Courage 10/31/2019
Letters to TS #1
Right now you are scared. You’re scared about embarking on a journey that will change your life forever. That is, if you complete it. This is a hero’s story. The hero goes on a quest and along the way is reborn into a new being. The quest is daunting. There will be many traps, many snares, and many battles fought. People will be lost along the way. Close people, friends, and loved ones will be lost, but the hero must continue the journey. The reward at the end is too great a prize to let go. The hero must see it to the end. You, my dear TS, are the hero.
Like all heroes, at least the believable ones, there is fear and uncertainty. So what are you really scared about? That you will lose your social status? You can’t tell me that your friends will leave you if you make the choice not to drink alcohol. If they leave you, what kind of friends were they really? They may have been fun to be around, but they were never true friends.
Are you afraid that you can’t relax at the end of the day without a drink to knock off the edge? It is understandable, but that is only because you have conditioned your mind and body to believe this. You can condition yourself toward another behavior. You can find a healthy substitute.
But what if you can’t sleep without alcohol? Falling into oblivion before bed is not the kind of sleep your body needs. If you want to sleep better at night, find a better alternative. How about getting up early, staying productive during the day, and wearing yourself out physically to cure your insomnia? You won’t know unless you try.
You imagine all these fears if you stop drinking, but none of them are worth fearing. In truth, they may be the best things that ever happened to you. What you should fear is what will happen to you if you keep drinking. You have admitted that you cannot stop after one drink. Going to excess every day is going to kill you. You have already seen the changes in your skin and physical appearance. What you cannot see are the changes internally. Organs are hard to replace. You can’t afford new ones, and there is no guarantee that you will live long enough to receive donated ones. Fear the consequences of going back to your old ways, because it will lead to your destruction.
Resolve in your mind that you can get through this. Realize that you are not alone. The hero has friends, and some of them will be faithful to the end. We can walk with you, but we cannot walk for you. You will have to direct your own steps. When you accept that you are able to accomplish this trial, which will be one of the greatest ones you will ever have to endure (and one of the most rewarding ones), you will realize there is nothing to fear. Be the hero of your own story.
-TF
When a man has quietly made up his mind that there is nothing he cannot endure, his fear leaves him. – Grove Patterson
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