First off, congratulations to everyone who has kept (and keeping) sober and able to withstand the everyday pressures of drinking alcohol; no matter how long it's been. It is NOT easy, and the cards are stacked against us.
What a hell of year 2023 was for me and never in a million years thought I would have gone without a drink. 2022 was a typical heavy drinking year for me and was the norm compared to the previous 27yrs. I drank on weekends, events, random days, summers, winters, day drinking, and pretty much every other day with any excuse whatsoever to have a couple beers, wine, shots, whiskeys, etc.... By the end of 2022 I had just turned 45, still in decent shape, but seeing my health going downhill super-fast. I wasn't as mobile, active, or healthy as I wanted to be so I decided to take the month of January off of booze, just to "dry out". Then I read this thread.....
I have no idea why this thread spoke to me so intimately. I read everyone's posts on how they've improved their lives by not drinking, especially who saw themselves better fathers to their kids. I was inspired. I didn't know it at the time, but I needed a major change in my life. I told myself I'd go as long as I could without drinking. January went by, so did February and March, then here comes springtime and still I hadn't had a drink. Friends started asking questions and congratulating me like I accomplished something profound. I never saw myself going down the sober path but here I was...
In 2023 I went to Las Vegas with high school friends I haven't seen in 20 years, Tulum, MX with my wife for a wedding, countless camping trips, a 3-day seafood & wine festival, birthday parties, concerts, an NFL game, professional soccer game, San Diego, ski trips, and multiple raft trips...ALL while staying sober and not having a drop!
I'd be lying if at times I didn't feel out of place being the only sober person, that I really wanted to have a beer on a hot summer day at the beach, or do a tequila shot with the whole wedding party in Mexico to celebrate a close friend's special day. But I knew that once I had that first drink, it would turn into a 2nd, then 3rd, then another day, then another week of drinking; eventually turning back into who I used to be, and who I no longer wanted to be.
I still won't say that I'll never drink again. I want to have a drink when my sons turn 21. But that is a long time away and will cross that bridge when it comes. For now, I'm happier, healthier, and a better me; a better father not drinking.
So, here's to a sober 2024 and beyond to everyone! If sobriety is your best path forward, you can do it and be proud of every day you say no thank you!!
