The Simiglai Protocol

“Why are you an alcoholic?”

That was the comment someone left the other day.
Not a question. A label. A judgment.
And yeah—it made me pause.

Because it raised something deeper:
Why do we keep identifying ourselves by who we used to be?
Why do some people still call themselves “alcoholic,” even after years of being sober?
Why hold on to an identity you fought hard to break free from?

I don’t call myself an alcoholic.
Not because I’m in denial—
but because I’ve done the inner work to build a life that doesn’t revolve around alcohol.
I don’t avoid events where people are drinking.
Not because I’m stronger than anyone else—
but because that version of me doesn’t match who I am anymore.

I’m not a criminal, even if I used to be.
I’m not gang-affiliated, even if I grew up around it.
I’m not a bricklayer, just because I worked that job years ago.
And I’m not Mia’s boyfriend, because that was a decade ago.

You’re not overweight anymore if you lost the weight.
So why keep dragging around a label that no longer belongs to you?

For me, the shift came when I started thinking like a special forces operator.
I told myself: if I can build just half their mental toughness, I’ll already be miles ahead of the man I used to be.
And that gave me direction.

But here’s the truth:
None of that growth would’ve happened if I kept seeing myself as a broken addict or a failure.
Your life doesn’t change until your self-image does.
And that starts with your inner dialogue.

So whether you’re trying to quit drinking, become a better parent, build a business, or simply live with more purpose—
It starts by speaking to yourself like the person you’re becoming, not the one you’re trying to escape.

You are not your past.
You are what you do when no one’s watching.
You are the standard you hold yourself to.

And when that standard rises, everything else follows.