Today marks 11 years sober.

At 2:33 a.m. on August 2, 2015, I put down a glass of rum and made the decision to stop destroying my life.

Since that moment, I have not had a drink. I have not smoked marijuana. I have not taken narcotics, even when they were prescribed. There has never been a “just one,” a special occasion, a temporary exception, or a different substance used to make the same old escape acceptable.

Not one relapse.

Eleven years does not mean every day was easy. It means the decision stayed stronger than the hard days. It means I kept the line when life hurt, when I was angry, when I was exhausted, when I lost people, when jobs broke me down, and when escape would have been easier than facing reality.

Sobriety was the first decision. Rebuilding my life has been the work ever since.

I rebuilt my health. I rebuilt my marriage. I rebuilt trust. I became present for my family. I learned how to work, train, lead, build, and live without needing something to numb me first.

I am not sober because I got lucky.

I am sober because I drew a line 11 years ago and have refused to step back across it.

No alcohol. No narcotics. No marijuana. No substitutions. No technicalities. No relapse.

Eleven years sober.

Never go back.