avatarMiguel Benitez

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You Don’t Have To Drink Poison for “Fun” Anymore

Embrace the pain alcohol has wreaked on your life and finally leave it behind

Photo by SKYLAKE STUDIO on Unsplash

First off let’s just get this out of the way… F*CK you alcohol for killing my Father and almost killing me countless times! I will teach my children and the next generations that follow all your evil tricks so you DON’T win. Just finally had to get that out of my system— Been a long time coming.

My drinking career is finally OVER! Two plus years sober now… Thank You, Universe for keeping me around long enough to see how this poison tricked and robbed me all these years. I was an alcoholic for 25 years and in that time frame of countless blackouts many many stupid, dumb, and horrendous things occurred. Getting into fights. Getting beat up. Car crashes. Painfully waking up in who knows where and who’s house, cars, or front lawns. The list goes on and on we could be here all day.

We compare drinking stories with other drinkers. Quite sad really but as an alcoholic, you really do cherish and live to tell these stories. We try to one-up each other on how much worse my night was than yours.

It almost begins to be a “liquid badge of courage” that you pin and wear around every party and social gathering.

You tell this same story to the group… “Night started out like any other night — Then I don’t know how I got home!” Then the entire group begins to bust out with laughter. As you feel the warmth of acceptance from your friends and fellow drinkers.

Yup nobody parties like me you say to yourself with total confidence and acceptance. There’s this sense of brotherhood amongst all fellow alcoholics. You can hang out with total strangers once the liquid poison is in everyone's hands.

It always starts out like this for you as an alcoholic. Ok, tonight will be different. It’s not gonna be like the last time — I promise. Right?

Then sometimes you’ll have brief flashbacks of horrible things that you said or did to people you love and care about. You get that sense of dread and remorse with maybe a glimmer of hope you will change… As always though the poison reminds us of just how much fun awaits once we have that first drink again.

You're just gonna have enough to drink to feel good then after that, I’ll be good. Just gonna enjoy my buzz since I’m in control, not the drink. Tonight will be the night I finally prove everyone wrong! You will prove yourself right and finally be in control of your addiction.

Sadly in 25 years of drinking that never happened to me. You know the being in control of your drinking thing we tell ourselves over and over again after a hangover. As you sit there in the morning in anguish.

Loathing yourself about all the stupid things you did all night. For a night of so-called fun. Was it worth it? Hope it was. You just added another memory for the highlight reel.

NOPE. For me, it was always playing the game called… Drink and push as much liquid poison down your throat as humanely possible to feel good. Forget everything and never look back game. The reason why we pass out is our body has had enough poison and literally has to shut us down or that’s a wrap on this life.

Then you wake up the next morning painfully hungover reeking of the stench of you!

Your body is literally full of poison and now has to find a way to get rid of all these toxins that you had “fun” putting in there all day and night. It will take all day just to sober up and feel normal again. Another wasted day but you don’t see it like that. Your body will forgive you and clean up the mess you made…Again.

You say to yourself I will never do it again. Give me one more chance and I will change and make things better. Sadly you will rinse and repeat this process all over again.

Is today the first day of your new sober life? I mean what’s the alternative. SOBRIETY! You mean those dumb-ass people that don’t drink. Ugghh they live horrible boring lives. No way, not me. Party until I die right? You can but it will be a short-lived life that never lived up to its true potential. Is that what you truly want…? I don’t think so.

You’ve been living this drink to live lifestyle for so long. Ask yourself. How’s that been working out?

Are you finally ready for a change?

Yes, let’s start on this new change together. Here right now. With a complete stranger — But this stranger knows exactly how you are feeling at this time in your life right now. If you reading this then it’s definitely time to start on your new road to Sobriety.

I will ask you a small series of questions and we will go through them together. You and I talking about how and why to make these changes NOW in your life.

In the end, I will ask you hopefully one of the most serious and life-changing questions you can ask yourself right now. If you truly want to change your life and finally be on a new positive pathway to sobriety.

1. Why do you drink?

To have the fun that only alcohol can provide me of course. Right? I have to drink. Drinking is LIFE. It’s what I was taught being brought it. Every celebratory occasion in my life calls for it. I grew up since birth in an alcoholic culture.

We all did — But now it’s time for that life-altering change you need. It’s time to break the generational curse of drinking that most of us have had weighing us down. This isn’t a have an occasional drink when you want thing. This has to be a NEVER drinking again thing. It’s finally time to walk away from this poison and get your life back.

2. Who gets hurt when you drink?

Not my friends. We party too way too hard and all night. It’s a way of life, right? Anyone there? — No, your friends are gone it's just you and your family. Remember them?

There are the ones that stick around no matter how much pain you continuously cause them every time you push liquid poison into your body. After all the pain you have caused your family go and thank them will all your heart and actually mean it. Tell them today is a new day and you will change.

3. Do you want to stop drinking?

This one is all you, my friend. No friends, no family. It’s just you and your thoughts sitting in a room alone. Everyone typically says this. “Of course I want to stop drinking I’m doing it for my family they need me.”

I’m sorry but it all starts with YOU. You have to want it for yourself — First and foremost. Time to dig really deep inside and truly find out if you're ready to quit drinking for good. You have to really want this can’t be lukewarm here.

I wish I could help you with this one. I really do — BUT you have to want this for yourself first. Everything comes after that.

Lastly here comes the most important question I want you to ask yourself. When your ready ask yourself this…

Think back to all the things that have happened in your life all up this point. All the fights, arguments, indecisions, regrets, and pain. — If you never drank and take alcohol out of the equation how many of these things would have actually happened — ?

Take a moment and please sit on this question for a while. This one cuts deep and gets right to the point. There’s no way around this question. Confront it head-on and you’ll see most of your problems will always exist because of alcohol.

Now imagine starting now. Right Now! No more liquid poison coursing through your veins. You can start to see it right? Every day. Every decision. Everything is a new decision that you actually get to make with a clear head. No more polluted thoughts.

Just the start of you finally getting to be who you were meant to be. Being in a clear state of mind every day is an amazing blessing.

Your drinking career is OVER. Today you made that decision. Take a moment of silence with some deep breaths and really feel it. Do you feel it? Oh ya, that feeling is real.

I will continue to beat this drum until the day I die. SOBER life is so amazingly beautiful. Life will never be perfect but at least you get to make those decisions with a clear-headed mind.

Every day is a new blessed day that you can enjoy and do what you want. No more hangovers. No more excuses. No more pain. Just you and everything you were meant to be in this life. I used to think the only that I could be in control is I have to drink. The reality is that when drinking you will never be in control of anything in your life.

I’m finally way more in control of my life than I have ever been. Being able to just live your life without regret from another night of drinking is such a powerful gift.

Alcohol tricks us time and time again. Well, now it’s time for you to trick alcohol. You're done with alcohol now! That’s it drinking career is over. It’s time to enjoy all the possibilities that your new life has waiting to share with you.

Sober life pays you back with real life. Don’t ever forget that. See you on the side of sobriety, my friend.

We all have to be somewhere. And as always… I’m just happy to be here.

Written by Miguel Benitez

Alcohol
Alcoholism
Addiction
Recovery
Life
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