When I thought about writing on this subject I didnt know

exactly what angle I should approach first. I knew that it was

definitely something that needed to be discussed, but to
what extent? This past April 7, 2015 will mark my 4 year
anniversary of being completely sober from ALL alcoholic
substances. For those who knew me when I use to drink,
they know the magnitude of this testimony. A lot of people
like to ask, Are you sober from just hard liquor, or
everything? My answer is EVERYTHING. To God be the glory.
I dont even have a taste for it anymore. Being a young
bachelor living in Los Angeles and finding myself on the
scene thats quite a testament for my sobriety. Im writing
you to encourage you via my testimony that alcohol sobriety
can be done. You too can have the victory.
First off, to be completely honest with you I really enjoyed
being intoxicated. Growing up in New Orleans the saying
goes, Let the good times roll, and that definitely applied to
me. It made me feel so free and energetic. It also mellowed
me out and made me a lot more flirty than usual. For those
who know me know that Im already a friendly peoples
person, so you can only imagine what a little alcohol courage
does for someone like myself. Once you start drinking for
some time, you also begin to find your preferred taste.
(These are my personal opinions) You know that drinking
dark liquor can make you more chill, calm, and relaxed. Clear
liquor on the other hand can make you very extra and over
the top. Alcohol has a way of numbing the pain. It makes you
forget about all your problems you have going on, and puts
you in a good space. I believe only natural things should
put you in a good space though. Like spending time with
your family, friends, working out, and of course the word of
God.
Some people are only social drinkers. The dictionary
definition of social drinking refers to casual drinking in a
social setting without the intent to get drunk. Usually social
drinkers are out drinking celebrating good news or some

type of accomplishment. They wouldnt dare call themselves

an alcoholic because its not considered to be that serious to
them. However, one can start off drinking socially, but in the
unfortunate event that something terrible happens in their
lives, one or two drinks can easily turn into five or six. Its
undeniable that unfortunate things are bound to happen in
our lives, however, that is not an excuse to use substances
to deal with those unfortunate circumstances. Alcohol can
make you feel like youre in a fairytale to get away from the
true feeling. That feeling can be described as LIFE! Some
people may go as far as to call alcohol a crutch.
Have you ever had that one dull friend thats just much more
funnier to be around while their intoxicated? Some even
blame it on the their lack of personality. I hate to say its true
but some people are really more fun and interesting when
theyre drinking. That is because alcohol loosens them up in
ways they wouldnt normally be. I am not saying that this is
right, but it is, in fact, true that alcohol helps enhance their
personalities. I personally think they should just tap into their
true selves and ask God to bring that out of them naturally.
Clearly its in them they just have to tap into it. Once again
alcohol brings along that good ole COURAGE!
Have you ever woke up and completely forgot what
happened the night before? Scary feeling right? Well this
happens all the time, but its just apart of the huge risk of
drinking. Or maybe you actually do remember what happen
and your totally embarrassed for your actions and theres
nothing you can do or say to undue what you did the night
before. People usually drink to wash away all of their sorrow,
but end up in more sorrow because of bad decisions they
made while being intoxicated. Luckily this has only happened
to me a few times in my life. God definitely bestowed his
grace and mercy on me while I was being a knucklehead.
Hopefully hell do the same for you, but I wouldnt bet on it. I
wouldnt take that risk and ask God to bail me out knowing I
wasnt walking upright. God bestows grace and mercy
however he feels. Favor on the other hand is for those who

are living right and taking care of Gods business. Ill take the
favor of God any day. Gods grace has been so clutch, I can
only imagine where I would be if it wasnt for his grace and
mercy.
Can you imagine the money you would save by not buying
alcohol? That should be a motivator there in itself. Its crazy
how expensive drinks are at the bars and clubs. I couldnt
fathom going back to paying $20 plus dollars for a drink at a
club or venue. The devil is very slick and cunning because he
will not only rob you from your normal state of mind, but also
rob you from your hard earned money. You wake up the next
day feeling horrible both physically and financially, because
you fell under the influence.
If you want to get the victory over something it first starts
with your consciousness. You have to begin making more
conscious decisions that will help you in your journey. Since I
started my sobriety journey I dont put myself in those
situations that I may find myself being tempted. To this day,
my mom still tells me Dont give the devil any place. This
simply means dont find yourself in situations where the
devil could possibly tempt you.(or when your Faith can be
comprised) If you know you JUST started your sobriety walk
then its not good for you to be around people that enjoys
drinking. Iron sharpens iron, especially when its something
your still trying to get the victory over. We all have those
friends that love to test our walk and really see how strong
our will is. Peer pressure is the ultimate test of our selfdiscipline. We will either give in or stay strong, but WHY even
put ourselves in those situations. Personally, I would save
my will and self discipline for those situations that I have no
control over. This is what I mean when I say we have to start
making more conscious decisions.
Truth be told, alcohol can hurt you in more ways than help
you. Alcohol ONLY helps you short term, but does nothing for
you long term. We drink to have a good time but a lot of
times we end up having the total opposite. Im not writing

this article to condemn you or look down on anyone that

drinks. Im writing to encourage your faith and to possibly
help you slowly but surely let go of an unhealthy, expensive,
dangerous, and scary habit. I also would like to invoke the
spirit of Leadership in each of you. Being a leader and not a
follower is one of the main reasons why I dont drink
anymore. I really set back and analyzed how much of a
follower I was while drinking and hated who I became. My
parents didnt raise a follower. I look at it like this, when Im
drinking Im under the influence of something else. If Im a
true leader then why would I ever want to be under the
influence of anything else. Why? That makes zero sense to
me. Leaders influence people, they dont let things or other
people influence them. Even in natural terms I tell coworkers and friends that I dont drink because I like to keep
my mind clear. Sounds simple but very profound. When Im
out and about and Im the only one sober people look to me
to make sure their okay. In Proverbs 20:1 it says Wine is a
mocker and beer is a brawler; whoever is led astray by them
is not wise. If possible, we should try to stay sharp at all
times.
A recentlyI heard a powerful message by Dr. Myles Munroe
on Kingdom Living. One statement that really hit home was
when he ask the question, How can grapes control your
life? Were suppose to have dominion over the Earth. Were
suppose to dominate the Earth, not let the Earth dominate
us. We should enjoy the things that we can control. I like how
he said, I take my alcohol through grapes. Were
dominators and thats how we dominate. It also says in
Proverbs 23:31 Dont let wine tempt you, even though it is
rich red, and it sparkles in the cup, and goes down smoothly.
Another translation says, He that wait until the wine moves
in the cup isnt wise.
I have nothing against anyone whom drinks I just know what
God has delivered me from. I would be moving backwards in
life, and thats not my goal. Life is about growth and
development. Once youve truly overcome something its

such an AWFUL feeling to go back to it. Whats done is done;

thank God you finally got the victory and move on. Life
should always be about forward progress!
After only two years of my sobriety I reached out to my
mentor (Michael Evans) and ask him what his thoughts were
regarding possible drinking beer or wine over dinner. He
simply told me that I already knew the answer to that
question. He proceeded to tell me the following: If it doesnt
add to your life, why bother? I guarantee you if you never
take another drink, youll never again become an alcoholic. A
man of God should avoid the appearance of evil. Not that
what youre doing is intrinsically evil, but does it appear so
to others? What if someone who isnt as strong as you are,
are going through the same thing and they see you, a man
of God take a drink? They may think its ok for them, and go
right back into alcohol consumption again? Is it worth it? I
am also aware that it is NOT a sin to drink, but to be drunk.
In Ephesians 5:18 it says, And do not get drunk with wine,
for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. The
Bible definitely makes it plain for us to see the difference. I
just dont see drinking being beneficial for my lifestyle, so it
was just best for me to avoid it all together. Some people
believe in drinking in moderation though. Different strokes
for different folks.
Lets be clear sin is sin period. Alcohol is just one of the many
things you have to believe God to get the victory over. Just
like I have other aspects in my life that I have to believe God
to overcome. True salvation is about striving for perfection.
Were all going to definitely sin, but after being saved we
shouldnt be practicing sin. Once we got saved, we were
born again, and made new creatures in Christ. With that
being said, we should act like it. If you sin, slip up, or miss
the mark, thats okay its going to happen. Its just apart of
our sinful nature, but we should also be slowly but surely
believing God to get the victory over those things. Get it?

After reading this I really hope I encouraged you to make

some changes regarding sobriety. I know things dont
happen overnight and it takes time. We should go before
God and desire in our heart to do better. We should live a life
that is pleasing to God. Would God look down on your
present lifestyle and be displeased? Honestly, it took a life
changing experience for me to start my sobriety. Sometimes
it actually takes something so serious for us to really open
our eyes. Its just a crapshoot that youll actually live through
that experience though. Those are some scary odds that I
decided not to play with. Lets just say I decided to FOLD
against those odds and live life accordingly. We have to know
that God has much more for us and well be better equipped
for him to USE US if we practice SOBRIETY. May God bless
you, and continue to use you for his glory.
Peace&Love,
Perrilloux II.