December 28, 2014 started perfectly:
• Epic enduro riding with fast friends
• Sunny lunch, quick change at home
• ‘Sundowner’ with a friend that turned into heavy drinking and many, many laughs
Then I made that one stupid decision to drive home.
Blue lights. Police stop. Car impounded.
And there I was – in a Spanish jail cell.
Let me tell you about Spanish jail cells:
A concrete slab for a bed. A hole for a toilet.
And December nights? They’re really cold.
Sleepless, I had a conversation with myself that changed everything:
“What the F*** are you doing, Robin?”
Living in sunny Spain, running a successful business, surrounded by friends who loved to drink as well –
I’d become what the textbooks call “A Heavy Drinker.” (I looked it up 😉 )
Sure, I had stories. Epic ones.
(Nobody starts a great story with “So I was having this salad…”)
But lying there in the cold, one question hit harder than all others:
“Is this the example you want to set for your 7-year-old daughter?”
That was it.
One question.
One moment.
One decision.
I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since.
10 years. Zero drinks.
From heavy drinker to total abstainer.
One decision.
Here’s what I learned:
You’re always just one decision away from completely changing your life.
And here’s the thing – you don’t need a jail cell moment to make that decision.
January 1st is coming.
You already know what needs to change.
You feel it in your gut.
That thing that’s holding you back?
One decision.
That’s all it takes.
Make it.
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