If This Happens, It's Definitely Time To Get Sober!
The most common mistake people make when dealing with alcohol-related issues is waiting until they've lost everything before making a change. The notion of hitting rock bottom as a prerequisite for change is a myth and a dangerous belief. To debunk this idea, I've invited my friend Leon from the YouTube channel Sober Leon to share his personal and professional experiences overcoming alcohol-related challenges.
I've long enjoyed Leon's because his channel perfectly aligns with my philosophies. I urge you to pay close attention as Leon outlines four signs indicating it's time to change.
Leon: Various images come to mind when we think of rock bottom. Perhaps it's someone who has just been arrested or received a DUI or someone checking themselves into rehab. There are many interpretations of rock bottom.
I have experienced countless rock bottoms. I've reached points where I vomited blood on a computer, ran out of money, and even borrowed money from my family. Alcohol has caused numerous chaotic situations in my life. However, my understanding of rock bottom is slightly different. In today's video, I'll show you how you can quit drinking without ever hitting rock bottom or starting from scratch.
I'll present a different approach and unravel it today. So, let me introduce myself briefly. My name is Leon Sylvester, and I founded a company called SoberClear.com. We have assisted over 300 business owners, professionals, and high achievers regain control over their drinking habits.
I struggled with alcohol addiction for almost a decade but have been sober for nearly five years. Along the way, I experienced numerous rock bottoms. Therefore, I can confidently say that I understand the subject matter.
Now, let's delve into it. Before we define rock bottom and discuss how to quit drinking without hitting it, we must first understand why people start drinking in the first place.
People engage in drinking because they believe the perceived benefits of alcohol outweigh any negative consequences in their lives. This is the essence of addiction.
Despite negative occurrences or feeling out of shape and lazy, individuals convince themselves that the benefits of drinking or using drugs outweigh the downsides. It's a slippery slope where one's life deteriorates while their attachment to alcohol or drugs increases. They continue drinking even when their life is filled with adversity.
Rock bottom marks a turning point. It occurs when the negatives become so evident that any perceived benefits attributed to alcohol disappear. These illusory benefits vanish, leaving behind a stark realization. Even individuals who heavily hit rock bottom can abruptly quit drinking and stay sober for months. They reach such a dark place where they've had enough, where they stop deceiving themselves about the supposed benefits of alcohol and realize it offers them nothing.
Failure to quit can have grave consequences, even leading to death. Heavy drinkers may find an instant cure after hitting rock bottom, abandoning a drug they consumed for years, sometimes decades, struggling to quit all that time.
But here's the thing:
- I don't want to wait until I get a DUI.
- I don't want to wait until my business collapses.
- I don't want to wait until my partner threatens to leave.
- I don't want to wait until my children express disgust and cut ties with me.
- I don't want that day to come, and I doubt anyone does.
Let's examine what needs to happen and, more importantly, what you need to do to reach a mindset where you see no benefits in drinking without requiring a cataclysmic negative experience. I don't want that for you.
To succeed, there are four key aspects you must comprehend, starting with the most painful and pervasive one:
- Stop deceiving yourself.
For a decade, I repeatedly lied to myself, making excuses like:
"I'm not that bad."
"This time, it will be different."
"I'll control it this time."
"I'm going through a stressful period; I need a drink tonight."
"It's not like I'm drinking vodka with my breakfast."
"Those people in AA meetings drank way more than I did."
Excuses upon excuses until I finally confronted myself honestly and asked, "What is alcohol doing for me?" Astonishingly, I bought into those lies, fabricating beliefs to rationalize and justify my addiction.
The first step is to face reality and ask yourself crucial questions. Reflect on how your drinking has progressively increased over time, creating a trajectory that leads to where you are now. For most people, alcohol consumption follows an exponential curve. Initially, it may seem harmless, but then it worsens until it becomes tragic. So ask yourself, "If you continue on this path for the next decade, where will you end up?" Be honest with yourself.
The initial surface answer is likely the truth because, when I'm truthful with myself, I know I'll end up in a coffin, with my mother burying her son. It's heart-wrenching because people do lose their lives to alcohol.
I reached a state of mind where I saw beyond the lies and realized alcohol offered nothing of value to my life. I began viewing it like I would view bleach or drinking pool water. If everyone were drinking bleach at a bar, I wouldn't join them. I would question their choices and wonder, "Why would you consume that?" It may sound unbelievable, but that's how I perceive alcohol.
I have no desire to put that substance into my body, just as I have no desire to smoke crack cocaine. It's a drug. However, alcohol is different, not because it's a specific drug, but because people believe it enhances their lives and that poison has benefits. This is the problem.
Suppose you genuinely believe there are benefits to drinking alcohol. In that case, you will continue doing so, regardless of the negative consequences, until an explosive moment when you finally see there are no benefits, only harm. It's an epiphany.
At that point, you realize, "Why would I continue this?" It becomes a logical choice. Achieving this mindset requires effort, study, and commitment. I've dedicated countless hours to reading books, learning about alcohol, and understanding its effects on my life. It takes time and commitment to say, "I'm willing to question everything I thought I knew about this substance." I promise you; it will yield the greatest rewards in your life if you struggle with alcohol addiction. Study, learn, break things down into fundamental principles, and analyze the problem.
Once you do that, it's truly remarkable. It's like removing glasses that weren't prescribed for you, suddenly enabling you to see clearly. You're astounded, wondering how everyone else falls for it—the biggest deception ever.
This brings me to the third critical aspect:
You need to prove that the benefits of not drinking far outweigh the perceived benefits you used to associate with alcohol. The only way to accomplish this is by building momentum and creating an extraordinary life for yourself. I'm not saying therapy, AA, or making amends to people aren't valuable—they have their time and place. However, they cannot replace the idea of crafting a vision for your life, determining the kind of person you want to be, and striving for personal growth.
Creating evidence that life improves without alcohol is crucial. What do you think will happen if you quit drinking but spend your days idly watching TV without changing who you are or what you desire? What's the point? We don't want to stop drinking for the sake of stopping. Instead, we want to adopt a mindset where we see alcohol for what it truly is and immediately embark on a journey toward a higher quality of life.
To accomplish this, you need unwavering commitment and vigilance. If you dedicate yourself to this path and persevere, you will face challenges because we live in a world that encourages drinking. The financial incentives behind alcohol consumption are staggering. People who create alcohol brands are becoming billionaires. Marketers are relentlessly targeting consumers. You must remain acutely aware of this reality.
If you're interested in learning more about my program, visit soberclear.com.
