Reflections On 419 Days Of Sobriety
So, I’ve been reflecting on 419 days of sobriety, and I think anyone considering or struggling may find some inspiration in this post.
Here’s what I did with my 419 days of sobriety (so far, and I may be forgetting some things):
levelled up my bouldering from a level 3 to a level 5 (with my pal Collin William Horrocks)
Ran a half-marathon
Read (or listened to) 32 books
Wrote about 30 blogs on writing (with 20 in the last 20 days)
Added 400 subscribers to my email list (and monetized this list)
Sold over 1000 copies of ITS A LONG WAY DOWN
Discovered how to be happy, single, and alone with my thoughts
Discovered the power of meditation
Faced my crippling, public speaking fears and did a presentation at a shopify event at Social Lite Communications
Got over my social anxiety and now enjoy being at social events while sober
Finished the third draft of my second novel of WHAT WE DO ON WEEKENDS
Came up with a complete marketing plan for WHAT WE DO ON WEEKENDS
Published 3 short stories to literary magazines
Increased all my compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench) by about 30+ pounds
Am proud of what I look like without a shirt on for the first time in my life
Also removed any shame I have over showing that body (and why should I? I generally find people who hate on others for showing off their body are projecting insecurities of their own).
Got a director role at Social Lite Communications and a large financial increase
Edited my good friend Simon Trafford’s first novel, which inspired the next point.
Sold my first full-length novel editing freelance project to a stranger.
Travelled without drinking
Saved $20,0000
Wrote (Nearly) every day
Took 2 writing classes at the UofA and got an A+ in both.
And that’s just the beginning. 2020 is only going to build on this success.
I gave this analogy to recently to a friend on sobriety (shout out Joshua Cornelissen…
If I told you there’s a pill out there that will improve your body, your confidence, your intelligence, your focus, your productivity, and your happiness by 20%, would you take it?
Almost everyone would say yes in a heartbeat. Well, there’s an anti-pill. It’s called stopping drinking. Stop taking it and you’ll see almost every important statistic in your life rise by 20% (a number I just made up on the spot).
And I don’t mean this to sound preachy. Your mileage may vary, but this has just been my experience, and may not be yours. Some people are out there crushing life with enjoying the odd drink.
But I’d highly suggest giving it at least 30 days and seeing how you feel and January / February are the 2 best months to give it a shot, in my opinion.
But I’d also like to remind everyone, that it’s not all peaches and cream.
In case you go through this, I’ve also had major episodes of depression, anxiety, insecurity, boredom and unsureness during this period, because not drinking doesn’t fix everything (and these are completely normal emotions that shouldn’t always be feared. Sometimes they’re simply telling you something).
