I quit almost 2 years ago. It got to the point where I was drinking a fifth of bourbon every day and starting to have health problems. I tried several times to quit and would flush my booze down the toilet, staying sober only a matter of weeks before backsliding.

One night an old friend and I were boozing at his place, and the next morning I woke up on his couch hung over as fuck. I checked my phone and saw that Chris Cornell had died. This made me feel much worse. A few minutes later I heard a crash from my friend's bedroom so went in to check, only to find him writhing around on the floor, mumbling incoherently. I looked over and saw that his bed was soaked with sweat. Knowing that he's a diabetic, I immediately suspected that it was hypoglycemia, so I found some candy and started feeding it to him. Eventually he came around, and I went out on his balcony for a breather.

Lo and behold it was a beautiful day. Sunny, with a warm breeze that rustled the leaves of every tree. A sharp contrast to the dreary interior of the apartment and its specter of death. Just then, it struck me: I was glad to be alive. I couldn't remember the last time that I felt that way. This epiphany gave me a sense of control over my situation. For the longest time I saw drinking as an inevitability, but it dawned on me that it’s actually a choice. I chose to live.

After that, the struggle was over. There was one instance several months later where I overcame a strong urge to drink, but since then the urge been conspicuously absent. Further, I have no problem being around liquor. Most of my friends still drink and, yes, it sucks to be the sober guy at the party, but the absence of alcohol has allowed me to work thru the causes of my addiction. Ultimately, this has given me room to welcome better things into my life.

There is a point where I would be having fun and would know that I should stop. I would tell myself that I was just going to have 1 more and who knows how many I would have after then. I never have had a hangover in my life and I have a cast iron stomach. I imagine that made me feel invincible and contributed to the partying and impulsive stupidity.

I cursed God for not giving me hangovers. It wasn't until late in the 4th quarter and down by 50 that I started feeling shitty. They say a component of alcoholism is genetic. Not getting hangovers sounds definitely genetic.

I cursed God for not giving me hangovers. It wasn't until late in the 4th quarter and down by 50 that I started feeling shitty. They say a component of alcoholism is genetic. Not getting hangovers sounds definitely genetic.

I cursed God for not giving me hangovers. It wasn't until late in the 4th quarter and down by 50 that I started feeling shitty. They say a component of alcoholism is genetic. Not getting hangovers sounds definitely genetic.