8 Former Alcoholics Reveal Eye-Opening Lessons on Overcoming Addiction

“I didn’t realize I had a problem until I tried to stop.”

Joe Schrank began to struggle with alcohol in his late teens. At age 25, Schrank was diagnosed with depression, and that’s when he realized how dependent on drinking he had become: His antidepressant medication stipulated that he couldn’t drink while taking the pills. “I didn’t realize I had a problem until I tried to stop,” he says. “Alcohol was playing a huge role in my life, and I had run out of reasons to deny it was an issue.”

Schrank has now been sober for more than 20 years and recently founded High Sobriety, an alcohol rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles. To beat his addiction, Schrank turned to exercise and local Alcoholic Awareness meetings. “Overcoming alcoholism is like weeding, you have to stay on top of it or you’ll have a yard full of weeds in a second,” he says. “Working out is key for me; in spite of my dad bod, I do love the gym. The team approach of AA has also been critical. The men in the program offer consistent and reliable support, and that really helps.” Above all, he says his two sons are his greatest motivator. “As a kid, I loathed my father’s drinking and self-destructive behaviors. Neither of my boys have seen me drink, and I want to keep that streak going.” Find out what safe drinking looks like.