I haven’t had a drink of alcohol in four years, and I wanted to share why I made the decision to remove that habit from my life entirely. When I imagine what the world would look like at its best, I don’t see alcohol or any narcotic drugs being present. Why would we need those things to help us create some sort of fantasy for ourselves, when reality would be true, beautiful and amazing? That is what alcohol and narcotics are typically used for: to escape the challenges of everyday life and to allow us to temporarily live in a fantasy. That is why I drank back in high school. Simply, I was unhappy with my life and I wanted to fill the void inside in the best way that society showed me how. I looked forward to the idea of letting go of my stresses and to just be free to go crazy. The one very frustrating thing though, and I am being completely honest when I say this, is that after each party or bar run I would feel just as terrible. I would wonder, “Why didn’t that make me feel any bette