Hangovers and Kids Don't Mix
AFF Newsletter on Substack #11
Welcome to the AFF Newsletter on Substack.
How many of you read the title of this article and nodded your head?
Every time I think about this statement I nod to myself because I remember how bad my hangovers were.
I suffered from some terrible hangovers.
Thankfully, I didn’t have too many years as a father before I quit drinking.
To be honest, I was ready to quit before my son arrived. I had been done with drinking for a long time prior to his arrival, but I didn’t know how to quit.
I thought I’d hit rock bottom. I thought I’d tried everything.
But I still had further to fall before pure desperation kicked in and I was forced to really try everything.
It wasn't until a couple of years into my recovery that I realised how much of a blessing hangover-free parenting was.
My son has always had a tremendous amount of energy and is pretty much constant from the moment he opens his eyes.
So as you can imagine, parenting an active toddler while battling a horrendous hangover would not have been fun.
I'm grateful that I didn't have to do much of it.
Sadly, there are still dads trying to parent their kids constantly hungover.
If this is you, please consider how much easier you will make your life as a father by cutting out booze.
Not only will you avoid having to parent with a hangover but you will also be more engaged as a dad, build better bonds with your kids and create a positive future & lasting legacy.
However, as I know from my own experience, quitting alcohol can be easier said than done, but there is always hope.
“If I can do it then you can too.”
My advice would be to really try everything:
Try cold turkey.
Try willpower.
Try challenging yourself.
Try rehab.
Try AA.
Try addiction counselling.
Try the Alcohol Free Fathers Community.
Try Celebrate Recovery.
Try listening to sobriety podcasts.
Try replacement therapy.
Try reading sobriety books.
Try EVERYTHING.
And when you’ve REALLY tried everything, try them again if you need to.
It took me years to finally quit, but when I did, I was blessed with a new sense of life as a father - a life where I’m not having to parent with a hangover!
Let me know your experiences by replying below.
Take care and have a great day,