5 Promises Alcohol Made Me (Hint: They Were All Lies)

Alcohol can promise you the world. That’s how it reels you in. But for everything it promises, it falls short in delivering, and any relief it does offer is extremely temporary.

Here’s how alcohol deceived me – and how sobriety swooped in to pick up the pieces:

Promise #1 – An Awesome Personality

This one was a big one for me. Throughout my childhood, I was always known as the shy one, and I came to believe that this was a bad thing. Alcohol allowed me to break free from my social inhibitions, and with one glass of wine, I could suddenly transform into someone I always wanted to be: sexy, confident, and witty.

Yet, alcohol also brought out some unbecoming characteristics of my personality, namely anger and meanness. So many times the morning after I’d awake with memories of how I’d embarrassed myself the night before with drunken outbursts.

Today, waking up with regret is a thing of the past. Being sober allows me to remain in control of my actions and gives me the ability to communicate effectively and maturely.

Promise #2 – Massive Productivity

Law school required a lot of studying – both day and night. Typically, I’d take a glass of wine over to my laptop and sip while I was reading my textbooks, convinced that alcohol gave me sharper focus and the ability to retain more information. But ultimately it just left me feeling sluggish, lethargic, and tired.

Now I freelance in addition to holding down a full-time job, and often have to work nights to complete all my assignments. The great part is that now I never wake up with that sinking feeling that I didn’t make a deadline the night before.

Promise #3 – All the Happiness in the World

I remember all those nights getting ready to go out – the excitement of the unknown and not knowing (or caring) where the night would take us. But deep down, I was so unhappy with myself and where I was headed in life. Alcohol might have masked this fear temporarily, but the next morning would never fail to disappoint: I’d wake up feeling depressed and alone.

Only through being sober was I able to carve my own path in life and move forward in the direction I wanted to go, ultimately achieving true happiness.

Promise #4 – Tons of Sleep

Growing up, I always had problems with falling asleep. So when I started drinking, I convinced myself that alcohol eased me to sleep quicker than a night without. And even though I conked out almost immediately, I woke up numerous times during the night, ultimately getting a lot of interrupted sleep time.

Now that I’m sober, I wake up feeling refreshed and, more importantly, without the fear of having to deal with a killer hangover.

Promise #5 – Lasting Emotional Relief

Alcohol was always my go-to when something went wrong in my life (bad test score or a bad breakup). I used it as an escape, as well as a crutch to get through the dark moments. But looking back, I realized that alcohol was the source of my all my pain. Every bad thing that happened to me was usually tied to alcohol.

Only through putting down the bottle – once and for all – was I able to achieve true serenity and peace of mind.