ReadyAndAble

Yep, that's the deal. Quitting once and for all was the only way I was ever going to escape. It's been over two years since my last drink, and if I had a beer tonight, I have no doubt the obsession would return very quickly. The obsession, and eventually the binges, and then the physical addiction as well. But the obsession is the root of it all for me, and that's why I had to quit forever.

But here's the good news: it's not a big deal. I mean it seems like this huge giant sacrifice when you're still under the sway of the addiction, but that's the addiction talking. Like you said, it becomes intertwined on an emotional level with the good stuff in our lives. Heck, I even wondered if I'd still love music as much once as I quit (music is a big part of my life). But those fears and doubts are just part of the addiction, created by one part of our brain to convince the other part to stay in addiction.

All the good stuff in my life—the things and people I love the most—remained in my life after I quit. Now that I'm not saddled with that obsession, the hangovers, the regret, the constant feeling of hiding the real me behind a facade, which created this giant wall between me and the world—with all that gone, I enjoy life more than ever. I feel good about myself now, which makes me feel a lot better about everything and everyone I see.

Quitting isn't the sacrifice. Continuing to drink—that's the real sacrifice.

You sound ready to stop sacrificing. You're going to be incredibly glad you did, much more than you probably even know.