I DARE You To Have a Better New Year's Morning Than Me! Gonna start my year off with a beautiful experience! Crazy to think about how life sober compares to my years of drinking. The contrast is Night and Day.

Tomorrow morning I've planned a sunrise bicycle ride in below freezing temperatures to start my day. I will greet this year by watching the sun rise as I continue to work on my fitness goals, rather than nursing a hangover and all the regret that comes with it. When I get home, I'll be taking my wife and child out of town for a couple of days before we return to the regular grind of life and work. We're taking our dogs with us, with plans for lovely hikes in hilly country.

Every other year of my early adulthood, I spent this night getting as drunk as possible. If I was still drinking, I probably would have puked. My wife would have been super mad at me, and rightfully so. I'd wake up with a racing heart beat and try desperately to clean everything up before my family woke up. Instead of working out, I'd take us to a greasy diner for shitty food while I tried to figure out where the drunkeness ends and the hangover begins. The day would have been over before it started. I'd be sneaking drinks the rest of the day, and I'd think I was getting away with it - but my wife would have totally known, only serving to exacerbate our problems. I'd swear that since January 1st wasn't day 1, that January 2nd would be...well might be, but I'd have leftover booze stashed away, and that would make that less likely.

Each decision creates momentum one way or the other. I like sobriety a whole lot better.

Do yourself a favor, and if you plan on waiting for the new year to start your sobriety, get a jump on it today. There are better ways to spend New Years Day. Trust me.

IWNDWYT!