Story

On December 16, 2023, I received my first OWI (Operating While Intoxicated); it was the worst and best day of my life at 58 years of age. I learned two valuable lessons that faithful night, first is the fact that I am human and I make mistakes, even at an age where I should know better. Secondly, God is real, and despite falling short of his grace, He was with me from start to finish throughout the entire process. I was in the wrong, but the situation could have turned catastrophic or tragic.

I stopped drinking alcohol on Christmas Day, 2023, and have not drunk a single drop of alcohol since that date. God made that my anniversary date in HIS honor, plus the birth of Jesus Christ, will always be a reminder, and I give all the glory to God for saving me. I vowed to pay it forward and to help others who may have had a similar experience, but I hope to educate people on the importance of not drinking and driving, and I will be sharing my story publicly in 2025.

I met all my legal obligations, and now it is time to honor my word and God and speak to all who will listen to my message. I plan on starting a consulting business, plus providing a class for people to meet their legal obligations as I did. The ignorance, humiliation, negligence, and blatant disregard for the law were an eye-opener for me; the deeper and more real perspective for me was that I could have killed someone, an individual, a family, or possibly myself. That is incentive enough for me to abstain from drinking ever again, and keep in mind, I awoke on Christmas Day 2023 and stopped drinking “Cold Turkey,” thank God.

Sober living has changed my life for the better, and I still enjoy life just as much; there simply is zero alcohol in the equation, and it has been a blessing as I continue to learn and share my story with others.