Saturday, March 20, 2010

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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Sunday, March 14, 2010

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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