Responsibility – The Man Who Stopped Running

For ten years, Michael didn’t have a drinking problem; he had a “life problem.” Responsibility for his actions was something he struggled with during this time because he couldn’t face the truth.

• He drank because his boss was a tyrant.
• He drank because his wife “nagged” him.
• He drank because the world was too loud and the pressure was too heavy, evading responsibility.

In Michael’s mind, he was the victim. The alcohol wasn’t the villain; it was the only friend helping him survive an unfair life. When he lost his job, it was the company’s fault. When his wife took the kids and left, it was because she “didn’t understand him.”

The Rock Bottom

It wasn’t a car crash or a jail cell. It was a Tuesday afternoon in a silent, empty apartment. Michael went to pour a drink and realized his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t get the cap off. Michael sat on the kitchen floor, surrounded by takeout boxes. He looked at the silence he had made and felt the weight of his responsibility.

He realized he had won. Michael had driven away everyone who “bothered” him. He was finally alone. And he was terrified.

The Turning Point

In that silence, he didn’t pray a fancy prayer. He just whispered, “God, I don’t know who I am anymore. But I know I can’t be this guy.”

It wasn’t a lightning bolt; it was a tiny ember of clarity. He felt a strange, quiet nudge that said: Stop looking out the window for someone to blame. Look in the mirror and take responsibility.

The Responsibility (The “Real” Part) Finding God did not instantly improve Michael’s credit score or bring his wife back. In fact, it got harder before it got better because God asked him to do the one thing he hated most: Own it.

• Michael went to AA meetings and introduced himself not as a victim, but as an alcoholic taking responsibility.
• He got a job he felt was “beneath him” (stocking shelves) because he needed to pay child support, not just talk about it.
• Michael sat down with his ex-wife and didn’t ask for forgiveness; he simply admitted, “I caused this chaos. I am sorry.”

Where He Is Now Three years later, Michael is not a millionaire. His marriage did not get fixed like a fairy tale. They are friendly co-parents, but the damage is done.

But here is the miracle: Michael is reliable with his responsibility. When he says he will pick up his kids at 3:00 PM, his truck pulls up at 2:59 PM. When he makes a mistake, he doesn’t hide it; he says, “That was my fault, I’ll fix it.”

He found God, and in doing so, he found the dignity of being an adult who cleans up his own messes. He traded the “excitement” of chaos for the quiet, boring, beautiful peace of being a man of his word.