Is Drinking Getting In The Way Of Your Life?

Let me preface this article by acknowledging that I quit drinking a while ago because I felt that drinking was getting in the way of my life. Is drinking getting in the way of yours? Who knows, but I figure by relaying my story, it may help someone else. I decided about a year ago that I was letting drinking get in the way of my life. Actually, in the time since I've been out, I've realized that I let drinking get in the way of my life for quite a long time.
Actually that's probably one of the biggest realizations that I've arrived at in my life. The realization that while I was drinking, I wasn't really thinking clearly, although I thought I was. One of my biggest excuses was that I liked the 'taste' of beer. The taste of beer? What the hell does that even mean? I haven't had a beer in over a year and I haven't missed the taste at all. I've realized that it was never about the taste, I just told myself it was. The bottom line is when I was drinking everyday, I wasn't thinking clearly.
Was I an alcoholic? I don't make distinctions like that, but I know I drank everyday. On average it had to be a twelve pack of beer a day. If that's an alcoholic, then I guess I'm in the club. I was in love with beer, and thought that I needed it. At the end of the day I realized I liked the way it made me "feel". I liked the buzz. Once I came to grips with that little fact, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I was searching for something, and found it, artificially mind you, in beer.
It's funny, I feel as id I woke up a year ago and realized that fifteen years had passed without me accomplishing much of anything other than drinking a ton of alcohol. The way I see it, I tried drinking for fifteen years and didn't accomplish much, I'll tfry not drinking foir the next fifteen years and see what happens. If the second fifteen years isn't better, screw it, I'll start drinking again! The point is that I felt that drinking was getting in the way of my life, and maybe you should evaluate your life, and see if it's getting in the way of yours. Remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "It is not length of life, but depth of life." When I was drinking, there was no depth, that's about all I know.

Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing and founder of yourmoneyconnection.com Trevor has more than 15 years of business experience and currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country - Montana.
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Drinking As A Way Of Life

For many years drinking alcohol, especially beer was a way of life for me. Did I realize it at the time? Nope. Did it make a damn bit of difference to me at the time whether of not drinking was a way of life for me? Nope. Did I really care one way or the other whether? Nope. Not one little bit. And what did this get me. Nothing, not one little thing, unless you consider a decent amount of debt and a dead end job "something".
For many years drinking was a way of life of me, and I never realized it. Through the act of stopping drinking, I came to the realization that I had been sleepwalking through life for the better part of 15 years! I suppose this is what happens when drinking becomes a way of life. Was I an alcoholic, that is to say addicted to drinking? I don't know, all I know id that I drank everyday. When I tired to think of a day that I didn't drink, I couldn't. How much did I drink? Again, I didn't keep a running tally, but I would assume an average of a 12-pack a day. Some days less and on good days (as I used to refer to them) more.
The bottom line was that I drank entirely too much and was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I've heard addiction describes as never getting enough of what you don't want in the first place, and if that's the definition, then I was addicted, because that's how it felt. It was as if I could never get enough. More beer always sounded good and then the next day I would wonder why I actually had more. But again, that's what happens when drinking becomes a way of life.
So, what made me come to these realizations and stop drinking? For me, the final straw was my daughter incarnating into this world, then coming to live with Dad. It's why I see her as being "sent" to save me. I simply refuse to be a bad influence on her or disappoint her in any way. I'm thankful for the perspective that my drinking gave me and I'm equally thankful for my daughter showing up when she did to help me realize all of this.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of http://www.JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!
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Do You Want To Stop A Bad Habit?

For the better part of 15 years I got in the shower every morning and wondered to myself if I drank too much. I smoked as well and knew it was terrible for me, but every morning I wondered whether I drank too much. After all, I drank virtually every day. As a matter of fact, when I tried to think of a day in which I didn't have a beer or three, I couldn't. And this little ritual of asking myself the question if I drank too much went of for years. Then one day something interesting happened.
I discovered that my 2 year old daughter was coming to live with Dad full time. I was very excited and intrigued by the prospect of raising my little girl. It made me think though. Did I want her to be exposed to the practices of drinking and smoking? I mean she's young and probably wouldn't even realize what Dad was doing, right? And besides, it wasn't as if I were getting "falling down" drunk every night. I just liked to have a beer or twelve. After mulling these questions over for a month or so, I came to my decision.
I wasn't going to be a bad influence on my daughter in any way. I couldn't be the guy that laments the dangers of smoking while I choked down a heater. Other guys can do what they want, but I simply wasn't going to go along. And I wasn't going to be the guy that tells his daughter not to drink, while I drank a beer. No, not me, I simply wasn't going to be that guy.
So, I walked away from both practices. No meetings, gum, patches, or pills. I just walked away from a pack of cigarettes and an average of 6 or 8 beers a day. Through the process of doing this I realized a very important point. It wasn't about the fact that I smoked cigarettes or drank beer. It was about what I thought about the two things. I realize this may sound strange, but it's true. What I realized was that what I thought about the practices was the important thing.
In other words, if I thought quitting smoking was going to be difficult, guess what? It was going to be difficult. But if I thought it was going to be easy, guess what? The same principle holds true. The same thing was true with drinking. If I thought not having a beer was going to suck, guess what? It sucked! But I also began to realize that the opposite held true. It was all about what I thought! My bottom line is quite simple. If you have a habit (that's what I believe these two practices are), and want to stop it, then change you thinking, it's as simple as that!

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!
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Getting Off Of Nicotine, It's Really Not That Bad

The entire fifteen years that I choked down heater after heater, all anyone ever told me was how I needed to quit and how terribly difficult quitting smoking was going to be. In the back of my mind, I never really bought into that line of logic. I always figured it was going to be as difficult to stop as I made it. I never bought into the fact that everyone else said it was going to be hard. And do you know what happened? After fifteen years of smoking, I walked away from cigarettes once and for All and it really wasn't all that hard. It was exactly as I thought it would be.
After finally quitting, I realized that the entire idea of quitting smoking is a huge business. And you trying, but not quite quitting means more money to the companies selling the products to help you quit. Not only that, but it's also in their best interest for you to believe that quitting is going to be all but impossible. You see, I found that what you believe about quitting is the most important thing. Not what drug you might take to help you quit. The power of belief is not only the major factor in quitting smoking, it's a major factor in your whole life. It's exactly as Muhammad Ali said of the power of belief, "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
When your quitting smoking all you want is for things to begin to happen. You need to break the cycle of normalcy. You see for me it wasn't about being addicted to anything, it was about the fact that I had engaged in a practice every 45 minutes or so for fifteen consecutive years. Smoking cigarettes had become "normal" to me. So much so that I had a difficult time remembering what it was like to not be a smoker. I had to think back and remember that I wasn't always a smoker and in fact was in great shape at one time in my life. I had to think about how I liked being in shape, and never really liked smoking in the first place.
Quitting was about what I thought about quitting, and I thought it wasn't going to be that difficult. And as I said it wasn't. Were there times I wanted a cigarette? Of course there were (and still are), but I don't smoke any longer and simply tell myself that. I would want a cigarette (more so right after stopping) because it was normal to me to have a cigarette. That's all. Once I came to this realization, it was easier and easier everyday.
The bottom line is that you can do exactly what I did and be free of nicotine for the rest of your life. Don't buy into all of the hype surrounding quitting smoking. You don't need drugs or gum or patches, all you need to do is believe and change the way you think about smoking.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!
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Are You Serious About Quitting Smoking?

Why is it that every article you read, every commercial that you see, almost everything supposedly designed to help you quit smoking comes with a price attached? It seems like 99% of the articles I read on quitting smoking are written by someone trying to sell you something to help you quit. Why is this? Why can't everyone be honest about the whole idea of quitting smoking and just tell you that by the nature of being born you were given everything that you need to stop smoking. If you are serious about quitting smoking, you can do it without spending a dime.
Before you begin to think that I'm completely full of crap, here me out. I smoked at least a pack a day for close to fifteen years and walked away from smoking once and for all. And I did it without spending one red cent, and there were no with drawls or any other negative effects. I simply stopped smoking. Were there times that I wanted a cigarette? Of course there were, but I simply wouldn't have one. I realized, during the stopping process, that it was normal for me to want a cigarette. I mean my body was used to having one for God's sake! A person will get used to anything after engaging in it for 15 years. The bottom line is that I stopped and I know you can as well. Below you will find a list of the things I found to be important in the process of quitting smoking :
Changing Your Thinking - That's right, you need to change the way you think about smoking and quitting smoking. Everyone tells you how difficult it will be. Don't buy into that stuff. Tell yourself that it's going to be as easy to quit as it was to start. Remember this quote, "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change."
Change your surroundings - It was important for me to stay away from smoking (especially in the beginning). I stopped going to places where everyone smoked. I stopped hanging around smokers for long periods of time. I stayed as far away from smokers as I could. I even changed my job ( a job in which many people smoked).
Don't Believe The Hype - There is a ton of hype surrounding the act of quitting smoking. Everyone wants to convince you of the fact that quitting is a difficult proposition. I'm telling you from experience that it's not that difficult. Quitting smoking will be as difficult as you "believe" it will be, it's as simple as that. The hype is all designed to sell you something to supposedly make quitting easier. All of the hype is nothing but a big sales machine.
Hopefully these tips help you kick the cancer sticks once and for all. It really was that simple for me, and I know it will be for you as well. What you believe is the key factor. Remember what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said of belief, "Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is." Just believe that you've got this smoking thing licked and you do.

Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing.com Trevor has more than 15 years of business experience and 25 years of fishing experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country - Montana.
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Do You Really Want To Quit Smoking? Then You Must Read This Article

I want to preface this article by stating a few things: #1 I smoked a pack a day (on average) for 15 years and walked away from cigarettes forever, so I have experience with quitting smoking. #2 I'm not going to attempt to sell you anything in order to help you quit. Most people who write these articles have an ulterior motive, I don't (unless of course you're an angler). I simply want to tell you how I quit smoking in the hopes that it may help you quit smoking
If you're really interested in quitting smoking, the first thing that you have to do is change the way you think about quitting smoking. I realize that this may sound weird, but it true. Everything that you think about smoking and quitting smoking is wrong. Everything that you hear about quitting smoking is hype designed to sell you something to help you quit. It seems to me it's in everyone's best interest that you believe quitting smoking is difficult.
And then you have all of your friends and colleagues that reiterate the fact that quitting is so very hard because they've bought into and believe the hype as well. What I'm telling you, as someone who's been there and done it, is that it's not that hard. The next time one of your friends, colleagues, or commercial tells you how difficult quitting smoking is, simply tell yourself the opposite. Literally say to yourself, "Quitting smoking is not going to be hard, it's no problem." While I was smoking I would also look at my cigarette and say, "I've got this, this is no problem." I would suggest you only do that if you're alone so people don't think that your totally nuts.
That's what I did and one day I went into my pack to grab a smoke and there was only one left. I took that cigarette out and said, "This is it. I'm done." I smoked that cigarette and haven't had one since. That was a long time ago and I can promise you that I'll never smoke again.
Now were there times after I quit that I wanted a cigarette? Of course, but I didn't have one. When I thought about it, it had to be expected that I would crave something from time to time seeing as how I had been doing it for 15 years! But I just didn't have one. It got easier and easier not to have one every single day. As your confidence grows, it becomes so easy not to smoke it seems silly. You'll soon wonder why you ever started in the first place. I promise you that this is how I quit smoking and I know that you can too. You don't need gum, patches, hypnosis, or pills. You were born with everything you need. Remember what Marcus Aurelius said, "Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig."

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!
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Change The Freakin' Habit!

For many years I battled with supposed addiction and finally walked away from both drinking and smoking once and for all. I use the word 'supposed' in reference to addiction, because of what I learned through the process of quitting both practices. I learned that it wasn't about addiction, but rather the habits that I had of drinking and smoking everyday. Both practices had become so normal to me (or so much of a habit) that I had a hard time even imagining my life without either one of them. So I simply changed the freakin' habit, and now don't engage in either practice.
Before you begin to think that I'm crazy or that I must not have really been a smoker or drinker, consider this. For the better part of 15 years my average daily consumption of both products was a pack of cigarettes and a twelve pack of beer! Without bragging, I would have to say that those numbers were strong, to moderately strong. I smoked every day for that entire span and drank most of those days. I tell you this simply to qualify myself as someone who actually did the things that I'm now writing about.
I stopped both practices by simply changing my habits and this started with what I thought about those habits. For the entire time I engaged in these habits I listened to everything everyone told me about the practices. Things like: Drinking is fun. You're addicted to nicotine. Smoking relaxes you. Having a beer after work is how I unwind. And on and on the list goes. I changed the way I thought about all of that and started asking myself if these questions were true. I found out that they were all lies I was telling myself to justify doing what I was doing.
So I started being honest with myself and saying things like: Smoking makes me smell terrible. I hate being so winded from simple activities. I hate waking up hung over. How much money do I spend on beer? I also began being honest about the fact that I really never liked either practice. Soon the day came, when I said to myself, "I think I'm done."
And I walked away. I didn't go to meetings or take drugs of any kind. I got no help from gum, patches, or pills of any kind. I simply walked away and haven't looked back. I heard a great quote once that said "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." I simply changed the way I looked at smoking and drinking, and before long the act of both smoking and drinking changed. If you want to quit any destructive behavior, just change the freakin' habit!

Trevor Kugler is Co-founder of JRWfishing.com Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country....Montana.
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Drinking As A Pastime

There was a time in my life that I drank beer as my favorite pastime. Really, it's true. I of course only realized this after finally walking away from drinking, but the point is that drinking was literally what I did for fun. I always figured drinking was just kind of "along for the ride" , if you will, but finally realized that the act of drinking was my pastime. The interesting thing about this little Christopher Columbus like discovery I made was the fact that almost everyone I knew was just like me!
I've heard it said before that you become just like the people that you spend time with, but never gave it any credence. That was until I came to these realizations for myself. It's so perplexing to me, but most everything that I did at that time in my life, revolved around drinking beer. Well, maybe revolved isn't the correct term, but involved drinking beer. Going over to a friend's house to have a BBQ? Who's bringing the beer? Going to the lake fishing? Did you remember the beer? Playing cards in your buddies' basement? How much beer do you have? These are all the types of questions that were always asked. None of these so called "things to do" were about whatever it was that was being done, they were about the drinking!
Once my daughter incarnated into this world (which is another story) and I decided to walk away from drinking, I also walked away from all of these so called "things to do". Not as a conscience effort, but just naturally. I didn't see the "friends" or "buddies" anymore either. Once I stopped drinking they all faded away as well, again not consciously, but it just seemed to "happen". This is when I came to the realization that drinking was my pastime, none of the so called things to do or friends mattered.
Once I really started to analyze it, I also realized that this had been going on for 15 years! Drinking had been my favorite pastime for 15 years, and do you know what else was ironic? I was in about the same position, personally, as I was when it all started. It's almost as if those 15 years was a dream! A dream we would all rather not have by the way. The point is that by the grace of God my daughter came into my life and all of that came to an end. I've heard it said that everything happens for a reason, well now I know that statement to be true.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!

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