Welcome to the AFF Newsletter on Substack.
Someone recently asked me why I write what I write, so I wanted to give you a quick explanation.
I share my experience with alcohol and sobriety because I want to inspire other dads to get sober and keep fellow fathers in recovery.
After battling alcohol for over 20 years, I’ve got a lot of stories to share and although the message can be quite heavy at times, I write with transparency and honesty so that I can help others who are where I used to be.
In the past, I've shared about how close I was to committing suicide. I've spoken about the losses I’ve experienced and I've also shared theories about alcohol and demons.
And I'm sure there's a lot more I can share that would be considered dark. But I don't do it for shock value or for sympathy.
https://twitter.com/AFFathers/status/1676264316029345800?s=20
I share these things because I've been to some dark places when I was drinking and made it out the other side - thanks to sobriety.
In sobriety, I've been close to rock bottom and survived without a drink, because of the tools I’ve learned along the way.
Quitting alcohol is the best decision I ever made.
For those that have followed me for a while, you know I always try to highlight the blessings that sobriety has given me so it’s not all ‘doom and gloom’.
And over the years I've tried to lay it all out there, bit by bit, in the hopes that people would relate to my testimony.
Thankfully, people have latched onto my message at the exact time they needed to hear it and I’ve managed to help a lot of people.
But I know that I can't stop now, despite how much social media and the digital world frustrate me.
I have to continue despite others trying to bring me down, refusing to support me or trying to distract me.
I will continue to spread the message of sobriety because I know the importance of ditching booze.
It saved my life.
And I know it can save others too.
Before I go, I wanted to express my gratitude to Dana Leigh Lyons for featuring this newsletter in her SoberStack resources.
For anyone interested in diving into my old newsletter, you can find the Birth of Clarity archive here.
I’m sure I will share some of those articles here in the future.
I hope that my message can continue to help dads overcome alcohol addiction, allowing them to actively engage in their children’s lives; shaping a legacy of sobriety and love.
One last thing, the AFFATHERS website is now live. I’ve curated all AFF content so it’s in one place. Please check it out and let me know what you think.
Take care and have a great day,
Writing about addiction and sobriety saved me, too! Thank goodness!