I was an alcoholic for 10 years, and only in the last year have I cleaned up. Life is finally worth living again, and the difference is night and day. Unless someone has been through addiction, it can be really hard to relate. I always think back to passing out at half time of the BYU/Oklahoma game, and waking up with 30 seconds to go. That was the ultimate high and low, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, rock bottom is often what it takes. I wasted my entire 30s, and went through unimaginable hell. Fortunately, I was able to work my tail off with my business as a drunk. Now, I've taken those skills and I'm a super star. But that's not the path I'd have wanted to take.

Great insight on the picture you painted!