It would be an understatement to say that I had problems with drinking. Every day, after work, I would stop at the gas station across from the office to grab roadies for the 45-minute drive home. I had a nice buzz after drinking 2 on the way home. I would start drinking before noon on the weekends. I would jokingly say, “you can’t say you drank all day if you don’t start now!” I was taking to-go cups with mixed drinks to my son’s soccer games. I was pre-gaming for anything that involved leaving my house. While I held a good job and was able to afford nice things for my family, I still felt empty and broken inside. 

This was my life for years. Until it wasn’t. Until I made the best decision of my life to quit drinking and for good. 

Hi, I’m Molly Desch, I’m a single mom of 2 boys. I’ve been down this dark road, this lonely, drunken, sad road. Today, I can say all of my success, my indisputable feelings of self-worth, and my ability to time and time again bet on myself are all because of the simple choice I made to quit drinking. 

I bet on myself.

I took everything I had known for over 15 years of my life and traded it for the unknown. I was terrified. What was my life going to look like now? Will any of my friends still want to spend time with me? How will I navigate the corporate world where weekly invites to happy hours are all too prevalent? What are people going to think of me? Will I be fun anymore? Do I even have the strength to do this? How the hell am I going to do THIS?!

Once I quit drinking, I quickly became very tuned into how much our society normalizes drinking. It’s like when you buy a new car that is very unique, until you take it out on the road and seemingly everyone else has the same car! 

Well, It was the fall of 2019, football season in America. A time for bonfires and beers. I remember being sober during that first football game. I remember having my first sober Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Enter covid.

When everyone else in the world was drinking more, I was not drinking at all. The ads on the televisions for alcohol increased two-fold. Memes were spreading like wildfire on social media normalizing the new stay-home and drink culture that was erupting before our eyes. Restaurants were offering margaritas to-go. My neighbors were having parties in their driveway, honoring the 6-feet rule. Within the first few months of covid, alcohol sales increased by 20 – 40%. While that might not seem like a huge number, it’s roughly $10-16 billion!

During a time when everyone felt alone, helpless, and confined, I was white-knuckling my days to remain sober.

While I am not here to change your mind about alcohol or its scientifically proven addicting effects  and long-term physical damage it causes your body, I want you to know that for someone that is no more special than the next, betting on yourself is the best investment you can make in your life.

Every single person on the planet carries the will-power and know-how to improve their lives. Every single day you are allowed to choose. Every single day that you are gifted life, you are also gifted the ability of free will.

Whether you are taking a harder look at your drinking, or you realize you need to step up your game in your role as <insert self-identifying role>, ask yourself, “Why NOT today?”

The world will continue to spin, so why not bet on yourself today?

Sources: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20210824/liquor-store-sales-rose-during-pandemic