It warms my heart to know that the Electric Callboys, after finishing a show singing and playing songs about partying, going crazy, and being nincompoops in general, get off the stage, hop on their tour bus, and FaceTime their families. King shit.
100% agree that anyone who tries to convince someone who says no drinks to get a drink is completely the asshole. I don't understand why it's so hard to just let a person do what they want with themselves. Sometimes I wonder in social situations if it's a matter of the person being mad that they can't say no to the drink when deep down they don't want it or they really know they shouldn't have it. Great video Tank. And screw that local brewery with the fake coca cola XD
I'm not much of a drinker due to being raised around alcoholics and a few years ago it was my cousin's bachelor party. I had one or two with him because I love my cousin but didn't want to drink anymore. His friend's kept trying to get me to drink and kept telling me to so much, that I ended up leaving because they wouldn't respect the fact that I didn't want to.
totally agree, especially if a bartender. Maybe I'm the designated driver. or, I just don't want to drink, which I'm doing more and more. A friend or even a possible friend I get though.
I have a theory that anyone who tries to pursue someone else to have a drink, is mostly insulted because they don't want to be confronted by how much they drink, how much they think is normal.
When I moved out of the suburbs to the mountains I ran into a weird situation. I was told by a real nice old man that if I didn’t drink the locals would not trust me. Well, the old man was absolutely right 🤷🏻♂️
I'm 36, I do not drink, I work at a gas station, we sell a lot of alcohol, and if customers ask how a new beer tastes, I tell them I don't know because I don't drink. Roughly 70% of customers are understanding, the remaining lose their mind.
Absolutely baffling to me that someone would take "no, thank you" as a personal slight. EVERYBODY knows someone who has an issue with alcohol. It's not difficult to imagine why someone might turn it down and it should be an immediate clue to change the subject because for some even bringing it up is either embarrassing or just intensely personal. You shouldn't just assume anyone who turns it down is an alcoholic, but one should be prepared that it's a potential reason and treat the subject with care.
I live in a country where alcohol consumption is very normalized. BUT if you decline a drink, people generally assume you are sick and taking antibiotics (those are not to be mixed) or pregnant if applicable and do not push further.
I find that many of those who get the most offended are people who already internally struggle with their own consumption and see an issue in their own life, but aren't ready to accept it. When I was drinking, having that mirror reflected back at me that recovery is possible was terrifying. It's an understandable reaction and I don't take it personally when someone gets up in arms trying to get me to drink. I understand where a lot of them may be at because I've been there, too. It's the old, "I don't have a problem if everyone around me is partying, too."
Alcohol is the only substance you have to explain why you DON’T use it. I’m coming up on 21 months sober and have recently started going to bars with friends and have found it surprisingly easy. I think it’s because I’m surrounded by friends that won’t pressure me and have my back. Stay strong Tank!
I've actually appreciated that you've talked about this. You're actually a huge reason why I've been sober now over a year because of you telling your story. I saw a lot of myself in what you talked about previously and it really gave me the extra push. Still not %110 sure if I'm gonna stay sober for forever, but just taking it a day at a time. Thank you Tank for doing what you do man 🤙
👏 I've seen this way of thinking very often at Twitter. Many sober guys wished each other "Good next 24 hours". When people asked what that means they said Just day by day.
Day by day is absolutely key. Don't think about tomorrow, don't think about yesterday, just focus on getting through another 24 hours without drinking or using. You sharing this totally humbled me up, and I'm glad that I can be of help to other people that may need it.
@@TankTheTech19 years now that I've been sober... Better life now by far, way better decisions now... Musically, financially, socially, and personally... I had lost just the pure love of morning, waking up (hard to be 100% after getting impaired... FACT).. I feel fairly sorry for the people who don't remember the Freedom "sober" can give... "the crutch that cripples..."
Makes sense to me. Looking at things long term can definitely increase stress & anxiety with the perceived increased challenge, but breaking big things down into little chunks like "just day by day" helps immensely with sooooo many things even outside of sobriety. Absolute king life advice
October 16 2016 is when I stopped drinking. Life was rough then but I didn't realize how much better life was being sober. The thought of not drinking was terrifying to me for years. Wild how it's not even a thought now.
Sometimes it's hard being in the music scene at all while being sober. I quit drinking in 2013 and sometimes it's hard. I'm in a band where everyone else drinks. We have a song about drinking and I have to admit is one of my favorite songs to play. People will want to buy us drinks at shows and I haven't had a negative experience yet. Everyone's been pretty chill about it. My vocalists wife is a bartender at a venue we were playing at and she brought the band shots to drink while playing the aforementioned song and she brought me a shot glass with soda in it to make it look like I was drinking with the rest of the band.
Its wild that even today, as a generation thats now adults that have seen addiction and alcoholism devastate our friends and loved ones, people still look at you crazy when you tell them you don't drink or use drugs. I tried getting sober for the first time in 2007 i was easily the youngest one in church basements and outpatient clinics, but ive seen the demographic change so much. Sobriety in young people is way more common than it was 15 years ago. But people are still baffled when you tell them "no thanks i dont drink" Tomorrow marks 6 years clean for me, after kicking heroin in 2013 and finally quitting weed and alcohol in 2018
Tank - I DJ & produce dance music- I’m 50 yrs old from Chicago, currently living in California- I’m in the industry Really busy DJING all over the country- I’m around ppl who drink and drug all the time Took me 5 yrs in my sobriety to come back to DJing , I’ve found several dj’s and ppl in the industry who are sober just like you and I … 2024 will make 15 yrs Clean & sober for me ( 100 % clean & sober) Respect to you for sharing your sober journey!! Sober life is the Best life !!
I worked behind the bar at a music venue in Denver for many years And I developed some pretty serious drug addictions And for me personally I was not able to continue working at this venue, it was just too much. I just passed 6 years clean in august and I've repaired things with my family.
Glad to hear the EC crew was supportive and respectful of your choices. It’s always sad to hear people try and get sober, but their peers or friends are the worst influences for them. I’m 27 and was 24 when I had my first drink. Hated it, had a couple drinks after and haven’t touched alcohol since. Most of my friends drink, but none of them have (thankfully) pressured me nor made me feel out of place for not drinking.
Didn't intend to write this much lol. These are my experiences drinking. I'm 25 and I think I had my first drink when i was 20 or 21. It was butter ripple schnapps, was ok but a little too sweet, only had a few swigs. About a year and a half later was my second drink, went camping and wanted to try something else, my friends recommended rum, so I got a 750ml bottle of captain Morgan, mixed it about 1 part rum to 8 parts iced tea. Went through 3/4 of the bottle over 2 nights. A month or 2 later I did the same thing, felt something from it after a few hours that time. The next summer I wanted a different taste so I got a dark rum, ended up mixing it stronger, after about 3 hours I realized the effect had fully taken hold when i stood up at the campfire and almost lost my balance. I was slurring my words, walking required a lot more concentration, went to plug in my diesel heater because it was getting cold but couldn't figure it out because it was dark and I couldn't find my flashlight, climbed up into the tent and went to sleep but not before throwing up supper with my head of the rooftent door by the ladder, then passed out. Actually slept really well. In the morning I got and climbed down, walked around a bit, threw up twice and felt really hungry for the morning till my stomach settled and I could eat. A few months later I had a shot of that dark rum for my birthday party and felt like throwing up again. Now it's a year and a half later and I found a long Island iced tea that I like, only have maybe a dozen in a year though lol.
Here in Bulgaria (and Eastern Europe as a whole) being a non-drinker is being viewed as being a p***у, so we have a huge alcoholism problem in the region. I, however, rarely drink, and I haven't got drunk since I was a teen in 2006. I told myself I never want to get drunk again and I knew when to stop every time since then. There was a period I didn't drink ANY alcohol for about 2 years, but I do enjoy a drink or two on occasion or a beer with my food. Hell, I can't imagine going to Prague 3 times last year and not getting a Pilsner Urquell on the tap. So I kinda get the "Hey, come one, you gotta try this one!" instinct but I am also not a moron so I never do it and I never insist on anyone drinking with me. No matter the reason - the person doesn't drink, a straight edge, ex-alcoholic, or even for a silly reason like religion - I respect them all. I have noe respect, however, for people who disturb others with their drinking or force them to drink. It's a d*сk move. I'd rather be a р***у.
I did my first sober tour this past september/october and it was not easy ( more so dealing with drunk band members when sober ) and I have another tour coming up in March. This gives me a lot more confidence to stay sober and it be ok. Thanks for the video!
I'd say it is also a generation difference, younger people are more tolerant for sobriety, like in work events, and we are also having good variety of decent non alcoholic options now days, though usually those are not promoted without asking by staff in restaurants. Overall in music, lots of people have turned into taking care of themselves, not drinking excessively or even at all, looking what they eat etc, which leads to longer careers and hopefully better music and concert experiences for all sides. With some exceptions, industry has also been moved more better way in this sense, eg there ain't any late night gigs any more, where start time is way beyond midnight to boost up venue alco sale. And what bands had to do when they have 10 hours of wait time?
My dude, congratulations on holding on to your sobriety. I imagine a lot of people worry that one drink will immediately bring them back on the wagon, but knowing that going back for another sip is what does it will make all the difference for many.
I've been sober over 20 years; as in go to AA, have a sponsor, home group, work the steps. It's a way of life. I have zero issues being in bands with members who drink etc. And I go to gigs all the time at bars and clubs. But only if I have business being there eg supporting a band. But I don't hang out at bars or go to parties just to hang out. And to be honest there are so many people, meetings, parties, barbeques, and musicians in AA that a newbie doesn't need to hang out around drinkers to have a full life. If you're having a problem with alcohol or drugs try stopping for a year. If you can't you might have a problem. Even if you only drink or use a few times a year you might have a problem if when you do things get out of hand or go badly in some way, shape, or form. If you have a problem there's help. And there's definitely a life after alcohol and drugs. My life didn't end when I stopped drinking; it got better. In fact I'd say I wasn't living until I stopped. I was just existing day to day. In sobriety I've gotten married, had children, went to college, went to music college for a year, jumped out of airplanes, traveled the world, and played my instrument at a higher level than I ever did drinking.
congratulations on your sobriety. I have been sober 10 years. The last time I drank I was hospitalized and my BAC was a .47. Most people die at .40 but I had an extreme tolerance due to long-term very heavy drinking.
Sometime last year, I was accidentally given a beer at my local bar. Had one sip and it tasted really weird. Looked at the bottle and found out, it wasn't a lemonade, but a "gold" beer. I honestly had a little panic attack and immediately cleaned my mouth out. I monitored my behavior for the rest of the evening and still check every bottle before taking a sip.
I think be sober is more "normal" (on tour too). It's slowly become good life style and glad about this. I wish you and everyone else more sober years.❤
Congrats on 6 yrs Tank...I've been clean from booze and smack for 14 yrs and it was the best decision I've ever made...With that said bc of spinal cord issues and multiple surgeries I am on pain killers and have been a life long pot smoker so some of the more militant pll in sobriety would say I'm not sober but walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you judge them...Besides all the meds and pain have not caused a relapse and I have a great team of Docs and clinicals on my side so things are as good as they've ever been ✌️🧐🤘
As someone who grew up in a family that owned a pub/inn and worked the bar long before I was allowed to drink wath I served - the f-ing waiter/bartender saying *one doesn't hurt* makes me SO SO MAD! I rarely drink and I hate the culture of people asking you why you don't wanna drink and making it a big thing. It's none of your buisness, there are many reasons not to drink (being sober, being sick/taking meds, being pregnant or simply: I don't want to). A simple no should be enough. (But as it is in other situations it sadly isn't...)
I never drank but I know I had tons of situations in the last decades when I had to explain myself why I don't drink and people started to pressure me. The worst part about it was that it was mostly in the working environment and not about my job with the musicians, it was with usual office jobs. There are many reasons not to drink, and people have to accept this personal decision. Tank, you are courageous to stand, and don't do it again! Day by Day, großartig!
I think Europe will be a bit of an eye opener for you. Europeans tend to eat while they are drinking, and yes it will be a family event, kids and all, up to maybe 11pm on a weekend. Europeans tend not to drink to get drunk, it's more relaxed, sociable, but also responsible. What's why I would have been surprised if EC had have been any other way. But that's not to say that they do not like to party, they'll just do it when or where there are no children about.
Regarding people sneaking beer around yo when you quit drinking: my friends and I use to do the same after a friend who had addiction went sober. Our reasoning was to not make him feel excluded or missing out if he saw us drinking while he can't; so it wasn't because we thought he'd go crazy if he saw alcohol. It's possible your friends and touring crew were also doing that for the same reason Our friend eventually also got offended because he thought we thought he'd go crazy if he saw beer, so we stopped sneaking around him In hindsight, our behaviour was definitely ridiculous, even though our interactions were to be considerate. We just didn't think it though
April 6th will be 3 years booze sober, for me..... I hit rock bottom during pandemic and also started watching your channel about the same time... You are at least partially responsible for my sobriety, after hearing your story....and for that, thank you brother...We had very similar situations...
not much related to the main topic of the video but I have to say that stay sober it's one of the best decision I've ever make. I started drinking the last 2 days of school back when I was 17 and 18, respectively. And the reason of that is because I got into a depression due to I suffer bullying at that time and I felt the "need" to do that. I was drinking almost non stop every week. But one day I said: no more, this ends right now, I need to change my life style. So yeah, it was a difficult decision but so proud to being sober since 4 years ago.
I consider myself as a dry alcoholic. Went completely over board with alcohol to a point that my little brother told me that he is scared about my wellbeeing. That hit me really hard and from that moment I stopped drinking completely. In the beginning it was weird not drinking but more because the people around me knew me only that way and they always wanted me to drink something. So I told them that Im the driver for the evening and that always worked. Now my friends know that I dont drink anymore and if they want to get shots for everyone they always order me a shot of water just so I can "drink" with them. Very cute of them
It takes courage to stay sober and remain dedicated to this lifestyle. I have had close family members chose sobriety and we all loved them for it. We totally respected it.
Those stories about people just trying to get you to drink hit home. I just decided at a point (more than 20 years ago) to never drink alcohol again and of course some people just could not really accept that. But I don't know if I just weeded out such people, it does no longer happen.
I do not drink because I get a really bad headache even from the smallest sip. My body is basically telling me that drinking is toxic for me. Most people try to pressure me to drink anyway, but I do not want to waste a whole day for just a sip of champagner... having a bad headache the complete next day is not a good reason for them to not drink. I feel some people would be more considerate if i struggled with an addiction. My reason to stay away from alcohol might be different to most people, but I think it is a da** good reason. Everyone stay strong for your own reasons whatever they are...
I'm a bartender who also had his own struggles with alcohol (not sober, but understand my limits now, I have a couple beers a month probably) and I would NEVER try to make a sober person drink a beer. If anything happened to that person the bartender would 100% be accountable.
I can really relate with what you said about relapsing. I was so f***ing pissed when I found out that my sister, that had been sober for 11 years at that point, tried to start a conversation with her therapist about possibly drinking a glass of champagne on her own wedding day. He actually managed to advise her to try out drinking a bit here and there to figure out how it felt. 3 months later she had consumed a full bottle of wine without really noticing it herself before driving to pick up her daughter from daycare. Thankfully she has now just passed 1 year sober again, but that could have ended really bad.
Dude from 6:27 to 6:53 I actually sat in front of my screen and applauded you for saying that! Like literally clapping my hands. There is this saying that "Alcohol is the only drug in this world you have to justify for NOT taking it"... and this is so f*cked.... I have been sober for about seven years now and if I got one Euro for every time someone said something like "why not" or "come on, one doesn't hurt" I'd be rich as hell now... thanks for your words Tank! 👏👏👏
I can also fully agree with your take on touring without drinking. I had no issues whatsoever on my tours and everyone just accepted that I don't drink. Plus there are a few bands that I do FoH for, that put my favorite editions of Red Bull on their catering rider just for me because I told them, that those are my preferred drink when everyone around me is partying. Since they actually want me to be on the road with them, they try to support me that way and it is actually kinda heart warming ☺
Thanks for this video Tank! I’m a live sound engineer coming up on my 10th anniversary…. I really don’t even wanna think about those days, and how well quite frankly I thankfully never injured others or myself…. Had a touching moment last month celebrating my 20th year with a client, who basically saved my ass and gave me that last chance…. To anyone out there in internet land who’s hurting…. Your not bad person, and you’re not alone.. please never be afraid to reach out for help. “god’s greatest gift to alcoholics is other alcoholics “. Ps that bartender should be fired!
Seriously proud of you. I only drink once a year, that being St. Patrick's day. Thats it. I drink a couple Guinness & blast Celtic Punk Rock. I dont ever crave alcohol & ive never smoked a thing or done any drugs of any kind. To all fighting to stay sober, keep going! Yall got this ❤
Thanks for sharing your experience, Tank! Went sober Feb 28th, 2020; I've been lucky in that anyone who heard about my sobriety has been super supportive. I do go out to bars with friends, but they make the effort to go to ones with non-alcoholic beers, cocktails or know the bartenders who can mix something kinda fancy. It helps keep me social so I don't kick myself about being in those environments because I care about my friendships; after a few months I never had the urge to touch alcohol again. Cigarettes, though? I crave them especially in between bands and I miss squatting on the curb lighting up. To anyone who wants to be sober, I wish you the best! My unsolicited advice is to surround yourself with supportive friends and also alcohol free activities (Muay Thai and archery for me).
Man you released this video at the best time… I unfortunately just got in a bad situation and messed up hardcore just two days ago. I was so proud for not drinking on New Years and I let life difficulties screw me up it convinced me to mess up. I think my main issue is I need to find people to call before I slip…. I am happy I made it a year, I just toured with Source as a roadie and they were super supportive with making sure that drinks were not offered to me my next roadie gig they are also extremely supportive. I actually think I’m more motivated to stay sober on tour compared to being stuck at home. Tank you have helped me a lot thank you.
I chimed in at the very end of the chat; forgive me for repeating. I'm a bartender, if a patron declines alcohol I respect their choice and offer N/A options. Period.
For all the issues I do have with over-consumption, I'm glad that drink & drugs aren't ones I've had struggles with. I'm glad, though not really surprised as they seem like a bunch of top blokes, that the EC boys were conscientious of you none the less.
10:37. I struggled for about three years with a meth addiction and being clean and sober now and being in a band and I’m really fortunate to be in a position where my band members and the support circle I have around me all want to see me do better, and no one wants to see me go back to the place that I was and They understand triggers and they understand that there’s certain things and certain people I am just not fond of being around or doing because it triggers you , I agree with the bartender statement though if a bartender is trying to get someone back into their addiction, who is it destructive person regardless, if they know their backstory or not, if they said they do not drink, they are still trying to push the issue I agree I think whatever that person does that the bartender be held accountable. A lot of people will try to say. It shouldn’t work that way you know you’re the one who made that you are someone who has been in the folds of a deep addiction. It is not simply that easy. Some of us have better control over ourselves than others, but some of us are not that fortunate. It’s the same thing that if you sell someone some laced dope and it kills them from an overdose, you should be convicted of murder. I don’t care everyone’s open to their own opinions, but when you have truly dealt with addiction, you understand that statement and there’s some power behind that brother and I love you and I support you and your sobriety keep going strong man.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Getting over any kind of addiction is hard. No matter what the addiction might be. I’m struggling with overweight all my life. In 2021\2022 managed to loose 110 lbs (50 Kg). But it has been a tough time with lots of discipline. All of 2023, I’ve been struggling to just hold my current weight. The big difference (from my point of view) is that you can live without alcohol, nicotine or drugs, but you cannot live without food. The hard part is to control my desires, as I just cannot stop eating completely.
Dude, not sure if that helps, but I say the same as my father, who's sober for decades now. I'm about to reach 2 years. When I am on a party and someone offer me, I reply with "I already drank my life quota". I don't know if because this is unexpected, but no one keeps pushing after that. Or maybe nowadays I'm not surrounded by idiots anymore.
Also, a great psychiatrist here in Brazil, explained something that shocked me to the core. She was asked what is a sign that you are an alcoholic. Her reply: "There is no much on behaviour we can extract as 'fact' by the researches, but one thing is reported often, "ex-"alcoholics report to have a high tolerance, and not have hangover at all or as hard as other people. " I only had hangovers with wine or champagne. 😕
being sober my last 2 year of college was difficult as hell to navigate since alcohol & drugs are so normalized in a lot of social environments. it’s so nice to see someone who is sober in a completely different social scene, but where substances are equally as normalized/encouraged, talk about their journey! super validating for a lot of people, thanks for sharing
Dude. The fact that you decided to stay sober for your family says a lot about your character. It says even more when you take into consideration the line of work you do. I applaud you. I keep my fingers crossed and hope your daughter and wife are proud of you and love you every single day. When it comes to your tour with Electric Callboy the fact that they know when to quit is also telling a lot how seriously they treat their line of work and how much they don't want to mess it. That's commendable in every possible way. Personally I sometimes drink a bit of alcohol (typically a lamp of wine) when mood hits me but most of the time I don't feel the urge to drink at all. In most social situations and parties my friends see my with non-alcoholic beer as a drink to not make them feel awkward but that is all. Especially since I refuse to drive after alcohol.
this is one of the greatest videos i have watched in ages. I think the sober life needs to be assisted, and friends need to be made in the world of it in order to push on and learn to see the positivity in everything, even without religion for us who aren't practitioners of anything. I have seen many musicians and friends collapse to that sh(t.
Grew up around substance abuse and chose to be straight edge myself. Growing up in the midwest where drinking especially is just what you do was a struggle. People around here start drinking in their teens and i knew many friends who came to school with Mt. Dew bottles filled with booze. In adulthood sitting around the garage while people drink beer like water was just normal. Also everyone in my family smoked either cigs or weed. Many were also caught up in the infamous midwest addiction cocktail of pain killers and Xanax. I’ll be 42 in January and still substances free outside a few pain meds when i had all my wisdom teeth removed and post gallbladder surgery. It’s never once been easy and it’s depressing how many times grown ass adults have tried to pressure me into “just try it”. Seeing my young cousin, who rarely drinks, explain how easy it is for him gives me hope that this “cool to be wasted” culture is dying off. t’s always been strange how open minded i about letting people do what they want but that curtesy is rarely returned to me and my choices.
Electric Callboy sounds like a dream to have a job with. I love how you speak highly of them. Next time when you come to philly or around this area, I need to get media access (I am a photographer).
awesome video dude ,i once did an out patient rehab program and one day i went to lunch with my mam and asked for a non alcoholic beer ,i realized after drinking the beer it was not non alcoholic when i spoke to the bar tender she thought it was funny she gave me a alcoholic beer ,i said what the fuck even if i was not on a program i could have been driving some people just dont get it ,much respect
Giving up the drink 2.5 years ago was the best thing I ever did. Had the same problem with it, once I started, it was go until I blacked out. Now I’m a coffee fiend and I’m better for it. Loved this video!
Seeing this video after some time and I just wanted to say thank you for being a sober dad. I'm the child of someone who got sober decades before I was born and it definitely made a difference in my childhood and adult life
I am very proud of you for remaining sober! It is an incredibly difficult journey for people with “normal” lives and I cannot imagine how it is like for those in “party” careers. Over the past year it has been really uplifting to hear of lots of music artists becoming/remaining sober. Three days from now will be my 1 year sobriety anniversary and I will celebrate by staying home and watching videos of live performances I attended in 2023
I always appreciate when you talk about this stuff. I'm 8.5 years sober other than one slip-up 2 years ago. I didn't get to the point of being an alcoholic back when I drank, not even close, but I have struggled / currently struggle with other addictions and I know that it's best for myself to just stay sober. Having other folks talk about their journeys is always encouraging and I feel proud of myself and proud of everyone else on the path, no matter how far on it they are.
We had a work party at a bar and a recovering alcoholic almost didn't wanna go but because I wanted to hang out with him and help him be comfortable, I told him I'd be sobor with him and play pool with him so he could hang out with the crew and enjoy free dinner with everyone else.
I had a problem with booze. I hid it from everyone. I got money from the govrnment to go to school and every week id blow it on vodka I'd put in everything and if I ran out I'd skim shots from my mum's and top it back up with water so she wouldn't notice. It was a struggle to find places that would serve me or find people to buy it for me because I was so young and I didn't want anyone I knew to know. I quit on my 18th birthday because I realized if It was running my life now and it was hard to get hold off how bad was it going to be when I was legally allowed to buy it. The first couple of years where rough. I lent on cigarettes and moved onto other... Things... But I eventually managed to kick that too. I've been clean from booze for 12 years if you don't count 1 relapse drink I necked the day I became homeless in 2018. Basically Everytime I go out I get asked why I don't drink then told "one ain't gonna hurt you" and to be honestly if I had 1 drink Everytime someone said that to me I'd have a worse problem then I had before I quit. Thanks for flying the sober flag tank. Videos like this go along way in normalizing those of us that want to stay sober
Well assuming any amount of alcohol would trigger someone, NA beer is not actually "alcohol free" just less than 1% ABV. But some light beer is 4% or less. So four NA beers could be the same as one regular light beer.
Sooo... I'm French. We drink a LOT here, and it's extremely present throughout French culture. Mark my words when I say that I have never seen any situation where someone who doesn't drink is repeatedly prompted to do just that. ESPECIALLY if they're trying to go sober (if they just don't like it i mean we'll ask if they want to taste it cuz that's the polite thing to do i guess). The fact that you don't want to drink is well respected here.
Your dedication to staying sober. To the point of even running to spite out your beer. Is commendable. Massive respect for that amount of willpower. I had to go years without beer or alcohol myself. congratulation on doing that sir!
Last year I did dry January and it pretty much stuck. I never had a problem, per se (I acknowledge I’m very lucky), but just realized it’s bad for me and I wouldn’t miss it and I’ve cut back 90%-95% ever since. All’s to say, it is *so* *goddamned* *annoying* dealing with people in social situations who hassle me about not drinking. It gives me all the respect in the world for those of you who are sober and had to fight to get there and have to fight even harder to stay there. Keep at it 👊🏻👊🏻
I commend you for your stand with staying sober. Can't even imagine being in an environment being surrounded by alcohol but glad to hear that you have people that respect your choice.
Good for you you talking about this so openly. I'm actually not surprised EC are very professional & don't actually go that crazy with the partying. That is very consistent with how you've described them.
Congratulations brother. It can seem impossible to many people myself included once upon a time. I was not able to be in those situations in the beginning. But being 12 years sober and 9 years clean I'm great in any given situation. But it's all about knowing who you are and your confidence in sobriety.
Congrats on your sobriety! Normal day to day people have a tough time sometimes, but being around the environment and staying sober man. Nothing but respect for you. 🤘🤙
Tank, I know I’m a nobody. But I would love to have a conversation with ya. I have been in recovery for almost 7 years and have done all of those on A level tours. The Struts, Dashboard Confessional, Andrew Mcmahon, etc. I would love to add value through my experiences. More so if anyone needs someone to listen or a sponsor with relative industry experience, I am at your service. Thank you for your advocating brother and congrats!
Thank you for talking candidly about this. I think your journey will inspire others to at least try to get sober. Lots of people respect you because you tell it like it is. You don't bullshit people, and you don't take bullshit from anyone. You seem very approachable and full of common sense. We can tell how much you love your family and your job but it's obvious that your family would come first in any given situation. So thank you for addressing the subject and being so positive. Please be safe on the road and take care of yourself. Can't wait to see more tour vlogs!
I’m 26 and a musician myself and I play a lot of metal shows and on my off time when I have the time and money I go to a bar a little bit away from my hometown because that’s where most of my friends are, and even though there’s always a lot of drinking around me the most I wanna drink is what I can responsibly handle no matter what else is going on around me. It can be tempting to keep going at times but at the end of the day it’s all about what you’re comfortable with and bartenders should NEVER try and convince a sober person to drink if that person doesn’t want to.
Thank you for sharing this about your personal life on how living a healthy life style while also living the rock star life is such a difficult balance.
I'll be 6 months sober in a week. I decided early on that I was gonna have to get used to people drinking around me and I have NO problem telling someone to fuck off if they were to think it's weird that I'm not drinking. Thanks for talking about this stuff! When I was still drinking it was so helpful to hear other people talking about how they stopped drinking
50 years sober. Never started. Not one drink, not ever. I feel like it’s a lot easier than having had to quit. That’s monumental Tank. I’m so glad you saw that it was going to hurt you long term and made the adjustment. I love how you touched on the awkwardness. I’ve experienced it my whole life. I go to a party, people offer it. I politely decline, and then comes the lecture/confession/storytime. Ive gotten everything from what’s wrong with you, are you religious, does your wife not let you, etc… the worst one, and this happens most often, is when people feel insecure and judged and start into defending why they drink. Dude, I have zero concern that YOU are drinking, but I am not. It’s a reflection on them at that point. I love ya when you’re sober, I love ya when you’ve had a few. Not judging.
I’ve been sober for 4 years as of this past November and it took me a long time to get to where I felt “normal” as of like the middle of the year last year to feel I guess just comfortable. It’s kinda funny because I’ve been to a couple of concerts and I get a little bit down at first but I get over it and when it’s time to leave it’s like hell yeah I don’t have to worry about anything driving home! Keep it up man I think it pretty amazing you can dart sober in your particular career 🤘
Great topic! I have found as I approach my 60th birthday, that over the last 5-10 years my intake and desire for drink have dropped considerably. I still enjoy a nice bourbon or a cold beer, but I have no desire to go on benders like I used to. It helps to see that people are open about sobriety without being preachy. I agree people pressure others to drink, are A-holes.
Super proud of you. But also great to hear about the EC guys. They just impress me more and more and make me more and more happy the more I learn about them. (Yes I know I said more a lot)
I'm winding down a 45 year career as a touring crew guy (mostly as a sound engineer). Yeah I'm old. But I've had a great career by staying sober. I've never had a drink in my life and have seen plenty of those ass holes who insist you drink. I even got fired from a tour because the band didn't trust me because I was NOT doing drugs and drinking. Fuck 'em! I've seen friends lose control and die. I've had my share of great fun. No regrets. Much respect Tank!
It baffles me that there are still so many people insensitive to people trying to stay sober. And how many of those people also then shit on the people "who can't control themselves". Thanks for sharing, need more people being open about their paths to sobriety whether chosen for health or any other purposes. I wonder if it's a sign of people scared what others think of their behavior who are most insecure about sober people around them.
Congrats on your sobriety and thanks for putting this up for those who may be struggling! Hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a great start and know that there's ALWAYS someone who will hear you should you need someone! Me especially! 💙🙏🏼👊🏼
I was playing death metal drums when i stopped drinking. One is one and two is twenty. Band was not cool with it until my playing improved noticably. Long fast songs could now go one right into the next without resting my legs.
While working in the live music industry, before moving stateside, I did drink a lot, partially because of depression, partially because of the culture, often getting shitfaced after the gig with the band members, bar staff, and lock-ins until 6am. I have never been 'sober', where I have said I will never drink, but I don't drink these days, and only drank on a Friday night at the local rock club with friends; prior to getting into sound engineering. There is definitely a culture of drinking in the industry from my experience, and although I miss working sound, I don't miss the drinking culture. I still enjoy the occasional beer, but I can drink one or two without the urge to drink more.
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in two days i will celebrate my 10th anniversary of being sober
Massive congrats
Nice work!
Congratulations 🎉
2024 will be 15 sober yrs for me
Sober life saved my life !
Congratulations, I will hit ten years in November myself. Easily one of the best decision I ever made.
@@buzzzthrower555
For realssssss!
I purchased my 2nd home
( no mortgage) all due to being committed to my sobriety!!!
It warms my heart to know that the Electric Callboys, after finishing a show singing and playing songs about partying, going crazy, and being nincompoops in general, get off the stage, hop on their tour bus, and FaceTime their families.
King shit.
100% agree that anyone who tries to convince someone who says no drinks to get a drink is completely the asshole. I don't understand why it's so hard to just let a person do what they want with themselves. Sometimes I wonder in social situations if it's a matter of the person being mad that they can't say no to the drink when deep down they don't want it or they really know they shouldn't have it.
Great video Tank. And screw that local brewery with the fake coca cola XD
I'm not much of a drinker due to being raised around alcoholics and a few years ago it was my cousin's bachelor party. I had one or two with him because I love my cousin but didn't want to drink anymore. His friend's kept trying to get me to drink and kept telling me to so much, that I ended up leaving because they wouldn't respect the fact that I didn't want to.
totally agree, especially if a bartender. Maybe I'm the designated driver. or, I just don't want to drink, which I'm doing more and more. A friend or even a possible friend I get though.
I have a theory that anyone who tries to pursue someone else to have a drink, is mostly insulted because they don't want to be confronted by how much they drink, how much they think is normal.
When I moved out of the suburbs to the mountains I ran into a weird situation. I was told by a real nice old man that if I didn’t drink the locals would not trust me. Well, the old man was absolutely right 🤷🏻♂️
especially a bar tender who has had to of been around the people that shouldn't drink and what can happen
"alcohol is the only drug we have to explain not using" - random saying from the internet
I disagree. I don't have to explain jack shit to anybody.
worked 3 years at a brew pub while sober. relapsed ironically after finding a better job in IT. 60 days sober next week. never felt better
I'm 36, I do not drink, I work at a gas station, we sell a lot of alcohol, and if customers ask how a new beer tastes, I tell them I don't know because I don't drink. Roughly 70% of customers are understanding, the remaining lose their mind.
Absolutely baffling to me that someone would take "no, thank you" as a personal slight. EVERYBODY knows someone who has an issue with alcohol. It's not difficult to imagine why someone might turn it down and it should be an immediate clue to change the subject because for some even bringing it up is either embarrassing or just intensely personal. You shouldn't just assume anyone who turns it down is an alcoholic, but one should be prepared that it's a potential reason and treat the subject with care.
I live in a country where alcohol consumption is very normalized. BUT if you decline a drink, people generally assume you are sick and taking antibiotics (those are not to be mixed) or pregnant if applicable and do not push further.
I find that many of those who get the most offended are people who already internally struggle with their own consumption and see an issue in their own life, but aren't ready to accept it. When I was drinking, having that mirror reflected back at me that recovery is possible was terrifying. It's an understandable reaction and I don't take it personally when someone gets up in arms trying to get me to drink. I understand where a lot of them may be at because I've been there, too. It's the old, "I don't have a problem if everyone around me is partying, too."
Alcohol is the only substance you have to explain why you DON’T use it. I’m coming up on 21 months sober and have recently started going to bars with friends and have found it surprisingly easy. I think it’s because I’m surrounded by friends that won’t pressure me and have my back. Stay strong Tank!
I've actually appreciated that you've talked about this. You're actually a huge reason why I've been sober now over a year because of you telling your story. I saw a lot of myself in what you talked about previously and it really gave me the extra push. Still not %110 sure if I'm gonna stay sober for forever, but just taking it a day at a time. Thank you Tank for doing what you do man 🤙
👏 I've seen this way of thinking very often at Twitter. Many sober guys wished each other "Good next 24 hours". When people asked what that means they said Just day by day.
Day by day is absolutely key. Don't think about tomorrow, don't think about yesterday, just focus on getting through another 24 hours without drinking or using. You sharing this totally humbled me up, and I'm glad that I can be of help to other people that may need it.
"Not today. Probably not tomorrow".
@@TankTheTech19 years now that I've been sober... Better life now by far, way better decisions now... Musically, financially, socially, and personally... I had lost just the pure love of morning, waking up (hard to be 100% after getting impaired... FACT)..
I feel fairly sorry for the people who don't remember the Freedom "sober" can give... "the crutch that cripples..."
Makes sense to me. Looking at things long term can definitely increase stress & anxiety with the perceived increased challenge, but breaking big things down into little chunks like "just day by day" helps immensely with sooooo many things even outside of sobriety. Absolute king life advice
October 16 2016 is when I stopped drinking. Life was rough then but I didn't realize how much better life was being sober. The thought of not drinking was terrifying to me for years. Wild how it's not even a thought now.
Sometimes it's hard being in the music scene at all while being sober. I quit drinking in 2013 and sometimes it's hard. I'm in a band where everyone else drinks. We have a song about drinking and I have to admit is one of my favorite songs to play. People will want to buy us drinks at shows and I haven't had a negative experience yet. Everyone's been pretty chill about it.
My vocalists wife is a bartender at a venue we were playing at and she brought the band shots to drink while playing the aforementioned song and she brought me a shot glass with soda in it to make it look like I was drinking with the rest of the band.
Its wild that even today, as a generation thats now adults that have seen addiction and alcoholism devastate our friends and loved ones, people still look at you crazy when you tell them you don't drink or use drugs. I tried getting sober for the first time in 2007 i was easily the youngest one in church basements and outpatient clinics, but ive seen the demographic change so much. Sobriety in young people is way more common than it was 15 years ago. But people are still baffled when you tell them "no thanks i dont drink"
Tomorrow marks 6 years clean for me, after kicking heroin in 2013 and finally quitting weed and alcohol in 2018
Tank - I DJ & produce dance music- I’m 50 yrs old from Chicago, currently living in California-
I’m in the industry
Really busy DJING all over the country- I’m around ppl who drink and drug all the time
Took me 5 yrs in my sobriety to come back to DJing , I’ve found several dj’s and ppl in the industry who are sober just like you and I …
2024 will make 15 yrs
Clean & sober for me
( 100 % clean & sober)
Respect to you for sharing your sober journey!!
Sober life is the Best life !!
I worked behind the bar at a music venue in Denver for many years And I developed some pretty serious drug addictions And for me personally I was not able to continue working at this venue, it was just too much. I just passed 6 years clean in august and I've repaired things with my family.
Keep it up man
Congrats, man! Keep it up! 6 years is a huge accomplishment!
@@TankTheTech thanks I really appreciate that.
Glad to hear the EC crew was supportive and respectful of your choices. It’s always sad to hear people try and get sober, but their peers or friends are the worst influences for them. I’m 27 and was 24 when I had my first drink. Hated it, had a couple drinks after and haven’t touched alcohol since. Most of my friends drink, but none of them have (thankfully) pressured me nor made me feel out of place for not drinking.
Didn't intend to write this much lol. These are my experiences drinking. I'm 25 and I think I had my first drink when i was 20 or 21.
It was butter ripple schnapps, was ok but a little too sweet, only had a few swigs.
About a year and a half later was my second drink, went camping and wanted to try something else, my friends recommended rum, so I got a 750ml bottle of captain Morgan, mixed it about 1 part rum to 8 parts iced tea. Went through 3/4 of the bottle over 2 nights.
A month or 2 later I did the same thing, felt something from it after a few hours that time.
The next summer I wanted a different taste so I got a dark rum, ended up mixing it stronger, after about 3 hours I realized the effect had fully taken hold when i stood up at the campfire and almost lost my balance. I was slurring my words, walking required a lot more concentration, went to plug in my diesel heater because it was getting cold but couldn't figure it out because it was dark and I couldn't find my flashlight, climbed up into the tent and went to sleep but not before throwing up supper with my head of the rooftent door by the ladder, then passed out. Actually slept really well. In the morning I got and climbed down, walked around a bit, threw up twice and felt really hungry for the morning till my stomach settled and I could eat. A few months later I had a shot of that dark rum for my birthday party and felt like throwing up again.
Now it's a year and a half later and I found a long Island iced tea that I like, only have maybe a dozen in a year though lol.
Here in Bulgaria (and Eastern Europe as a whole) being a non-drinker is being viewed as being a p***у, so we have a huge alcoholism problem in the region. I, however, rarely drink, and I haven't got drunk since I was a teen in 2006. I told myself I never want to get drunk again and I knew when to stop every time since then. There was a period I didn't drink ANY alcohol for about 2 years, but I do enjoy a drink or two on occasion or a beer with my food. Hell, I can't imagine going to Prague 3 times last year and not getting a Pilsner Urquell on the tap. So I kinda get the "Hey, come one, you gotta try this one!" instinct but I am also not a moron so I never do it and I never insist on anyone drinking with me. No matter the reason - the person doesn't drink, a straight edge, ex-alcoholic, or even for a silly reason like religion - I respect them all. I have noe respect, however, for people who disturb others with their drinking or force them to drink. It's a d*сk move. I'd rather be a р***у.
I'm from Serbia and I perfectly know what you mean
I did my first sober tour this past september/october and it was not easy ( more so dealing with drunk band members when sober ) and I have another tour coming up in March. This gives me a lot more confidence to stay sober and it be ok. Thanks for the video!
You got this. Keep up the great job staying sober
I'd say it is also a generation difference, younger people are more tolerant for sobriety, like in work events, and we are also having good variety of decent non alcoholic options now days, though usually those are not promoted without asking by staff in restaurants. Overall in music, lots of people have turned into taking care of themselves, not drinking excessively or even at all, looking what they eat etc, which leads to longer careers and hopefully better music and concert experiences for all sides.
With some exceptions, industry has also been moved more better way in this sense, eg there ain't any late night gigs any more, where start time is way beyond midnight to boost up venue alco sale. And what bands had to do when they have 10 hours of wait time?
My dude, congratulations on holding on to your sobriety. I imagine a lot of people worry that one drink will immediately bring them back on the wagon, but knowing that going back for another sip is what does it will make all the difference for many.
I've been sober over 20 years; as in go to AA, have a sponsor, home group, work the steps. It's a way of life.
I have zero issues being in bands with members who drink etc. And I go to gigs all the time at bars and clubs. But only if I have business being there eg supporting a band. But I don't hang out at bars or go to parties just to hang out. And to be honest there are so many people, meetings, parties, barbeques, and musicians in AA that a newbie doesn't need to hang out around drinkers to have a full life.
If you're having a problem with alcohol or drugs try stopping for a year. If you can't you might have a problem. Even if you only drink or use a few times a year you might have a problem if when you do things get out of hand or go badly in some way, shape, or form. If you have a problem there's help.
And there's definitely a life after alcohol and drugs. My life didn't end when I stopped drinking; it got better. In fact I'd say I wasn't living until I stopped. I was just existing day to day. In sobriety I've gotten married, had children, went to college, went to music college for a year, jumped out of airplanes, traveled the world, and played my instrument at a higher level than I ever did drinking.
congratulations on your sobriety. I have been sober 10 years. The last time I drank I was hospitalized and my BAC was a .47. Most people die at .40 but I had an extreme tolerance due to long-term very heavy drinking.
Sometime last year, I was accidentally given a beer at my local bar. Had one sip and it tasted really weird. Looked at the bottle and found out, it wasn't a lemonade, but a "gold" beer. I honestly had a little panic attack and immediately cleaned my mouth out. I monitored my behavior for the rest of the evening and still check every bottle before taking a sip.
I think be sober is more "normal" (on tour too). It's slowly become good life style and glad about this. I wish you and everyone else more sober years.❤
Congrats on 6 yrs Tank...I've been clean from booze and smack for 14 yrs and it was the best decision I've ever made...With that said bc of spinal cord issues and multiple surgeries I am on pain killers and have been a life long pot smoker so some of the more militant pll in sobriety would say I'm not sober but walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you judge them...Besides all the meds and pain have not caused a relapse and I have a great team of Docs and clinicals on my side so things are as good as they've ever been ✌️🧐🤘
As someone who grew up in a family that owned a pub/inn and worked the bar long before I was allowed to drink wath I served - the f-ing waiter/bartender saying *one doesn't hurt* makes me SO SO MAD!
I rarely drink and I hate the culture of people asking you why you don't wanna drink and making it a big thing. It's none of your buisness, there are many reasons not to drink (being sober, being sick/taking meds, being pregnant or simply: I don't want to). A simple no should be enough. (But as it is in other situations it sadly isn't...)
I never drank but I know I had tons of situations in the last decades when I had to explain myself why I don't drink and people started to pressure me. The worst part about it was that it was mostly in the working environment and not about my job with the musicians, it was with usual office jobs. There are many reasons not to drink, and people have to accept this personal decision. Tank, you are courageous to stand, and don't do it again! Day by Day, großartig!
I think Europe will be a bit of an eye opener for you. Europeans tend to eat while they are drinking, and yes it will be a family event, kids and all, up to maybe 11pm on a weekend. Europeans tend not to drink to get drunk, it's more relaxed, sociable, but also responsible. What's why I would have been surprised if EC had have been any other way. But that's not to say that they do not like to party, they'll just do it when or where there are no children about.
Regarding people sneaking beer around yo when you quit drinking: my friends and I use to do the same after a friend who had addiction went sober. Our reasoning was to not make him feel excluded or missing out if he saw us drinking while he can't; so it wasn't because we thought he'd go crazy if he saw alcohol.
It's possible your friends and touring crew were also doing that for the same reason
Our friend eventually also got offended because he thought we thought he'd go crazy if he saw beer, so we stopped sneaking around him
In hindsight, our behaviour was definitely ridiculous, even though our interactions were to be considerate. We just didn't think it though
I don't think you were being ridiculous you were trying to be mindful of his decision to quit drinking and were taking it seriously
April 6th will be 3 years booze sober, for me.....
I hit rock bottom during pandemic and also started watching your channel about the same time...
You are at least partially responsible for my sobriety, after hearing your story....and for that, thank you brother...We had very similar situations...
not much related to the main topic of the video but I have to say that stay sober it's one of the best decision I've ever make. I started drinking the last 2 days of school back when I was 17 and 18, respectively. And the reason of that is because I got into a depression due to I suffer bullying at that time and I felt the "need" to do that. I was drinking almost non stop every week. But one day I said: no more, this ends right now, I need to change my life style. So yeah, it was a difficult decision but so proud to being sober since 4 years ago.
I consider myself as a dry alcoholic. Went completely over board with alcohol to a point that my little brother told me that he is scared about my wellbeeing. That hit me really hard and from that moment I stopped drinking completely.
In the beginning it was weird not drinking but more because the people around me knew me only that way and they always wanted me to drink something. So I told them that Im the driver for the evening and that always worked.
Now my friends know that I dont drink anymore and if they want to get shots for everyone they always order me a shot of water just so I can "drink" with them. Very cute of them
Never been drunk my entire life, don't like the taste and what it does, I always get some weird glances here and there :P
It takes courage to stay sober and remain dedicated to this lifestyle. I have had close family members chose sobriety and we all loved them for it. We totally respected it.
15 years sober off all substances. You earned my respect and sub today!
Those stories about people just trying to get you to drink hit home. I just decided at a point (more than 20 years ago) to never drink alcohol again and of course some people just could not really accept that. But I don't know if I just weeded out such people, it does no longer happen.
I do not drink because I get a really bad headache even from the smallest sip. My body is basically telling me that drinking is toxic for me. Most people try to pressure me to drink anyway, but I do not want to waste a whole day for just a sip of champagner... having a bad headache the complete next day is not a good reason for them to not drink. I feel some people would be more considerate if i struggled with an addiction. My reason to stay away from alcohol might be different to most people, but I think it is a da** good reason. Everyone stay strong for your own reasons whatever they are...
23 years clean and sober..
And I was the same way.. once i start.. I don't stop.. I don't miss it at all..
keep it up man..
I'm a bartender who also had his own struggles with alcohol (not sober, but understand my limits now, I have a couple beers a month probably) and I would NEVER try to make a sober person drink a beer. If anything happened to that person the bartender would 100% be accountable.
I can really relate with what you said about relapsing. I was so f***ing pissed when I found out that my sister, that had been sober for 11 years at that point, tried to start a conversation with her therapist about possibly drinking a glass of champagne on her own wedding day. He actually managed to advise her to try out drinking a bit here and there to figure out how it felt. 3 months later she had consumed a full bottle of wine without really noticing it herself before driving to pick up her daughter from daycare.
Thankfully she has now just passed 1 year sober again, but that could have ended really bad.
Most therapists are fucking charlatans.
Love that you go to meetings to meet and try and help others. Such a cool thing to do.
Dude from 6:27 to 6:53 I actually sat in front of my screen and applauded you for saying that! Like literally clapping my hands. There is this saying that "Alcohol is the only drug in this world you have to justify for NOT taking it"... and this is so f*cked.... I have been sober for about seven years now and if I got one Euro for every time someone said something like "why not" or "come on, one doesn't hurt" I'd be rich as hell now... thanks for your words Tank! 👏👏👏
I can also fully agree with your take on touring without drinking. I had no issues whatsoever on my tours and everyone just accepted that I don't drink. Plus there are a few bands that I do FoH for, that put my favorite editions of Red Bull on their catering rider just for me because I told them, that those are my preferred drink when everyone around me is partying. Since they actually want me to be on the road with them, they try to support me that way and it is actually kinda heart warming ☺
Thanks for this video Tank! I’m a live sound engineer coming up on my 10th anniversary…. I really don’t even wanna think about those days, and how well quite frankly I thankfully never injured others or myself…. Had a touching moment last month celebrating my 20th year with a client, who basically saved my ass and gave me that last chance…. To anyone out there in internet land who’s hurting…. Your not bad person, and you’re not alone.. please never be afraid to reach out for help. “god’s greatest gift to alcoholics is other alcoholics “. Ps that bartender should be fired!
Seriously proud of you. I only drink once a year, that being St. Patrick's day. Thats it. I drink a couple Guinness & blast Celtic Punk Rock. I dont ever crave alcohol & ive never smoked a thing or done any drugs of any kind. To all fighting to stay sober, keep going! Yall got this ❤
Thanks for sharing your experience, Tank! Went sober Feb 28th, 2020; I've been lucky in that anyone who heard about my sobriety has been super supportive. I do go out to bars with friends, but they make the effort to go to ones with non-alcoholic beers, cocktails or know the bartenders who can mix something kinda fancy. It helps keep me social so I don't kick myself about being in those environments because I care about my friendships; after a few months I never had the urge to touch alcohol again.
Cigarettes, though? I crave them especially in between bands and I miss squatting on the curb lighting up.
To anyone who wants to be sober, I wish you the best! My unsolicited advice is to surround yourself with supportive friends and also alcohol free activities (Muay Thai and archery for me).
Man you released this video at the best time… I unfortunately just got in a bad situation and messed up hardcore just two days ago. I was so proud for not drinking on New Years and I let life difficulties screw me up it convinced me to mess up. I think my main issue is I need to find people to call before I slip…. I am happy I made it a year, I just toured with Source as a roadie and they were super supportive with making sure that drinks were not offered to me my next roadie gig they are also extremely supportive. I actually think I’m more motivated to stay sober on tour compared to being stuck at home. Tank you have helped me a lot thank you.
I chimed in at the very end of the chat; forgive me for repeating.
I'm a bartender, if a patron declines alcohol I respect their choice and offer N/A options.
Period.
I will be sober for 7 years in summer. It feels good to say that.
For all the issues I do have with over-consumption, I'm glad that drink & drugs aren't ones I've had struggles with. I'm glad, though not really surprised as they seem like a bunch of top blokes, that the EC boys were conscientious of you none the less.
10:37. I struggled for about three years with a meth addiction and being clean and sober now and being in a band and I’m really fortunate to be in a position where my band members and the support circle I have around me all want to see me do better, and no one wants to see me go back to the place that I was and They understand triggers and they understand that there’s certain things and certain people I am just not fond of being around or doing because it triggers you , I agree with the bartender statement though if a bartender is trying to get someone back into their addiction, who is it destructive person regardless, if they know their backstory or not, if they said they do not drink, they are still trying to push the issue I agree I think whatever that person does that the bartender be held accountable. A lot of people will try to say. It shouldn’t work that way you know you’re the one who made that you are someone who has been in the folds of a deep addiction. It is not simply that easy. Some of us have better control over ourselves than others, but some of us are not that fortunate. It’s the same thing that if you sell someone some laced dope and it kills them from an overdose, you should be convicted of murder. I don’t care everyone’s open to their own opinions, but when you have truly dealt with addiction, you understand that statement and there’s some power behind that brother and I love you and I support you and your sobriety keep going strong man.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Getting over any kind of addiction is hard. No matter what the addiction might be. I’m struggling with overweight all my life. In 2021\2022 managed to loose 110 lbs (50 Kg). But it has been a tough time with lots of discipline. All of 2023, I’ve been struggling to just hold my current weight. The big difference (from my point of view) is that you can live without alcohol, nicotine or drugs, but you cannot live without food. The hard part is to control my desires, as I just cannot stop eating completely.
Proud of you man! Also the more I hear about EC, the more amazing they seem as human beings, really stand up dudes
Dude, not sure if that helps, but I say the same as my father, who's sober for decades now. I'm about to reach 2 years.
When I am on a party and someone offer me, I reply with
"I already drank my life quota".
I don't know if because this is unexpected, but no one keeps pushing after that.
Or maybe nowadays I'm not surrounded by idiots anymore.
Also, a great psychiatrist here in Brazil, explained something that shocked me to the core.
She was asked what is a sign that you are an alcoholic. Her reply:
"There is no much on behaviour we can extract as 'fact' by the researches, but one thing is reported often, "ex-"alcoholics report to have a high tolerance, and not have hangover at all or as hard as other people. "
I only had hangovers with wine or champagne. 😕
Love to hear this, Tank! You and the EC boys are awesome ❤
Thank you for taking the time to talk about this with us!
being sober my last 2 year of college was difficult as hell to navigate since alcohol & drugs are so normalized in a lot of social environments. it’s so nice to see someone who is sober in a completely different social scene, but where substances are equally as normalized/encouraged, talk about their journey! super validating for a lot of people, thanks for sharing
Dude. The fact that you decided to stay sober for your family says a lot about your character. It says even more when you take into consideration the line of work you do. I applaud you. I keep my fingers crossed and hope your daughter and wife are proud of you and love you every single day.
When it comes to your tour with Electric Callboy the fact that they know when to quit is also telling a lot how seriously they treat their line of work and how much they don't want to mess it. That's commendable in every possible way.
Personally I sometimes drink a bit of alcohol (typically a lamp of wine) when mood hits me but most of the time I don't feel the urge to drink at all. In most social situations and parties my friends see my with non-alcoholic beer as a drink to not make them feel awkward but that is all. Especially since I refuse to drive after alcohol.
this is one of the greatest videos i have watched in ages. I think the sober life needs to be assisted, and friends need to be made in the world of it in order to push on and learn to see the positivity in everything, even without religion for us who aren't practitioners of anything. I have seen many musicians and friends collapse to that sh(t.
Grew up around substance abuse and chose to be straight edge myself. Growing up in the midwest where drinking especially is just what you do was a struggle. People around here start drinking in their teens and i knew many friends who came to school with Mt. Dew bottles filled with booze. In adulthood sitting around the garage while people drink beer like water was just normal. Also everyone in my family smoked either cigs or weed. Many were also caught up in the infamous midwest addiction cocktail of pain killers and Xanax. I’ll be 42 in January and still substances free outside a few pain meds when i had all my wisdom teeth removed and post gallbladder surgery. It’s never once been easy and it’s depressing how many times grown ass adults have tried to pressure me into “just try it”. Seeing my young cousin, who rarely drinks, explain how easy it is for him gives me hope that this “cool to be wasted” culture is dying off.
t’s always been strange how open minded i about letting people do what they want but that curtesy is rarely returned to me and my choices.
Electric Callboy sounds like a dream to have a job with. I love how you speak highly of them. Next time when you come to philly or around this area, I need to get media access (I am a photographer).
awesome video dude ,i once did an out patient rehab program and one day i went to lunch with my mam and asked for a non alcoholic beer ,i realized after drinking the beer it was not non alcoholic when i spoke to the bar tender she thought it was funny she gave me a alcoholic beer ,i said what the fuck even if i was not on a program i could have been driving some people just dont get it ,much respect
Giving up the drink 2.5 years ago was the best thing I ever did. Had the same problem with it, once I started, it was go until I blacked out. Now I’m a coffee fiend and I’m better for it. Loved this video!
Seeing this video after some time and I just wanted to say thank you for being a sober dad.
I'm the child of someone who got sober decades before I was born and it definitely made a difference in my childhood and adult life
Starting is never a problem. Stopping is the problem.
I'm 31 and never had a drink. People never believe me and try to get me to drink
I am very proud of you for remaining sober! It is an incredibly difficult journey for people with “normal” lives and I cannot imagine how it is like for those in “party” careers. Over the past year it has been really uplifting to hear of lots of music artists becoming/remaining sober.
Three days from now will be my 1 year sobriety anniversary and I will celebrate by staying home and watching videos of live performances I attended in 2023
100% support this
I always appreciate when you talk about this stuff. I'm 8.5 years sober other than one slip-up 2 years ago. I didn't get to the point of being an alcoholic back when I drank, not even close, but I have struggled / currently struggle with other addictions and I know that it's best for myself to just stay sober. Having other folks talk about their journeys is always encouraging and I feel proud of myself and proud of everyone else on the path, no matter how far on it they are.
We had a work party at a bar and a recovering alcoholic almost didn't wanna go but because I wanted to hang out with him and help him be comfortable, I told him I'd be sobor with him and play pool with him so he could hang out with the crew and enjoy free dinner with everyone else.
I had a problem with booze. I hid it from everyone. I got money from the govrnment to go to school and every week id blow it on vodka I'd put in everything and if I ran out I'd skim shots from my mum's and top it back up with water so she wouldn't notice. It was a struggle to find places that would serve me or find people to buy it for me because I was so young and I didn't want anyone I knew to know. I quit on my 18th birthday because I realized if It was running my life now and it was hard to get hold off how bad was it going to be when I was legally allowed to buy it.
The first couple of years where rough. I lent on cigarettes and moved onto other... Things... But I eventually managed to kick that too. I've been clean from booze for 12 years if you don't count 1 relapse drink I necked the day I became homeless in 2018. Basically Everytime I go out I get asked why I don't drink then told "one ain't gonna hurt you" and to be honestly if I had 1 drink Everytime someone said that to me I'd have a worse problem then I had before I quit.
Thanks for flying the sober flag tank. Videos like this go along way in normalizing those of us that want to stay sober
Well assuming any amount of alcohol would trigger someone, NA beer is not actually "alcohol free" just less than 1% ABV. But some light beer is 4% or less. So four NA beers could be the same as one regular light beer.
Sooo... I'm French. We drink a LOT here, and it's extremely present throughout French culture. Mark my words when I say that I have never seen any situation where someone who doesn't drink is repeatedly prompted to do just that. ESPECIALLY if they're trying to go sober (if they just don't like it i mean we'll ask if they want to taste it cuz that's the polite thing to do i guess). The fact that you don't want to drink is well respected here.
Your dedication to staying sober. To the point of even running to spite out your beer. Is commendable. Massive respect for that amount of willpower. I had to go years without beer or alcohol myself. congratulation on doing that sir!
Last year I did dry January and it pretty much stuck. I never had a problem, per se (I acknowledge I’m very lucky), but just realized it’s bad for me and I wouldn’t miss it and I’ve cut back 90%-95% ever since.
All’s to say, it is *so* *goddamned* *annoying* dealing with people in social situations who hassle me about not drinking.
It gives me all the respect in the world for those of you who are sober and had to fight to get there and have to fight even harder to stay there. Keep at it 👊🏻👊🏻
I commend you for your stand with staying sober. Can't even imagine being in an environment being surrounded by alcohol but glad to hear that you have people that respect your choice.
Good for you you talking about this so openly. I'm actually not surprised EC are very professional & don't actually go that crazy with the partying. That is very consistent with how you've described them.
Congratulations brother. It can seem impossible to many people myself included once upon a time. I was not able to be in those situations in the beginning. But being 12 years sober and 9 years clean I'm great in any given situation. But it's all about knowing who you are and your confidence in sobriety.
Good for you, brother, especially if you're in recovery 🙏🙏🏽🙏🏻
Congrats on your sobriety! Normal day to day people have a tough time sometimes, but being around the environment and staying sober man. Nothing but respect for you. 🤘🤙
Tank, I know I’m a nobody. But I would love to have a conversation with ya. I have been in recovery for almost 7 years and have done all of those on A level tours. The Struts, Dashboard Confessional, Andrew Mcmahon, etc. I would love to add value through my experiences. More so if anyone needs someone to listen or a sponsor with relative industry experience, I am at your service. Thank you for your advocating brother and congrats!
Thank you for talking candidly about this. I think your journey will inspire others to at least try to get sober. Lots of people respect you because you tell it like it is. You don't bullshit people, and you don't take bullshit from anyone. You seem very approachable and full of common sense. We can tell how much you love your family and your job but it's obvious that your family would come first in any given situation. So thank you for addressing the subject and being so positive. Please be safe on the road and take care of yourself. Can't wait to see more tour vlogs!
I've never had any substances issues but I'm always very happy and proud of people that become sober. Thanks for talking about this Tank!
'nuff respect!
I’m 26 and a musician myself and I play a lot of metal shows and on my off time when I have the time and money I go to a bar a little bit away from my hometown because that’s where most of my friends are, and even though there’s always a lot of drinking around me the most I wanna drink is what I can responsibly handle no matter what else is going on around me. It can be tempting to keep going at times but at the end of the day it’s all about what you’re comfortable with and bartenders should NEVER try and convince a sober person to drink if that person doesn’t want to.
Thank you for sharing this about your personal life on how living a healthy life style while also living the rock star life is such a difficult balance.
I'll be 6 months sober in a week. I decided early on that I was gonna have to get used to people drinking around me and I have NO problem telling someone to fuck off if they were to think it's weird that I'm not drinking. Thanks for talking about this stuff! When I was still drinking it was so helpful to hear other people talking about how they stopped drinking
50 years sober. Never started. Not one drink, not ever. I feel like it’s a lot easier than having had to quit. That’s monumental Tank. I’m so glad you saw that it was going to hurt you long term and made the adjustment.
I love how you touched on the awkwardness. I’ve experienced it my whole life. I go to a party, people offer it. I politely decline, and then comes the lecture/confession/storytime. Ive gotten everything from what’s wrong with you, are you religious, does your wife not let you, etc… the worst one, and this happens most often, is when people feel insecure and judged and start into defending why they drink. Dude, I have zero concern that YOU are drinking, but I am not. It’s a reflection on them at that point. I love ya when you’re sober, I love ya when you’ve had a few. Not judging.
Its great how something that was an issue (not drinking) became a positive for your career!! More ppl need to hear these types of stories
Congratulations on your sobriety. Its not an easy path and not everyone makes it out sober. Job well done!
I’ve been sober for 4 years as of this past November and it took me a long time to get to where I felt “normal” as of like the middle of the year last year to feel I guess just comfortable. It’s kinda funny because I’ve been to a couple of concerts and I get a little bit down at first but I get over it and when it’s time to leave it’s like hell yeah I don’t have to worry about anything driving home! Keep it up man I think it pretty amazing you can dart sober in your particular career 🤘
Great topic! I have found as I approach my 60th birthday, that over the last 5-10 years my intake and desire for drink have dropped considerably. I still enjoy a nice bourbon or a cold beer, but I have no desire to go on benders like I used to. It helps to see that people are open about sobriety without being preachy. I agree people pressure others to drink, are A-holes.
Glad to hear you stand your ground and that you get supported for doing so. AWESOME!
Super proud of you. But also great to hear about the EC guys. They just impress me more and more and make me more and more happy the more I learn about them.
(Yes I know I said more a lot)
I'm winding down a 45 year career as a touring crew guy (mostly as a sound engineer). Yeah I'm old. But I've had a great career by staying sober. I've never had a drink in my life and have seen plenty of those ass holes who insist you drink. I even got fired from a tour because the band didn't trust me because I was NOT doing drugs and drinking. Fuck 'em! I've seen friends lose control and die. I've had my share of great fun. No regrets. Much respect Tank!
It baffles me that there are still so many people insensitive to people trying to stay sober. And how many of those people also then shit on the people "who can't control themselves". Thanks for sharing, need more people being open about their paths to sobriety whether chosen for health or any other purposes. I wonder if it's a sign of people scared what others think of their behavior who are most insecure about sober people around them.
Congrats on your sobriety and thanks for putting this up for those who may be struggling! Hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a great start and know that there's ALWAYS someone who will hear you should you need someone! Me especially! 💙🙏🏼👊🏼
2 years sober for me on January 7th!! Thanks for being open and honest Tank.
Just hit 3 years here! Thanks for doing this vid!
I was playing death metal drums when i stopped drinking. One is one and two is twenty. Band was not cool with it until my playing improved noticably. Long fast songs could now go one right into the next without resting my legs.
While working in the live music industry, before moving stateside, I did drink a lot, partially because of depression, partially because of the culture, often getting shitfaced after the gig with the band members, bar staff, and lock-ins until 6am. I have never been 'sober', where I have said I will never drink, but I don't drink these days, and only drank on a Friday night at the local rock club with friends; prior to getting into sound engineering. There is definitely a culture of drinking in the industry from my experience, and although I miss working sound, I don't miss the drinking culture. I still enjoy the occasional beer, but I can drink one or two without the urge to drink more.