What’s ironic? The very person who once pushed me to quit drinking is now the same one nudging me to take a break from this “no-alcohol” streak, as if it was only ever meant to be temporary.
But I don’t feel offended. I don’t feel annoyed. I know it was a sincere gesture, just an offer made without malice. Even I am surprised—my original goal was just 365 days of sobriety. But now? I want more. I want more than a year. I want a lifetime.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Now that alcohol is no longer in my system, the clarity I experience every day is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I realize I’ve been missing myself for so long. It feels as if, after years of being lost, I have finally reconnected with the person I was always meant to be. And that feeling? Liberating.
I have reclaimed my life. I have a life.
And because of that, I am setting another goal—one that will push me beyond my limits. But before that, let me take a moment to honor what I’ve already achieved.
Physically, this is the strongest, fittest, and most confident version of myself that I have ever seen. And just as I refuse to relapse into alcohol, I have no intention of stopping this “alindog program.” In three years, I’ll be hitting 40, and I want to walk into that milestone with the physique of King Leonidas from 300. Laugh all you want, doubt me if you must—but watch me. I will prove it. Again and again and again.
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Bagehot
Now, for my third goal:
I will finish my novel.
For over a year, I have poured my soul into writing. It’s hard. Harder than I ever expected. I’ve written countless drafts, only to throw most of them away. But after completing the prologue and first chapter, I know—I can do this. Just as I fought for sobriety, just as I built my body from the ground up, I will fight to finish this book.
One year. I am giving myself one year.
I don’t care how many nights I spend rewriting, revising, and throwing pages away. If I can write ten times a week but walk away satisfied with just one piece, that’s already a victory.
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” – Stephen King
This blog will be my witness. You will be my witness. And above all, I will be my own witness—because I refuse to betray myself again.
I will stay sober. I will stay fit. And I will finish my book.
Mark my words.
