptions. Drink, drink, drink.

This continued for 4 years.

Until a few months ago, one family wedding, one night of vomiting, one quite serious talk with Kate the next morning.

There's more detail to the story. But that's the gist.

My sobriety date is 9/8/2019.

How does it feel? One of the best decisions I've made. By cutting out alcohol, I've freed up so much mental energy. Soooo much. Yes, it's hard to see a local brewery like Tin Whiskers promote their winter Nut Goodie Porter or go to holiday parties and see a tumbler of Bailey's Irish Cream, but so it goes. The difficulty passes.

Lastly, cutting out alcohol has opened my eyes to the possibility of cutting out other behaviors, people, thoughts, etc that aren't helpful. Life's short. Cut out the waste. Cut the fat. Be the best you possible. That's what I'm thinking now. I'm inordinately grateful for the DIY self-improvement mentality.

This video and post is quick introduction to how and why I stopped drinking. I'd like to talk and write more about this in the coming months. There's a lot I didn't cover here—or glossed over. Things like: why I haven't gone to AA, how this affected (and affects) my marriage, etc.

????????????

?? Curious? ?? Message me: 763.316.8323.

??2020 is here. Go big. You're engaging. You're intelligent. You're fierce.

Yes, it's intimidating. Yes, it's uncertain. Yes, it's a risk. Go for it.????

You deserve it. You deserve the flexibility to take the kids to a 10am swim lesson. You deserve the respect to wear a hoodie and shorts during a conference call. You deserve hobbies and free time. This is 2020.

?? MESSAGE ME TODAY ?? Let's discuss your goals and put together a roadmap. Let's bulldoze over limiting beliefs and grow you into a leader in your space.

?? Take the first step

?? 2020 is abundantly yours

????Text me: 763-316-8323