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Once upon a time, I was a heavy drinker. I found excuses to drink.
If the sun was shining, I'd drink a beer to quench my thirst and celebrate the sweet rays from the Sun helping to manufacture Vitamin D.
If I passed an exam, I had to get wasted. If I failed an exam, the liquor had to flow.
Then I realized, I was messing up my life and needed to change. Signs of over drinking and addiction had been there for over 6 years.
So, I sat down with a piece of paper and asked myself where I was messing up by drinking.
Below is the list I came up with:
1. My bank account was suffering tremendously
2. My relationships with friends and family were all going south
3. My physical and mental health was deteriorating worse than a rock rolling down a hill
With the above three alarms screaming in my head, I had to make a change.
So, how did I do it?
1. I enrolled for counseling at Amani Centre on Mbagathi Rd to help exorcise personal demons
2. I started going to A.A meetings around Nairobi (locations available online)
3. I started a jogging routine
4. I went to rehab when the above 3 were not working quick enough
After rehab, I continued with the first three solutions above. Only solution 3 has stuck.
I now run as much as I can. I have done 800 km in 2017 alone. I plan on running StanChart (21km) later this month!
In summary, there are proven ways of helping people to quit the bottle. Your motivation to start quitting might be different from mine. But one thing is for sure, when you make the decision to quit, it will feel like a spiritual awakening...some deep Zen stuff!