Sobriety – 50 years of drinking comes to an end

April 4, 2024 was my wife, Solange’s, 39th birthday, and we had a little celebration at a local restaurant. This year, I had tapered my alcohol intake substantially. However, with any excuse, me and Solange’s friends began pouring elixirs down our throats. I had three craft beers, nothing extreme, but I began to feel the profound pull that booze had on my life.

I began drinking in early 70’s long before I turned 18, the age restriction at the time. That’s over 50 years of drinking. I grew up in Bowie Maryland, and my friend’s and I would imbibe Tuborg and Michelob in dark parking lots or the back seats of cars. I went to college and the first week, I turned 18. Now I could legally drink. In Ithaca NY, the local beer was Genesee Cream Ale and six packs went for $1 and a pitcher sometime on sale for $.50. I started experimenting with gin and tonics. I started at Texas Instruments in the early 80’s and Coor’s Light became my poison of choice. At one point, I challenged myself to drink every day and guess what. I nailed it. At this point, my thinking was that I could drink often and as much as I wanted, as long as I could maintain a successful career.

When I moved to South Dakota, Gateway was a hard drinking company, and I fit right in. I moved to Dublin Ireland to run’s Gateway’s European operations, and I fell in love with Guiness. Alcohol and the pub life were ingrained into the Irish life. I think Santa Claus was Irish.

I left Gateway and the frigid plains of South Dakota, single, a millionaire, and moved to South Carolina. The good news is that my drinking didn’t get worse despite ample free time and cash, but it sure as heck didn’t get much better. I did write some pretty cool songs in my nightly sloshy state.

Then I moved to Brazil where I finally married my beautiful wife, Solange. She is not much of a drinker (was that a sign?), but I continued boozing regularly. In fact, I moved to wine and bourbon. I was in the big leagues.

Throughout all of this, I have had a fantastic life, and accomplished many common measures of success so the drinking couldn’t have been a hindrance. At least, that is the way I rationalized. In the meantime, as I aged, some of my friends (drinking buddies) began falling. Dougie, a dear friend in Rio de Janeiro, passed in his apartment with five empty bottles of wine by his bed. Then it was national news when Mike Hammond (Hammer), passed away as another victim of alcohol abuse.

Was I an alcoholic? Of course not. Or so I would say. I could quit any time, which I honestly believed. Until I tried. I could quit at will, but as soon as their was any excuse, I was back on the train. Until my wife’s fateful 39th birthday party, and then I made the commitment to just stop.

I have not suffered any withdrawal symptoms, but this is not easy, alcohol is everywhere and 100% ingrained in my American culture. God only knows how much time I have wasted being drunk / unconscious, inebriated, but suddenly, I have a lot of free time on my hands. I have decided to go to the gym.

And maybe, just maybe, I will start blogging again. Like this one here.