5 THINGS TO DAY EVERY DAY TO QUIT DRINKING (MY Experience)

 I am afraid to write this, afraid to talk about it openly because of fear of what people might think.  Nah, I'm just kidding.  I could care less about what people think of me.  I care more about potentially helping someone who may be suffering.    Because that is what this is all about.  My life, my mission, my "Why" is bigger than my concern of someone being upset that I wrote a how-to quit drinking blog, and broke anonymity.    So anyway, that is out of the way.  Now for the important stuff, how do you actually quit drinking when it seems to have you by the throat and won't let go?    I will not lie to you; it is not easy.  No, not easy at all, however it is simple.  The simple answer, may not be one that you want to hear or maybe more accurately put are not ready to hear.    If you want to quit drinking, and for good, YOU NEED TO GET HELP.  Help from someone besides your own thoughts and ideas — someone besides your drinking buddies.  Where to find the help that works, at least for me.    There are a lot of places, most notably AA.  Alcoholics Anonymous has been around since the late '30s and has grown exponentially since then because of how it is honestly helping men and women quit drinking and, oh yeah, live the most incredible lives.  Don't want to go to AA?  Ok, well I will say that it is free and there are meetings all day every day pretty much worldwide.  But, if it's not for you, I understand it isn't for everyone.  Although, I will say I thought it wasn't for me for years, as I looked down different paths while still destroying my life with alcohol.   Here is the deal, I can only tell you what has worked for me, and honestly the only thing that has worked is taking real personal action in my own life.  Taking responsibility for my past and my present, and learning how to live one day at a time with love, grace, and forgiveness.   Oh, I had to find something greater than myself as well.  Which was extremely difficult, I thought of myself as the God of my Universe for so many years.  The idea of believing in a God that was not me seemed ludicrous, but it has been incredible.  Every day is a blessing; it really is.   I am amazed that I allowed myself to go through so much suffering when there was such a simple and free solution at my fingertips. I honestly don't know what I was thinking.  Wait...yes, oh right, I remember what I was thinking.  I thought that I could manage the amount of alcohol I consumed.  I thought, getting drunk and acting insane every day was as good as life got.  I thought that I deserved to be miserable.  I thought that it was fun to sleep with every woman I meet whether I am in a committed relationship or not.     I thought I had all the answers, and that I ran the entire show.  I never thought that maybe I could be wrong.  Until, I got so absolutely beat down and demoralized by alcohol that it was, Death or surrender.    I have lived out of my car for a period of time, have lost a business, a home, a family, multiple friends, and relationships.  I lost my mind, and my health and all the while I thought I could still drink or more accurately I thought I didn't know how not to drink.  Well, the reality is I wasn't willing to stop being lazy and do some damn work.   The program of AA is not some get sober quick scheme, it is a lifestyle change, and it takes some serious action on my part every single day to stay sober.    The good news is the action that is required of me is magnificently simple to take.  It really is, I simply must be willing to take it.  I have to put aside my ego for a bit every day and do what is required of a good life.  Really, really simple.  Not easy,

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