Jennifer Vogel

Why I Decided to Sober Up — But Not Quit Drinking Forever The Moment That Broke Me I remember the weekend it all hit. Tears wouldn't stop. Failure had me on the floor. I said, fuck the tears — I'm getting drunk. And damn, it felt good. That was the door I opened. One beer turned into two. Occasional turned into regular. Before I knew it, I was coping with life through the bottle without even realizing it. Spirits are seductive as hell. Cognac, whiskey, extra-aged tequila — they whisper pleasure, but the invisible label reads: I can give you joy, or I can possess you. Your choice. Last year, it finally clicked: I wasn't just enjoying a drink. I was numbing pain. Yes, men feel pain even men who find it hard to express feeling and i would add that it is even worse for men who like me lack empathy and feelings. The Pain We All Carry Look, everybody hurts. Some lost the love of their life, a child, a parent. Some watched their business explode like a cheap firecracker--I did. Careers flipped upside down by AI updates. Jobs gone. Then there's abuse. Physical — I've taken those hits. Maybe its verbal abuse from a hateful stepfather or a despicable mother. And rape... that's the deepest cut. My own mother was raped twice. She told me about that cab ride, the weapon, the violence, then getting thrown out like trash. That long walk home--I can only imagine her pain, her shame, her feeling helpless, alone, forgotten even by God. I can't imagine. I was five when I watched a man beat my mother. Helpless. I ran to her — he threw me across the room and then he three her against the bathroom sink, i heard her scream and felt utterly helpless. In that moment, tears in my eyes, I prayed to anybody listening: “I want to kill him.” I was 5. Some of you see those viral videos of kids screaming while mom and dad fight. Same helpless cry. Sometimes the pain is self-inflicted. I cheated. Ruined my marriage. Wounded my family. That sweet face turned to rage, disappointment, hurt. Shame hits different when you caused it. Divorce comes — and sometimes it's the only way out. And don't sleep on inner-city kids like me. I see you. I left home at 14. Been handling food, shelter, clothes ever since. How? Street pharmaceuticals. Stabbings, being shot at, jumped, beat up and marked for death with a 187. Those memories gave me PTSD. Yet they made me fearless — sometimes stupid fearless. I fear nothing except my own weakness. A 14-year-old alone on the streets is not becoming a man. He's surviving. That's pain. Survival is painful isnt it? Maybe that's the kids from the hood pray so hard — death's always close. How I Faced It: RUNNING Running saved me. Long runs — 15 miles sometimes. Yes I still ran 100 mile weeks while drinking. and Yeah, some of you have seen me run Austin on my “tequila days” where I'd drink and then pound the pavement. But moving my body forced the truth out: Damn, David, you're coping. You're running in pain. First step? Except myself. Sounds soft, almost sissified — saying “I love me” in the mirror. But try it. I did. Yes you will have to look at the mirror and be honest with what you see and you have to accept the insecurity, regret, failure, inadequacy... and the talent, potential, greatness too. That was very hard to do. There i was looking in a mirror accepting all of me, the good, the bad, the ugly. “I accept myself as I am, not as I wish to be. I love this version of me." Yes, loving the drunk version of you is absolutely important. and I remember the next thing I said "I refuse to insult those beautiful liqueurs with an addiction. There's pure pleasure in a rare, celebratory drink — real ones know what I mean." That acceptance hit like power. It gave me strength to say: DAY 1. My Way — Not the #SoberMovement Way I got ambitious goals that demand a clear head. So I quit drinking. I'm not joining the crowd screaming “never drink again.” That's bullshit temptation waiting to fail. I'm not lying to myself. I'm sobering up until I can have one drink without needing it to cope. Until I can face the good, the bad, the ugly — all of me — straight. How You Do It Don't swear off alcohol forever. Start with Day 1 — no drink today. Hit Day 2. Fail? Cool. Keep moving — run, lift, whatever. Then hit another Day 1. Have as many Day 1's as you need. One day Day 2 sticks. Day 3 is the killer — same as fasting. Push through. This was the hardest day for me and it may be the hardest for you. Expect it and when it comes, drink water like crazy and hold on but you can do it. Try the Dana White fast first if you want — three days clean sets you up nice. Whatever works. Just keep starting. One day you'll look up and realize you're free — not because you quit forever, but because you faced yourself and won. And when that celebratory drink finally comes? It'll taste like victory, not escape. #sober #NewYear2026 #resolutions #article #Success2026 #motivational #tequila #hood #hoodfights #cognac

Alongside @LJCenter, I have submitted an affidavit under Texas Election Code 273.001, triggering a criminal investigation into @dentonisd's illegal electioneering practices. The days of conservatives sitting idly by while left-wing activists run amok in our institutions and elections are over. We're fighting back. #SD30 #txlege