Before we get started, let me just quickly share with you the radical life improvements I experienced after I quit drinking. I found very positive differences in the following areas: memory, energy, stamina, mental clarity, mood, drive, health, bank account, sex drive and confidence.
That said, I feel sobriety is the best kept secret in the pursuit of top human potential. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you are in the right place.
Take it from me; since that last drop of alcohol was metabolized after its laborious journey through my body, everything in my life has improved exponentially.
The improvement has been so drastic, I sometimes entertain the thought that in an alternate universe, I died from alcohol poisoning. The life I lead now is a showcase of what would have been if alcohol wasn't the fuel that propelled my life.
I'll be the first to tell you that giving up alcohol is no easy task. But, something I live by now is if you truly want something (in this case, sobriety), and you are willing to put your entire heart into it, you can accomplish anything.
Below, I have outlined a few of the major barriers I encountered while trying to quit, and how I was able to overcome them. I hope it is able to help you on your path to a better life.
Social aspect
Humanity has fondly coupled itself with alcohol, and in most cases, when one of its beings learns of another person's sobriety, that person is met with scrutiny, confusion and a lot of peer pressure.
As such, you will find that some of your best friends will be your greatest antagonists. Because of this, it may prove useful to put these friends on "hiatus" until you have come to a stage where your vulnerability to their influence won't be able to phase you.
That being said, you likely won't want to boycott these friends or the many bars and parties that your friends go to for the rest of your life.
If you so desire, one day you will be able to go out and become the life of the party by simply drinking water.
You may not be able to accomplish this social achievement overnight, but through patience and practice I guarantee you can make it happen.
Each party you go to as a sober attendee, you'll feel more comfortable talking to more people. Each event you will get a little better and perpetually build up a little more confidence.
Soon you will be the one on the dance floor tearing it up, or on the stage belting your favorite tune on karaoke night. You will be the one onlookers admire and friends tell tall tales of when a recounting of the previous night takes place.
The pursuit of the buzz
I would be lying if I told you that I don't sometimes miss the zone alcohol could take me to. I loved being drunk, and as far as I could decipher with my numbed senses, other people loved it when I was drunk too.
But do you know what I love more than being drunk? Waking up without a hangover, feeling healthier and being generally happier all of the time.
While many of your peers are spending their weekend mornings wrapped around a toilet with a hangover or passed out naked in a public park, you can be seizing the day.
You can be strengthening your body, enriching your mind and working toward your life goals. There will be no more alcohol to hold you back.
The boredom factor
One of the biggest reasons I didn't want to quit drinking for the longest time was because I thought I wouldn't have anything better to do.
I spent so much of my teenage years and early 20s getting into trouble with a case of beer and some friends, and I didn't know of anything else. But in reality, the exact opposite was true once I was able to discontinue my abusive relationship with alcohol.
With my new found energy and drive, I was able to do everything I could ever want. I feel like I'm partaking in something new and exciting all the time now. In fact, I've done way more in the past two years of sobriety than in the 10 drunken years that proceeded it.
The aforementioned barriers were what I really struggled with, but everyone has their own set of barriers and reasons that make it difficult to quit.
My advice is mostly for encouragement purposes, so if alcoholism is destroying your life, please reach out to a professional. I can tell you first-hand that life is better on the other side.
The first step is writing down the date you put down your last bottle and trying to build milestones to a brighter future.
I wish you the best of luck! Cheers (with a cup full of cranberry juice)!
