Alcohol will knock you off a mountain — CC Sabathia knows
Former New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia should have been on top of the world.
Here was a guy who was at the height of his powers as a Major League Baseball pitcher, starring for the game’s marquee team.
He was beloved as a player and a person.
And yet, something was missing.
I don’t know exactly what it was, but the moment alcohol saw an opportunity, it filled that gap.
Alcohol doesn’t care
It did so to such an extent that just prior to the Yankees’ wild card playoff game against the Houston Astros in 2015, the six-time all star and Cy Young Award-winner left the team and entered rehab.
That’s one of the powers of the poison. It is indifferent.
It will target the sad, the anxious, the happy, the rich, the successful, the downtrodden, the poor.
It targets doctors, lawyers, accountants, writers, construction workers, cooks, bankers, roofers and retailers.
It doesn’t care if your home is a mansion or if you have no home at all.
It will take on the down-and-out and the high flyers.
All it needs is time and consistency.
I get Sabathia. I did my heaviest drinking at the height of a very successful journalism career, but at a time when I was secretly deeply unhappy.
Turning things around
The good news is that, with time, you can overcome the poison and find the health and joy on the other side.
Earlier this week, Sabathia posted the following on Twitter:
“Blessed to celebrate 7 years of sobriety to this day. Seven years ago, I made a decision to improve every aspect of my life. To be a better teammate, father, husband, and friend. I’m so thankful to have overcome alcohol dependency and live a healthy life. To many more years.”
Although alcohol can even trip us up when we’re at the top of the mountain, it’s never too late to start over if blows us over.
As I approach 60 days without alcohol, I can tell you that health, happiness, productivity, and confidence in yourself is much closer than you think.
I hope you found this story inspiring and thank you for reading to the end! If you did, please consider giving it a clap (or more) so others can find it!
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