3 non-cliché reasons to be sober

I bet you've heard all of these a thousand times... let's dig deeper.

"You'll save money, be healthier, hold down a job, etc..." We've heard it all. I know when I was living in active addiction, the last thing I cared about was my liver health and bank account. It took more than just surface-level advice to truly find reasons to get and stay sober because I was miserable and self-destructive. When I kicked alcohol to the curb, I discovered reasons that motivate me each day to keep going.

#1 - Unlock your potential

Notice how I did not say "find yourself". I am a firm believer in taking time to develop yourself over merely searching for something that might not even be there yet. In other words, stop searching for meaning and create it. Sobriety allows you to spend a lot of time with yourself, not the numb and inebriated version of you. At first, this is incredibly intimidating because it might feel like spending time with a complete stranger. Taking this time to discover your passions in life will give purpose to it and goals to work toward. There is so much potential to impact the world and sobriety can help clear that path toward unlocking your fullest potential.

#2 - Stop wasting precious time

I remember when I was a kid, I was asked by a friend what I would do if I had one year left to live.

This is way too much for a child to comprehend, I know. I probably said something along the lines of "skydiving" or "go to Paris". Truthfully, we really don't know exactly how much time we have on Earth. This question impacted me during early sobriety because I was constantly craving alcohol. When these cravings hit, I found myself asking myself the same question I was asked as an adolescent. Now that life has a new perspective, the answers to that question are much different.

None of them involve me spending it under the influence.

#3 - Inspire others

- Stephen Covey

The biggest blessing of my sobriety has been inspiring the world around me. I don't do this by trying to convince others to get sober, but by showing them what it looks like and how much I've blossomed in so many aspects of my life.

I will never forget when a friend of mine told me that she turned to a bottle of tequila after a fight with a family member. She said that she thought of me, and decided to put it away that night instead of opening it and throwing back a few. Or, when my brother told a struggling family member to put the bottle down "just like Sáci did" (Sáci is a nickname of mine).

These stories about my impact on others are the reasons I keep pushing forward and remember to keep climbing and not let go of my new purpose.

Life should not consist of waking up feeling like we need to "get through the day".

Craft the day and create a life you are proud of.

Keep climbing.