I was good at drinking. I could hold my drink, rarely showing signs of merriment until late into the evening, and I was not aggressive – I was more of a hugger than a fighter. I did not have an alcohol problem, I was not dependent, so I enjoyed alcohol’s company every week for over three decades. Our friendship was rock solid so I could not see myself leaving the side my lifetime companion, ever. Yet, when I started to question if alcohol was indeed a good friend, things got ugly resulting in our relationship fracturing. We separated two years ago and, even though I have periods where I mourned the loss of our friendship, I am better off without it in my life. 

When I decided to take a break from alcohol, by setting myself a seven-day abstinence challenge, I could not have imagined that I would stay on the wagon for so long. I understood that alcohol was harmful, if drunk irresponsibly, but I was in control, so I did not think that the liquid was affecting me in a negative way. I was oblivious to what was really happening to my mind, body and soul and continued travelling the merriment path with my mate booze for years. It was not until my awakening that the reality of my situation presented itself.   

The cold reality of spending so much time with my best friend was a weakening of my mind, body and soul. I experienced disrupted sleep, brain fog, lethargy, low energy and the lack of motivation to do any personal projects the more I consumed alcohol. To make matters worse, my weight ballooned to a hefty 16.7 stone (106 kg/234 lb) making me look middle-aged and old. Something needed to change but little did I know how hard or rewarding the journey would be for me. 

As I moved through the challenges, I set myself, I started to reclaim precious time, clarity of mind and the conviction to get disciplined about my health and follow through with my ideas. The Last Drop is testament to my change of mindset and walking away from alcohol. Authoring a book has been an enjoyable experience, as it is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but I also hope that it helps other people on their journey who are questioning their relationship with the booze, be that taking a break for a while, cutting back on the volume or quitting for good. If The Last Drop helps in anyway as you travel your path, then the work to get this book published will be the cheery on the cake.