This was the last time I ever had a drop of alcohol.
Well… it was more than just a drop.
Dancing on a table at the office in Sloterdijk.
November 20th, 2020.
Exactly 5 years ago today!
“Why did you quit?”
That’s what everyone wants to know.
So here’s the honest answer:
That night didn’t end well.
It was literally the last straw.
I had already been sober for a month, but I let myself get talked into “just one more night.”
But of course, that night wasn’t the real reason.
Some people are just better off not drinking.
I’m one of them.
A touch of ADHD sums it up nicely.
If you know, you know.
“Can’t you just have one beer?”
Nope. That’s not how it works for me.
Even back in the day, I noticed it, how I was always the one dancing on the table.
I’d end up on the bar, the table, or somewhere wild.
And I’d pull everyone up with me.
So it never felt extreme, because… everyone was doing it, right?
Yes, but I was always the first.
Without me, no one else would’ve stood on that table.
And that table is a metaphor for a lot of extremes.
The real eye-opener?
When some of my best friends admitted:
“We only called you when we wanted the night to go completely crazy.
If we just wanted a chill drink, we didn’t call you.”
Now, five years sober, I finally get it.
I always went all-in.
But I thought everyone did.
Turns out, most people are actually pretty normal when they’re drunk.
I was one of the few who went that far.
I just didn’t see it back then.
So what made me stop?
Not just the crazy nights.
It was the long-term damage.
Spending way too much money.
Feeling awful for days.
No energy.
Constantly operating at 60 or 70% of my potential.
Now?
I’m always at 120%.
Never hungover.
Never foggy.
Never making dumb decisions.
It’s amazing.
I wouldn’t trade this feeling for a golden beer.
These days I barely even drink alcohol-free beers.
I also cut out sugar and processed foods.
(I mean… I’ve got to overdo something, right? 😉)
And it’s showing in my work and family life.
I can fully focus now.
Our business would never have grown like it has if I’d kept my bad habits.
And honestly?
Being 120% yourself all the time can be kind of boring.
Always being at your peak… gets repetitive.
But that’s no reason to go back to being destructive.
Definitely not.
It is a reason to keep challenging myself.
I’ve got to channel all that energy somewhere.
Being a workaholic is a kind of addiction too
But at least this one mostly works in my favor!
