Is there a moment in your life that forced you to look at things differently?

That's easy. January 10th, 2016. My sobriety date ... They say that you don't know that you were in denial until you're out of it - and that was the day that I stopped being in denial about the fact that I had a problem with drugs and alcohol.

One of the things that I heard early on at a 12-Step meeting that really resonated with me was between the time someone struggling with addiction spends planning to drink or get high, drinking or getting high, or recovering from drinking or getting high, there is often little or no time left in the day for much else. And when I made the decision to get sober, the amount of time that I got back was staggering.

I had the time to become a better husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. I had the time to become a better colleague and mentor. I had the time to develop a daily Gratitude practice. I had the time to get more serious about meditation, cycling, and yoga. I had the time to follow my passion and become an Entrepreneur. And I had the time to try to help others struggling with addiction.

The other day my father told me how proud he was of me for "abstaining" for the past 3+ years and I said thanks but told him that I don't look at what I'm doing as restraining myself from doing or enjoying anything. Rather, every day I choose sobriety - not because of how bad things were when I was using drugs and alcohol, but because of how much better they've gotten since I stopped.