34 years

[fbhjr]

I tell folks a lot of reasons about why I stopped drinking. The stitches. The broken teeth. Trying to steal that elephant. The putting on a mask and cape and throwing cream pies at people in the night. That I’d used up my life time supply before I turned 23.

But, honestly, none of those things stopped me.

34 years ago my now wife said to me "you become a different person when you drink. And, I don’t like that person."

I don’t remember the last drink I had. I remember the first time I said no. Tomorrow will be 34 years since that first no.
So, today is probably 34 years since the last time I didn’t say it. I certainly had the habit of not letting days go past without one.

I thought long and hard on what my wife had said. Which person did I want to be? I know folks who still tell me I was much more fun back then. But, there was a high cost to that too. Cost in every sense.

There has never been a shred of evidence I made the wrong choice. And, I am happy with the choice I made.
But, the temptation to take it up again has never left. Long years of habit have made it easier to deal with. But, it’s still there.

That question from 34 years ago is still there too.
What kind of person do you want to be?