Alex Wilhelm's second life began the day his body fell apart due to excessive drinking, the primary activity of his first life. He finds it difficult to recognize himself in the life he lived before becoming sober. He feels like he's lived two lives already. Today, Alex is a journalist at TechCrunch, an industry leading technology news site. In May 2020, he celebrated 4 years of sobriety from alcohol. In this episode, we chat about the stark contrast between his two lives and the lessons he's learned along the way, including: What happened when his body fell apart due to excessive drinking How fortunate he is to be a public alcoholic and what that means to him His family’s reaction when Alex called to inform them he was in rehab Where he finds the consistent strength to remain sober The difference between how he thought rehab was a magic hammer to reset his life instantly and what rehab actually was for him How Alex adjusted to a world centered around drinking and alcohol after finishing rehab Why not drinking anymore is the fount of all blessings in his existence How he and his wife managed a bi-coastal long distance relationship The importance of the small wins he’s had since beginning his sobriety Why the biggest lesson he's learned is that kindness is underrated The gravity of how it felt to lose to a substance like alcohol What being an optimist really means and the kind of optimism that he wants in his life