9 months and 8 days into sobriety and on the weekend I crossed the finish line of my first full Ironman triathlon (Ironman New Zealand) which consists of a 3.8km Swim, 180km Bike and 42.2 km marathon run over 11 and a half hours.
If you had of told me 9 months ago that I would be where I am in life I would have laughed. I was 20kg heavier, addicted to alcohol and nicotine and had no self confidence or self esteem. But slowly and surely I took it one day at a time and stayed in the fight to try and do something that I could be proud of.
When I drank alcohol my life consisted of a period of 7 day windows, ending each week with a gloomy depressing hungover Sunday. I never had the ability to stick to long term plans or goals because alcohol would always come first. Little did I know that if I put the same amount of time and energy into something positive and meaningful the benefits would compound and sobriety would become so much easier.
Biggest piece of advice I could give anyone trying to quit drinking - find something to work towards that makes you feel like you are a person worth knowing. It doesn’t matter if you fail, it’s the process of getting there that made me feel amazing.
Pictures of June 2020 while drinking and March 2021 alcohol free.
What??? Who is that guy, lol? Wow Very proud of you… and in agreement with you. I am a runner now and never even went for a walk when I was married. Then I started drinking and hardly moved… I was able to find motivation in myself for the first time… competing with ME… now I’m running 13 miles, im still shocked and can’t believe myself, lol. And you are a prime example of how this thing can work. When we believe in ourselves I think anything is possible, thanks for reminding me. I needed to read your story this morning.
I can still be hard on myself! I gotsta quit that, lol Keep up the great work.
You are quite simply, an absolute inspiration!!! What you have achieved is proof that if you want to truly change your life anyone can do it if they want it bad enough. Throught commitment, dedication and hardwork. Just WOW, man. WOW!!
I’m on my own personal path of achieving greatness too. Nothing, especially alcohol is going to get in my way (like it has in the past) again. That may sound kind of corny, but its true. Im not setting out to be #1 in any in particular race wise, but I want to become the best version (happy and healthy) of me that I can achieve. I’m 46 (will be 47 soon) and I’m done wasting my years away.
Thank you for sharing your journey and accomplishment!! Im going to get to hydrating now so I can get my workout in for the day.
Thank you for the kind words. You can absolutely do anything you put your mind to physically or mentally. I’ve learnt that how you handle the setbacks are what determine your success.
Wow! Nicotine, alcohol and then Ironman, in such a short period! You’re a hero! It’s amazing what you’ve done with that amount of energy used before by vices. (And this is only the begining of the road, I’m sure)
You are very welcome! You deserve all the congrats and kind words as you have made such a huge life changing decision for the betterment of your future. I love it!
Absolutely congratulations on the achievement and transformation, you’re looking good and healthy and in incredible shape, kudos to you my friend. Well done for unveiling the athletic ability.
You’ve given that addiction to something much healthier and you can always go deeper into fitness and keep competing, who knows where that road is going to take you, keep up the hard work, stay sober stay strong
Thanks for the kind words everyone. It’s important to note that you CAN turn it around quickly with the 1 day at a time mentality. I will continue in this journey and keep excersizing in order to see how much better I can get.
One thing worth mentioning is that I read a book very early on called Mindset by Carol Dweck which I attribute a large amount of my change in attitude towards failure and growth to. One of the single most life changing books I have ever read. If you are looking for a bit of ‘success juice’ to infuse into your progress I would highly recommend soaking up the pages. It may just be the info you need right now.
Keep up the great work.
