lostinthetrees

Hi Jamie,

I see a lot of myself in you. I, too, started drinking (heavily) at a young age. For me, it resulted in my equating fun and happiness with alcohol. I had the same visceral reaction to the thought of complete abstinence. Like you, I knew in my early twenties that there was a problem. I trudged through life in a drug and alcohol induced haze for nearly a decade before I did something about it.

I'm now 31 and sober for about 7 months. It was difficult to make the decision to quit altogether. I desperately wanted to hold onto that beer at dinner and those few drinks with family at the holidays. It took me a while to realize that that was just not possible.

When I read your story, it fills me with hope that perhaps you could change things now, for the better. At 23, you have so much ahead of you. Life is so much brighter without the clouds of anxiety, regret, and physical illness that come with alcohol abuse.

These could be your best years, Jaime. Live them with your eyes wide open.

- LITT