On April 16th I will officially be six years sober. I look back at my life and see how much it has changed. It a special day for me and a time of reflection because it is the day that I took my last drink.
It is a day that marks the choice I made to change the path I was on. It wasn’t always easy, but I am beyond grateful that I did.
Sometimes people have the misconception that once they get sober all of their problems will go away and life will instantly become easier. While in some ways this is true, I certainly have less avoidable problems in my life than I did before, that doesn’t mean that it is carefree. I think that this is where some people get hung up when they are confronted with adversity in recovery. We no longer have to deal with the ever emerging consequences that are brought about by alcohol abuse, but we still have to deal with the challenges of life
Sometimes when I tell people that I don’t drink they look at me like I am crazy and there must be something wrong with me. People often ask, what do you do for fun or how do you deal with stress? I can say with strong certainty that I do a lot more things for fun now than I did when I was drinking too much. All I liked to do for fun back then was drink. As for stress, I have learned to deal with it in healthy ways that don’t end up making my life worse So how does it feel to be reaching the six-year mark? It is a mixture of emotions that are difficult to describe. I would have to say that it is a feeling of pride and amazement that I have made it this far, but most of all I feel a peace that I always looked for but could never find when I was abusing alcohol
To anyone out there who may be reading this that is on the fence about recovery, I would like to tell you that you can do this. It won’t be easy but it will be worth it. There will probably be times when you want to give up, the important thing is that you don’t. When you fight through the hard times to take back control of your life, you become more
There ya be you proof it works. Huge congratulations. Keep helping others and enjoy this new life you’ve created.
So inspirational, Tommy. Thank you for sharing your experience, strength, and hope.
I love this post, Tommy. Congrats to you! You are amazing, and inspirational, and have made me feel so very hopeful for my future. Thank you for sharing. We appreciate and celebrate you today. Sending virtual hugs! 
I've read this multiple times already. What an an awesome post, fueling hope and inspiration. Very well written, the message is priceless! Congrats on your anniversary and thank you for writing this! 
Thanks so much for sharing this!!! Congratulations 
Thank you you are an inspiration and what I fight for every day.
Love this, thank you for sharing And big congrats to you!!
Amazing Tommy!
Congratulations!
Congrats that huge success
Congratulations
Congrats! That’s definitely amazing. Peace is the word.
Happy belated birthday 
Wow .good job !!. On 6 years.awesome story.