How I Watch The NFL Playoffs.
I’ve always been a big fan of the NFL (my team shall remain nameless as they haven’t won a title in my lifetime) and I especially love watching the playoffs and the Super Bowl each year.
Before I stopped drinking, these playoff weekends would be a blur. I would typically get together with as large a group as possible (Casinos made for a great venue) and drink, do drugs, gamble, and eat with reckless abandon. I think the typical depressive feelings that I always have in January (now known as Seasonal Affect Disorder…or SAD) also led me to try to get as “high” as possible on these game days. Without fail, the crash from these days was horrible and I would spend the next few days (or entire week) feeling incredibly remorseful and disappointed in myself.
So, what’s changed?
This past weekend was by all accounts one of the most epic NFL playoff weekends of all time. All four games were crazy, down to the wire nail biters. The league and the networks couldn’t have scripted them any better.
On Saturday, I watched the games while cooking dinner and hanging out with my family. The TV was on, but I wasn’t locked in. Honestly, I only (kind of) watched the first half of the second game. I had big plans for Sunday, so I was looking forward to that.
Sunday, I got together with 15-20 other guys and settled in for some serious viewing. On the menu we had
- Mac ‘n Cheese Bites,
- Four different flavors of wings,
- Mozzarella Sticks, and
- Pizza from Pepe’s.
None of us were drinking or doing drugs. All of us were thoroughly enjoying both the games as well as each other’s company. There was the typical joking around and belly laughs to go along with the screams and oohs and ahhs that came along with watching the games.
I had a moment late in the first game (epic comeback falls short, Brady goes home) where I looked around the house and felt extremely grateful. Grateful that one of my favorite weekends of the year STILL WAS but WITHOUT all the negative consequences. Grateful that I had a crew of guys that all wanted to get together and watch the same way I did. Grateful that being in recovery didn’t mean I had to give up any of the things I love to do.
Be well,
Trey Laird
Founder, CEO
The Lighthouse
