I’ve almost been killed multiple times in my life. And I’ve been drunk for 99% of those times.
I used to drink 4 times a week for 3 years, but now I haven’t had a sip of alcohol in 1,000 days.
Why and how I quit drinking:
I've always had high energy.
I’m a pretty hyperactive, ADD-type person, ever since I was a kid to where I am now.
It’s served me pretty well in the entrepreneurial world.
But candidly, I find it hard to relax.
I’m a pretty hyperactive, ADD-type person, ever since I was a kid to where I am now.
It’s served me pretty well in the entrepreneurial world.
But candidly, I find it hard to relax.
I didn’t know what to do with it early in my career.
Instead of using my energy for healthy outlets like working out or meditating, I turned to weed and alcohol.
I soon found myself smoking 10 joints a day.
I was keeping up with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, not the Joneses.
Instead of using my energy for healthy outlets like working out or meditating, I turned to weed and alcohol.
I soon found myself smoking 10 joints a day.
I was keeping up with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, not the Joneses.
I was also traveling and going to meetings every other day.
I’d find myself in LA in a meeting, and we’d grab a cocktail afterward. Harmless.
A couple meetings a week; a couple cocktails - it sounded pretty innocent to me.
But most habits start with an act of innocence.
I’d find myself in LA in a meeting, and we’d grab a cocktail afterward. Harmless.
A couple meetings a week; a couple cocktails - it sounded pretty innocent to me.
But most habits start with an act of innocence.
One thing led to another.
It snowballed from drinking at my 4 meetings a week to getting drinks at dinner most nights.
I wasn’t a full-blown alcoholic - in my mind, alcoholism meant choosing drinks over your relationships, work, and performance.
I didn’t think I was THAT bad.
It snowballed from drinking at my 4 meetings a week to getting drinks at dinner most nights.
I wasn’t a full-blown alcoholic - in my mind, alcoholism meant choosing drinks over your relationships, work, and performance.
I didn’t think I was THAT bad.
But the drinking WAS affecting my relationships and performance.
I'd find myself irritable, quick-tempered, and not bringing my best self.
I wasn’t sleeping well either. It was having a brutal effect on my REM sleep.
I’d developed a habit - and it was affecting my life.
I'd find myself irritable, quick-tempered, and not bringing my best self.
I wasn’t sleeping well either. It was having a brutal effect on my REM sleep.
I’d developed a habit - and it was affecting my life.
The environment I found myself in meant it felt 10x harder to stop.
But I knew deep down it wasn't serving me. I wanted to be disciplined.
I started reflecting on what I was doing to myself. I asked one breakthrough question:
Is this thing useful in my life?
But I knew deep down it wasn't serving me. I wanted to be disciplined.
I started reflecting on what I was doing to myself. I asked one breakthrough question:
Is this thing useful in my life?
Was drinking a tool that was helping me?
Or was it secretly messing me up?
I was optimizing my life in so many other areas; what was drinking doing for me?
So I turned to the 12 Steps book by Alcoholics Anonymous to dig deeper.
Or was it secretly messing me up?
I was optimizing my life in so many other areas; what was drinking doing for me?
So I turned to the 12 Steps book by Alcoholics Anonymous to dig deeper.
I decided to go on a hike in Runyon Canyon in LA.
As I’m hiking, I journaled my thoughts down as they suggested in 12 Steps.
A task of mental hygiene - I described all the ways that alcohol negatively affected me.
My reflections made me want to sober up for good.
As I’m hiking, I journaled my thoughts down as they suggested in 12 Steps.
A task of mental hygiene - I described all the ways that alcohol negatively affected me.
My reflections made me want to sober up for good.
I looked back at the unnecessary arguments, aggression, and dangerous situations.
Alcohol was destructive, jeopardizing my health, relationships, and mental state.
The incidents from my memory bank piled up…
Alcohol was destructive, jeopardizing my health, relationships, and mental state.
The incidents from my memory bank piled up…
One night I’d fallen asleep drunk on the roof of this random car on the way to Coachella.
The driver couldn’t wake me up so they DROVE off with me still lying on top. Onto the highway.
He kept driving but the cops pulled him over and eventually dragged me off.
The driver couldn’t wake me up so they DROVE off with me still lying on top. Onto the highway.
He kept driving but the cops pulled him over and eventually dragged me off.
I ended up in jail for the night with near-zero memory.
Me and my friends thought it was pretty hilarious.
And it was - it’s a legendary story.
Me and my friends thought it was pretty hilarious.
And it was - it’s a legendary story.
But I was lucky to be alive.
I could’ve fallen off the roof and gotten run over. I could’ve been robbed or beaten.
Somehow, I escaped unharmed.
I could’ve fallen off the roof and gotten run over. I could’ve been robbed or beaten.
Somehow, I escaped unharmed.
Another time in Laos, I was tubing down a river drunk.
Someone else had my tube, so I was swimming alone in a fast-moving river. A pretty stupid-ass decision
I almost drowned - I had no business being in that situation impaired
These were blatant signs things had gone too far.
Someone else had my tube, so I was swimming alone in a fast-moving river. A pretty stupid-ass decision
I almost drowned - I had no business being in that situation impaired
These were blatant signs things had gone too far.
The final straw was when I was dating this really beautiful woman.
Long story short, she dumped me via text
I was floored - I’d never been dumped before, and it confused the hell out of me.
I had this vision of who I was as a man - strong, formidable, responsible, healthy.
Long story short, she dumped me via text
I was floored - I’d never been dumped before, and it confused the hell out of me.
I had this vision of who I was as a man - strong, formidable, responsible, healthy.
But actually, I had this dark side of smoking weed, drinking, partying.
Being distant to my loved ones.
I realized this dark underbelly of habits really didn’t align to the person I was trying to become.
I was a walking contradiction - and I needed to change.
Being distant to my loved ones.
I realized this dark underbelly of habits really didn’t align to the person I was trying to become.
I was a walking contradiction - and I needed to change.
That day I decided I was done. I wanted to live up to the man I envisioned being - alcohol had to go.
So I reached out to Dr. Andrew Huberman for help.
Long story short, he urged me to get my bloodwork done.
He told me I was lucky to be alive (which I already knew).
So I reached out to Dr. Andrew Huberman for help.
Long story short, he urged me to get my bloodwork done.
He told me I was lucky to be alive (which I already knew).
My results came back.
One thing I hadn’t known was that testosterone in humans is the chemical that makes effort feel good.
But my testosterone had tanked from the drinking - no wonder my mood, energy and motivation were so low.
A pretty terrible equation.
One thing I hadn’t known was that testosterone in humans is the chemical that makes effort feel good.
But my testosterone had tanked from the drinking - no wonder my mood, energy and motivation were so low.
A pretty terrible equation.
I was trying to become someone great with a mission in life to positively impact others.
But this habit was ruining my chances of that.
So I reached out to a coach and found a mentor who had been sober for 30 years.
Their wisdom guided me into the intricacies of sobriety.
But this habit was ruining my chances of that.
So I reached out to a coach and found a mentor who had been sober for 30 years.
Their wisdom guided me into the intricacies of sobriety.
I’d gone through so much of life using drink as a social lubricant.
Simple things like dating and socializing sober felt alien to me.
In the past, I’d resorted to drinking to get over the awkwardness. A glass or two of wine to cope.
Now that was gone, I had to confront myself.
Simple things like dating and socializing sober felt alien to me.
In the past, I’d resorted to drinking to get over the awkwardness. A glass or two of wine to cope.
Now that was gone, I had to confront myself.
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