Today marks 1 year and 1 month of being sober. I feel more alive and less sluggish. Thinking back, I was a very heavy drinker back in 2004-2005. I used to go to the liquor store so often that they stopped carding me. I remember leaving with two large paper bags nearly every weekend. As time passed and I started dating a non drinker I slowed down a lot but not completely.

Slowing down was extremely hard back then as I was getting drunk every time I went out. I now realize that it was a self-destructive confidence booster, but at the time I was having fun with it. I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for all the times I drove drunk and put everyone on the streets in danger. Thank god I never got into any accidents or stopped by the police.

This time it was much easier to quit, although I was drinking socially when my best friend and I would go out to lounges. Friday, July 3rd we went out to dinner and I had a blue long island (my signature drink), later went to the Delano hotel and had another drink. As my friend was chatting with this guy she met, we will call him Terrorist Doctor, they were buying us drinks left and right. So many that I lost track of how many drinks I had that night, I remember spilling quite a few of them also. She disappeared, I was forced to make conversation with Terrorist Doctor’s friends who kept the drinks coming steadily. Later I was ready to leave, as I was drunk and not wanting to deal with the Terrorist Doctor’s condescending attitude any longer, instead we took a cab with the group to some nearby diner. Finally escaping from them at the diner, we headed home. Looking back, we could’ve been attacked by them and raped that night.

The next morning I woke up with the worst hangover, I puked a couple times and generally felt like shit the rest of the day. That was the moment when I vowed to not drink anymore. At the time though I didn’t have any specific timeframe,  I started out thinking I would try the sobriety thing for a couple months. I continued to go out to places where everyone was drinking but me, I was a little hard at first but I got used to it. It seems when you aren’t drinking that’s when everyone wants to buy u drinks and shots. It’s hard to turn down a drink but after awhile it gets easier.

At this point, none of my friends are surprised when I order water instead of a drink at a bar. Even recently my best friend and I went to a lounge to see a band play and some guys approached us looking to buy us some drinks, we both got water instead. I’m happy that I have inspired others to quit drinking alcohol (at least most of the time) to purify the body. I’m not saying that drinking is always bad or anything but for me right now, I want to refrain from drinking. With that said: Drink responsibly or not at all 🙂

before:                                                                                                after: