Adiós, Alcohol

Even Tom Brady Retired

Jun 04, 2023

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

—Lao Tzu

I love getting drunk. I’m Irish-blooded; I’m from Worcester; and I went to a university nicknamed the zoo. I’m wired to enjoy drinking, genetically and culturally.

Some of the best moments of my life have been boozing with my friends.

But it’s time to give up the bottle. Indefinitely—meaning for an unlimited or unspecified period of time (i.e. it could be 3 months, it could be 3 years, it could be my entire life, I’m not sure).

The reasons in short:

Practical Reasons For Quitting Alcohol

I want to be a more focused and productive writer/video creator so I can generate quality work—work that will have a positive impact on people and make me wealthier in every sense.
I want to protect and improve my mental, physical, and spiritual health.
I want to have more energy for weight-lifting, basketball, and other physical activities.

Emotional Reasons for Quitting Alcohol

I want to be a better person—by not behaving and speaking recklessly like I do when I drink; by having better self-control.
It’ll become clear who actually wants the best for me.
I’ve been pounding booze aggressively for ~8 years. I want to see what my life will be like if I stop saying and doing things I’m not proud of, which mostly only happens when I’m buckled.

FAQ

Do you really think stopping drinking will be worth it?

Yes.

I’m fed up with the shame I feel for something I did or said while I was tuned up. Then I feel even worse because I have less energy and alertness the next day to use on work or exercise, or anything. It’s a vicious cycle. A self-imposed vicious cycle. It doesn’t have to be like this.

Won’t it be super difficult for you to stop drinking?

No.

I have a clear purpose for stopping.

I want to embrace being a writer and doing creative stuff. I want to go all-in. Success requires sacrifice, and I’m willing to sacrifice alcohol.

What will you think of people who still drink?

If anything, I’ll be jealous of them—people who’s nights are more colorful thanks to alcohol; who are enjoying the feelings you experience when you’re in that sweet altered state of consciousness. Although I do anticipate two common questions:

1) “wHy DoEs hE tHiNk hE’S BetTEr tHaN pEoPlE?”

2) “whY dOesN’t hE jUst hAve FuN?”

To which my answers (which I wouldn’t actually say because it wouldn’t be worth it) would be:

1) I don’t think I’m better than anyone—but if this is the question you reflexively ask in response to someone who doesn’t drink—and you’re genuinely upset or serious—then actually, I do think I’m better than you.

2) Having more energy, having more focus, becoming stronger, writing, expressing myself, building a brand, making money online, and having quality social interactions where I don’t lose self-control sounds way more fun to me at this point than catching a buzzy.

What about going out and having fun with your friends?

I’ll still go out and have fun with my friends. The Joe Nuttall formula.

Is this article just virtue signaling?

I know no one will really care about this article. But I also know this article might sound pompous to whoever does care about it for whatever reason. This is not what I want.

I won’t make a negative judgement on you just because you drink. Who am I to judge someone for what drugs they take? One of the biggest reason for this article is to organize my thoughts. And, to sell myself on this decision.

I don’t mean to demonize alcohol; I’m not saying you’re bad if you drink; I’m not trying to alienate anyone; I don’t want to do any of those things. I’m simply saying alcohol is directly interfering with the vision I have for my life in pretty much every way, so the best choice for me is to stop for considerable time.

Who else influenced you to make this decision to stop drinking?

Chris Williamson:

“I don’t have a universal problem with alcohol or party culture. I actually think that drinking & nights out are a fairly essential part of growing up.
Becoming an adult with experiences which allow you to relate to your friends requires you to be exposed to elated nights out, hungover regrets & everything else.
My issue lies with adhering to this life for the next 20 or 30 years.
There is nothing sadder to me than seeing someone well into adulthood who continues to undo all the progress they make during the week with mind, body & spirit by getting off their face every weekend. 1 step forward & 1 step back for 2 decades is a travesty.
I don’t make a value judgement about drinking. I'm not saying that people who drink are bad, & those who go sober are good. It’s simply a case of working out where your values lie.
Currently my goals are focused on my lifestyle giving me as much time, money, consistency & energy to spend on things I want to achieve or experience. Sobriety is the foundation for this.”

This message resonates with me deeply.

Andrew Huberman:

“(alcohol) effectively acts as a poison, leading to cellular stress and damage.
alcohol consumption of different amounts impacts inflammation, stress, neurodegeneration, and cancer risk and negatively impacts the gut microbiome, brain thickness, hormone balance, mood and feelings of motivation.
Indeed, even low-to-moderate alcohol consumption negatively impacts the brain and body in direct ways.”

Marc Andreesen:

“Unfortunately, in recent years, it’s become clear that most or all—probably all— of the scientific studies on the benefits of alcohol are fake.
I got tired of dragging during the day, and discovered through experimentation that even a single drink the night before was interfering with the next day.”

Chinese Proverb:

“The best cure for drunkenness is to observe a drunken person when you are sober.”

George Mack:

“The 2 main reasons people quit alcohol: The pain of a hangover is greater than the pain of missing out. Or the pleasure of a sober day is greater than the pleasure of a drunken night.”

Never would’ve thought it possible, but I’ve been living in a way that the pleasure of my sober days are often greater than the pleasure of a drunken night.

“The envy you have when seeing people have their first 3 drinks quickly fades when you see them having their last 3 drinks.”

Alex Hormozi:

“(Alcohol) is just a net negative from a money perspective.
Not saying it’s not fun. Just saying it’s not productive. And productive is the goal.
(When I stopped drinking) I realized no one cared if I stopped drinking or not. And anyone who did quickly stopped being someone I even wanted to hang out with.”

My Soul:

Thoughts to this effect have often surfaced in my mind over the past year:

“Why are you still doing this? You can be a great writer, salesperson, and athlete. You can become truly wealthy. But alcohol is the main poisonous distraction that halts your progress, costs you money and peace of mind, and leads to you losing self-control. Stop being a fucking dumbass. Cut it out for some time and see how much less of a fucking dumbass you become.”

Read carefully please.

I bet the most common question people will ask me over and over will be: “why not just drink a little then?”

I first had alcohol poisoning when I was 13, and have had it on multiple occasions.
When I was 14, I remember saying my ‘pet peeve’ was only drinking a little, and that its stupid to not get blackout. 14 years old I said that.
I never met my dad’s dad. Guess what one of the biggest reasons why was?
I’ve gotten into serious trouble while being too drunk. Like, real trouble. On multiple occasions. If you know me, you know.
I’ve even passed drunk outside, and woken up at 5 AM, leaning up against a light pole on a street in Worcester.

Enough.

I don’t have a ‘drinking problem’ in the sense that I ever feel like I need to drink. Never. But the devil on my shoulder once alcohol is in my bloodstream is the most persuasive person I’ve ever met. He convinces me to do and say crazy things even when I know he’s capping. And I’m just so sick of being hungover. Who said it, you know, something like “I’m tired of being tired of being tired.”

I’m really just curious to see what my life will be like if I’m not drunk or hungover all the time. I don’t want to be dogmatic about it; and this is the only time I’ll write about this. I have no intention of becoming an anti-alcohol crusader. Especially because it’s highly likely that when I’m older, I’ll want to slam some Guinnesses with the guys or relax and enjoy a glass of red wine with a beautiful lady.

But right now, going forward as a 22 year old fresh out of college, I want to discover how much more productive, strong, focused, and creative I can be.

I want to see what I’m capable of.

Tempus Fugit

There’s this idea that, on your final day on Earth, you’ll meet the greatest version of yourself, who you could’ve been.

My biggest fear is that I’ll see some renaissance-statue looking man, full of wisdom and joy, sporting an impressive set of skills, with a loving family of his own, shaking his head at me. Shaking his head at a version of me that’s a weak, foolish, man, corrupted and destroyed by alcoholism, impulsive pleasure, short-term thinking, and a lack of purpose.

I won't let that happen. When I meet him, we won’t be that different.