How I Quit Drinking Alcohol!

How I quit drinking

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.

Disclaimer: Let me be clear the Program I am about to talk about works only if I do the work. When I stop doing the work then it is not the programs fault if I start wrong again, it is mine.

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, quitting drinking was very difficult, but it is simple, and it is worth it.

My life today is better and more filled with Love, joy, peace, and serenity than I even knew were possible, and its all because of working a program of recovery and taking personal responsibility for my life.

I am taking action every day, moving me farther away from a drink, and closer to a good life.

For more on my journey through recovery from Alcoholism and depression check out my YouTube channel: A Channel of Hope.

Thanks for reading, you are worthy of a good life, you don’t have to do this alone. Let’s do it together, come on.

Arien Skiba-Mother of Dragons- Interview.

Arien and I talk all about the Universe, Ghosts, Dragons, being a Vetinarian, an Author, Editor and A mother of Dragons. She is currently prepping her manuscript for a Literary Agent that asked for her whole book. Exciting times for her. Links to her Twitter and E-magazine below.

Twitter @TheDragonVet https://twitter.com/TheDragonVet

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly E-Magazine http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

Watch “Failure An Honest Aproach 1” on YouTube

I used to believe that I had to be perfect. Not just sometimes, but all the time.

I am realizing more and more each day that by being honest with my self, working a program and remaining open, willing, humble and honest, I can fail with Grace.

I do not have to be the first perfect human, I can’t be and that is ok. I can start from exactly where I am today, look at myself in the mirror and be ok with the man I see.

Because although he isn’t perfect, he is growing and he is living a happy life, full of love and service.

I am ok on the days that seem more difficult, I am ok on the days that I just don’t want to move, because I know as long as I don’t drink or use drugs, as long as I keep moving forward even if its not at the pace I think I should. I am still living an incredible life. Because it is about the little incremental steps each day we take that build upon each other and add up to something much greater than the part.

Keep going, no matter what keep going. Even when your tired, allow yourself to be tired and just do the best you can, it is ok to not be perfect.

Iris Van Ooyen YA Author of Poisoned Arrow

Iris and I go in to depth about all the amazing stuff she is up to. Writing her second Novel the Sequel to Poisoned Arrow. While she also works as an Intuitive mentor for the past 16 years. Take a journey With Iris and I to the Netherlands to experience a magical interview. Links to Iris’s work and contact info below.

 

Iris’s website: https://t.co/Z2LlRKrOyz
Iris’s Intuitive mentor: 2brighteyes.com
https://www.amazon.com/Poisoned-Arrow-Iris-van-Ooyen-ebook/dp/B07HLMGJWD/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1549553818&sr=1-1&keywords=Poisoned+Arrow

Slowing down: For the win.

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Frantically pacing your life can seem to be the only way to be successful.  I have found myself thinking, “I wish there were more time in a day so I could cram all the things I wanted to do in my lifetime into this day.”

Even writing it, the notion seems ridiculous. I want to cram a life time of learning and experiences into every day. Seems exhausting.

It is exhausting, no wonder I have been so tired. Pacing myself has never been a particular strong suit of mine. I am really a Ricky Bobby type, I just wanna go fast.

I somehow always fall into the belief that the faster I get to point B, C, D, I will be happy.

The myth is- that happiness lies anywhere in front of me. Happiness is only in the moment with me, but if I’m not in the moment I miss the happiness.

AAAAAAANNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes it isn’t just happiness I need in the moment.  Sometimes, I am in need of a lesson.

In either instance the blessing or the lesson I must be present to receive.  I can get mixed up a lot of times with my pace and if I am going in the right direction.

It happened like this for me through out my life, but especially yesterday.

I will start a project, do wonderful, amazing, inspired work for the first 70% of it, then as soon as I see some success or am asked to raise my level of quality, I seemingly lose interest.

Now, I learned yesterday that I don’t lose interest because I am no longer interested, but because the thing I have been doing asked more of me.  It asked me to become better.

What?  I am already the best.

Not true, I am always getting better or at least attempting to.  But yesterday was one of those days where my pace had me revving my engine up against a brick wall of “Know How”  in that I didn’t “Know How”  to move forward.

In reality I did, I just was afraid to spend the time learning.

I have been doing a lot of videos for my YouTube channel and Editing video has become the new way I spend all of my day.  I have never edited video before, created thumbnails, made fun animations or produced any kind of high quality video.  It is something brand new and brand new usually equals scary and time consuming.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and that had me so stuck.  Until I spoke with a friend and we talked about that first 70% and how it was time for me to learn and grow.  So, I did what any self learner does I You Tubed how to edit videos.

After hours and hours of sitting in my own self-pity and unsure of how to go on, I learned something new.  As soon as I applied the techniques I learned and I created an animation using the software I downloaded and applied it to one of my video’s I felt like a changed person.

Seriously the lights came back on.  My day got brighter, but I had to slow down and assess where I was stuck.  I had to ask my self questions.

I can get so caught up in going a certain speed in life that as soon as I run up against a wall that challenges me to grow on my path, instead of growing I change course so I can keep speeding along.

Well, I can not continue speeding through life, I want a good life and a good life requires growth and growth requires that we slow down sometimes and learn something new.  It doesn’t hurt that slowing down also allows us to remember how far we have come and all the beauty all ready in our life.

So, If you are feeling stuck today slow down.

Ask yourself, “what can I learn in this current situation to help me continue on my chosen path?”  Once you figure out what it is, YouTube that shit, ha ha. Or do what ever it is you have to do to learn it.

Because, it’s not a race and time takes time.  Always has, always will.  Rushing through life is the dumbest thing we can ever do.  Because on the other side of life is death and dead people don’t get to smell roses.

 

Tend the Seeds: My Harvest

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Meh, transitions in life can leave me feeling depressed.  No matter how or when they show up, life changes can be disorienting.  I have noticed that my brain will try and trick me from recognizing a change is taking place.

The wacky brain delusions happen quite a bit as if my mind is doing everything it can to keep me in the same exact spot in life.

It makes sense that my brain would want to stay in the same frame of mind as changing can be difficult. However, it still surprises me when after years and years of going through difficult transitions only to end up better off, my brain is still hard wired to hang on to the life it knows and has grown accustomed to.

I suppose I can’t blame my brain, millions of years of evolution have made it this way.

A thought came to me during meditation this morning, as I speak of change.  There are two types.

Organic change and forced change.

Organic change happens on its own, by way of us living a certain way gradually our lives change.

Forced change happens when we make or take a drastic step to live differently.

Neither of these is better or worse than the other they are just different.

The thought that occurred to me during meditation was, “Is your life better than it has ever been?”  My answer was yes, 100 times yes.

The voice came back and said, “Why do you want to try and do something different than what you are doing now, if what you are doing now is producing the best life you have ever lived?”  My answer… ugh, well because I am an addict and need satisfaction immediately and more is better.  Lets get more.

See the thing is the change or transition that I am feeling is one organically happening in my life by decisions I have been making everyday for over 7 months now.

The problem I am running into is that while these organic changes are happening I am trying to force more change on top of this when its unnecessary.  I am already living an incredible life and it has progressed so profoundly, why would I try and do something different now as the fruits of my labor just begin to take shape.

The answer is because of fear.  Fear of success, as soon as I see the fruits begin to bud I start to judge them and say.  “Oh no, that fruit will be no good, it isn’t enough to sustain me or it wont be ripe in time.  I better leave the field I have been tending and start planting seeds somewhere else just in case.”  I am insane.

When after months of planting seeds in a field, tending, watering, loving and nurturing the growth of these seeds, they finally start to show, I get scared they aren’t enough.  That I am not enough.  That the work I put isn’t good enough, so I go chasing another field of dreams.

Well, not this time damn it.  This time I will stay with my yield, I will tend to the seeds I have planted as they begin to bud and give them every ounce of me.  I will give them the love and dedication I showed them when I first started, because they still need it even more so now that they are above ground.

“Don’t run from the harvest when it starts to produce for fear it won’t be enough.  Have faith that the seeds you planted and the work you did will produce all you ever needed and more. ”

“Don’t allow the fear of Change to make you run in a different direction.  Let’s stay the course.  For the first time in my life, I am going to stay the course and see what comes of my farming.”

OK Bye.

Overwhelmed: Thank you

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I am so blown away by the incredible support and interest shown by so many on here and other platforms where I present my thoughts and work.

I wanted to take a moment and Say thank you to everyone who follows this blog and most recently my YouTube Channel and my Pod Cast.

Last night I did a live Show on my YouTube channel that lasted for over 3 hours.  For 3 hours I communicated with the community of people that are enjoying the work I am producing and it is extremely humbling.

This Morning my YouTube Channel reached 100 subscribers after only two weeks of being up.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for subscribing.

I know that it has more to do with the incredible authors and creators I am interviewing than with me, but I am still overwhelmed with gratitude for it.

So again thank you for supporting me and watching, reading, or listening to what I am trying to do.  I am Blessed.

If you haven’t yet check out the channels for all the best Author interviews and Bed time stories.  We also do book giveaways, please stop by and watch a video or listen to a podcast.

Watch “Guy Worthey Author, Astrophysicist, and Jazz Bassist. Joins me to talk the Universe, his books,” on YouTube

Guy Worthey Author of Ace Carroway 1920’s. Tells me the secrets of writing, the Universe and how to love life and become an awesome human. Guy is an Astrophysics professor at some University he cant remember. Links to him below.

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1949827402
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCYSZ3R
Ebook: https://www.books2read.com/u/meAWXV
Guy’s Website https://t.co/Qlimko2J2c

How To Do ANYTHING: A dummy’s guide to be amazing.

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I love the idea of “How To” it is such a wonderful concept — a guide on how to do stuff.  Instruction manuals for life are being produced online at an incredible rate and if you didn’t know how to do something before you are sure as hell have no excuse not to know how today.

Because, in reality, the guide to doing anything is just a google search away.

Here is the thing with that though, what if you don’t know what you want to learn how to do, you know you need to get started on something. Well, you are in luck.  This article is about just that.

How To Do… Anything!

Moreover, I do mean anything from very exact simple things to grand scale massive things.  It is a much simpler process than one would think.

So without any further ado, Here-We-Go

First ingredient:  Identification-  It is important to ask our selves questions.  All types of questions from the very vague and broad to the specific and definite.

Step one is all about identifying the questions we need to begin asking our selves.  Because when you want to know how to do something, you need to ask the right questions to get the proper answers.

This is a simple process, no matter what it is you want to do, ask your self “Why” do you want to do that “Thing.” It is the base question for starting the process of learning “How”  discover the Why.

Second Ingredient: Expectations of results- This one is crucial, once we figure why we want to do something our pants will be on fire with a desire to do that thing.  When that happens, it is so important to not get to a point where we believe that as soon as we do the “Thing” we will achieve all the success at it we could have ever imagined.  It will take time to “get good” at whatever it is you are starting.

So, be kind to your self and do not set your expectations on day one to change the world.  That can certainly be your overreaching goal if you would like, but a more realistic daily or even momentary goal is the best practice here.

For example, I want to have powerful Pectoral muscles.  Why? Because like a bird calling to his mate in the jungle with a colorful array of dazzling feathers is made more beautiful by a massive chest.  I want to be a beautiful bird — great, perfect. Your “Why” is established.  Pushups work great for growing a muscular chest, instead of saying:  “I need to be doing 100 pushups a day,” start with, “I am going to do one push up right now and then maybe I will do one push up later.”

It seems pointless to some to start at such a low value, but if you never do push-ups, it is of the utmost importance to give your brain a rush of reward hormones when you accomplish the goal you set of one push up.  Because when you get that feeling you will want to do more, and 100 will be child’s play in a couple of weeks.  Temper expectations

Third ingredient: Action-Stop writing down your goals, stop talking about it, stop posting quotes about how successful you are going to be and just start doing the damn work.  Do one push up right now.  Alternatively, write one word for your book or movie.  Draw one line for your art, fill out one application, study for one minute.  Meditate for 1 second.  Just freaking start, right now.  No more, “I am going to start tomorrow, or I don’t feel the best right now, I will start when my headache goes away.”

Stop making all these stupid excuses and get started living the life you want to live.  It is sitting there looking at you like, “come on dude, you have been checking your facebook status for 4 hours now, I thought we were going to go for a run.”

Inaction is the number one killer of dreams, Period.  I say this a lot to people who know me, but the movie Forest Gump is an excellent example of what makes a person successful.  Forrest was not a very smart man, but what he did have was massive action no matter what anyone thought of him; he just did what he felt he needed to do.  He never waited for conditions to be just right or to feel like it, Forest just freaking Did it.

So, get started damn it.

Fourth Ingredient: Persistence-  No matter what the thing is you want to do, it is going to take time.  Moreover, if it means anything to you and you want to get good at it, it may take a lifetime.  So, when you fail at it, which you undoubtedly will try again.  It is not the most talented that succeed in life, sure they have a better chance, but it is the persistent that breakthrough.  I know for a fact that there are more talented actors, screenwriters and producer/directors in the world than Sylvester Stallone, but I can guarantee none of them will have the same kind of career as that guy has had because they don’t have the immense amount of persistence that he has.

So don’t quit, don’t ever quit.  If you really want to know “How To Do” something, anything…Just start doing it and never stop.  Duh.

I told you it was simple, don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.