“I Was Numbing My Pain And Discomfort” ~ Xstop Writing!
“As kids, you see your parents drink, have fun, be goofy, and then think, I get to do that one day.” J.W. Collier would have never imagined that one of his largest struggles in life would have included, putting down the bottle. #addiction #recovery #sobriety
J.W was bred from a family of drinkers. He vividly remembers “sneaking drinks at the age of 12 just to see what it’s about”. The taste of the fun substance wasn’t fun at all yet, everyone else was doing it so there must be a reason why. Family functions were much more fun when alcohol was involved and this was definitely noticed by the young eyes of Collier.
As he got older, J.W watched his older brothers as they conquered high school high and drunk understanding; “There was no reason not to do it, only reasons to do it”.
“I must have been about 12 years old when my neighbor had asked me to babysit.” Collier continued; “I agreed and I remember this so clear; When I got there, he told me that there was a fridge full of beer and to help myself. Well, I did and I drank until I passed out”.
While in high school, drinking basically became an elective, an “I want more of that”. It was normal for Collier to drink before a school dance followed by drinking to “oblivion”. Collier kept his act together enough to graduate and eventually joined the military. Young Military days meant even more drinking, to the point of danger. Collier vividly remembers waking from a night of peaceful slumber, on railroad tracks, under a train. Life had crashed to a new level which was still unknown to this struggling soul.
As life went on, female connections were made, so Collier adjusted his drinking to his partners approval. If his partner drank heavily, he drank heavily. Since he had the ability of being able to cut back when he needed to or simply quit for a few weeks, the thought of having an issue or addiction was not a consideration for J.W.
Finally, J.W had met his current love, bestfriend, and soul mate but, there’s an issue, she’s a drinker too! Life went on and the duo continued life...drunk. They eventually question themselves as to why they continue to drink the way that they do. Could it have anything to do with their past? Questioning their drinking and addiction, the drunken duo would stop for a month here and there yet, the cd was on repeat.
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“She traveled a lot for work and I was home alone. My drinking was out of control to the point where I would get home from work and drink until I passed out.” Collier continued; “I knew that I was only one DUI or one bad decision away from hitting my rock bottom. I feel lucky and I'm fortunate”.
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Collier and his beautiful wife discuss and conclude that their drinking must stop, stat. J.W attended therapy and made the decision to not only quit drinking but to terminate nicotine as well. Wifey did amazing at this challenge but Collier, he struggled a bit. It took a little while but he eventually made the final decision to join his wife and terminate alcohol from his being.
The Collier family were on the way to Colorado for a family vacation when J.W ultimately came to the conclusion that he would immediately stop drinking. Day one of no alcohol wasn’t too shabby but by day two, he needed a distraction. Collier explained; “I had always wanted to write so, now seemed like the perfect time. I began a blog to document my journey to sobriety”.
J.W remained faithful to therapy as well as his road to sobriety by documenting, via blog, his journey for 30 days. “Once the 30 day mark hit, I didn’t wanna quit writing, so I decided to continue writing until I reached the 101 day mark.” Collier continued; “After 101 days of writing, I just really wanted to keep going. I wanted to be there and available for those struggling, so I started a podcast (streams every Monday and Thursday) as well as a sober group on Facebook. This has been the most incredible experience”. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sobermilitia2020
During COVID, J.W has kept himself extremely busy by writing two books, one of which is a memoir! His memoir is a book which is focused on a compilation of his recovery blogs and reflections. Remaining focused, J.W is determined to find answers as to, why some find sobriety “easy” while others struggle. He continues to study cognitive behavioral therapy for answers. Collier explained; “Sobriety was easy for me, I want to find out what the difference is with my sobriety and why”.
After reading The Naked Mind by Annie Grace, Collier’s perception of his relationship with alcohol had changed dramatically. Collier remembered one major key point from the book; “Alcohol is the only drug you have to make an excuse not to do”.
Collier has successfully conquered his addiction to alcohol and in return, he is helping addicts globally. Make sure you tune into XStop Writing, podcasts every Monday and Thursday. J.W has one main goal which includes, “letting go of the negative notions surrounding sobriety”. Not everyone has a smooth sailing journey to sobriety but, is it just your mindset? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuuQk0C5MJSVZzKBZuPT1hQ/
Collier has some amazing advice for those seeking a positive road to recovery.
1) “You have to let go of the negative notions surrounding sobriety. Shut out all negativity.”
2) “Go into sobriety with the mindset of, this is going to be easy. Don’t buy into the negative surrounding sobriety.”
3) “Find the positive stories and follow the positive track by keeping yourself open to new ideas.”
4) “As an addict, we already perceive ourselves negatively. Change your mindset by researching and trying out new things, sobriety doesn't have to be hard.”
J.W Collier is almost one year sober and continues to help those seeking a positive road to sobriety. Make sure you follow him as he continues to make a difference in the world we live in. Until next time… Stay Golden Team!
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