There was a time I went to concerts just to get drunk.

That was the whole plan. I wouldn’t tell anyone but let’s be real.

Not the music. Not the people. Not the experience. Just how fast I could get to the point where I didn’t remember any of it.

I actually spent money on it.

And I was good at it.

Blackouts. Losing track of where I was. Waking up the next day trying to piece together something that was supposed to be fun.

That was the routine. Not to mention it was expensive as hell.

Now I remember the concerts.

That’s the difference.

Last summer I went to Louder Than Life in Louisville.

Huge crowd. Loud as hell. Bands all day.

I went with my son.

That alone would’ve been enough to make it different. But the real difference was I was actually there for it.

I remember the sets. I remember the sound. I remember looking over and seeing my kid taking it all in.

I found a sobriety tent. Drank water. Red Bull. Nothing exciting.

But I didn’t miss a second.

No throwing up. No wandering off. No apologies on the way home.

Just music.

A couple of years before that, same festival. With my wife.

I had been sober for less than a year. I was terrified. I think she was too.

Our last attempt at one of these — when I was in active addiction — I was half passed out and she couldn’t find me.

Not this time.

I was there for it. I was there for her.

That’s the part nobody really talks about.

You don’t just stop drinking.

You get things back.

The fights over nothing. The lost wallets. The scramble for a ride home.

I used to be the problem someone else had to deal with.

Now I’m the one making sure everyone gets home.

This summer I’m taking my 11-year-old to see the Foo Fighters.

I already know how it’s going to go.

I’ll remember it. And it will be awesome.

Sobriety doesn’t make things boring.

It makes them real.

The music sounds better. The people matter more. The experience sticks.

You don’t wake up the next day trying to figure out what you missed.

You wake up free of regret.

Also, the money you save is next level. Just saying.

If you’re early in this, I get it.

There was a time I couldn’t imagine doing any of this without drinking.

When that feeling hits — and it will — come back to your why. Write it down. Look at it. Family. Friends. Yourself. Whatever it is, keep it somewhere you can find it when your head starts lying to you.

Now I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

I’m 2,000+ days into this.

Still one day at a time.

Still choosing it.

And now I remember the concerts.