About Me

Early Years

Born in 1962 in Atlanta, GA, my life took a challenging turn when my parents divorced when I was ten. My mother remarried, but unfortunately, her choice brought more turmoil than tranquility. My stepfather, often nursing hangovers after spending nights at the Ramada Inn bar, created a toxic environment through his physical and verbal abuse. Amidst this chaos, I sought refuge in athletics and through friends and teammates, extending my family circle beyond the confines of my troubled home.

Education and Career

Despite these early hardships, I graduated from high school in 1980 and college in 1984. I started a successful career in various roles across technology companies, including Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service. In January 2023, I left my job to pursue my own interests.

My Addiction Battle

My first encounter with alcohol was at 14, but it was during my college years that alcohol took a firm hold. My career’s success paralleled an escalating addiction to alcohol, downing nearly two bottles of vodka daily in the last stretch and a series of attempts to quit drinking spanning 22 years. In 2018, I finally broke free from the clutches of addiction after over two decades of struggle.

Recovery

The early days of recovery were a whirlwind of emotions and challenges. I grappled with the absence of my “BFF” – alcohol – and learned to navigate life’s complexities sober. This journey wasn’t just about abstaining but rebuilding and redefining myself. Today, at 61, I stand in the happiest phase of my life, having moved from mere survival to thriving, embodying personal growth beyond sobriety.

Since October 2019, my journey has taken a new direction as I began hosting the Nashville Monday SMART Recovery meeting. Over 400 meetings later, both as a facilitator and a participant, I gained invaluable insights into the nature of addiction and recovery. These meetings have been pivotal in understanding the diverse experiences and challenges faced by people battling addiction.

About Life Beyond the Bottle

While hosting and attending SMART meetings was rewarding and helpful, I needed to do more. As mentioned above, I left my job in January 2023 to pursue my own interests. Initially, these interests centered around making money online through blogs and YouTube channels. While I learned a lot from these endeavors, none were successful. While disappointed with the lack of success, my work set the stage for creating Life Beyond the Bottle in October 2023.

Life Beyond the Bottle – The Addiction Recovery Workbook – The Resource I Wish I Had

Like many people, I tried unsuccessfully to quit drinking countless times. While some attempts were half-assed, there were five genuine efforts that I achieved up to three months of sobriety. During these periods, I often found myself wishing for a more comprehensive resource that offered not just insights into addiction but also practical exercises and tools for recovery.

Life Beyond the Bottle – The Addiction Recovery Workbook was born out of that desire. I wanted to share the knowledge, experience, and strategies I gained during my recovery journey. It’s designed to be the resource I longed for during those earnest attempts at sobriety: straightforward, accessible, and equipped with actionable tools to guide anyone struggling with addiction.

Life Beyond the Bottle – The Website

As I neared completion of the workbook, two things occurred to me. First, I needed a platform to promote and sell it. Second, I could do even more by offering products focused on different stages of recovery (e.g., early recovery and bouncing back from relapse), recovery journals, and targeted addiction recovery articles. With these two things in mind, I designed and built the Life Beyond the Bottle website. Here’s what you can find on the site:

• Guides and articles to understand and overcome addiction
• How to combat triggers, urges, and cravings
• How to reimagine and rebuild your life
• Addiction recovery workbooks and journals
• Inspirational stories and articles
• Life Beyond the Bottle merchandise to wear your recovery proudly

My Mission

I hate addiction. If it doesn’t kill you, and it probably will, it destroys your life and the lives of those you love.

I believe unequivocally that you can break free from the chains of addiction. You can fight the addiction monster and win.

My mission is to help you win the battle with addiction and take back your life. I want you to know that change is possible. With this in mind, I am committed to providing the resources you need on your path to recovery.