By: Michael Beiter

Today I celebrate four years without alcohol!

I have not had a drop of booze in my thirties.

Half a dozen people have credited me with helping them get sober.

Alan Carr's 'Quit Drinking Without Willpower' is the book I suggest people read to correct the many myths they've been taught about alcohol. Put simply, there are no health benefits.

I used a strategy I learned from a philosophy called hedonic calculation. Think of a cost-benefit T chart. Replace 'cost' and 'benefit' with 'pleasure' and 'pain.' You now have a tool for ethical decision-making.

For me, the pains produced directly from alcohol consumption and the tertiary pains from my decisions when drunk far outweighed the four to eight hours of 'pleasure' produced.

It sounds cheesy, but I'll tell you, writing and visualizing these things helps.

Anywho, that's how I did it and how I help others do it.

If you're struggling, please feel free to reach out. Nobody can do it alone. I'll help however I can. I'll attend meetings, listen to every story, show you alternatives, whatever.

Why? I watched alcohol and its effects contribute to the death of my dad and uncle, the unraveling of an entire family, and the erosion of generations of hard-won wealth. I'm passionate about preventing such pain for anyone who will listen.

Cheers!