Country singer Jake Owen is celebrating nearly two years of sobriety, telling fans his life “is so much better” without alcohol.
“689 days ago, I made a decision,” the 41-year-old star wrote in an Instagram Story. “I’ve stuck to it, and I’m really proud of myself. I was not at a point where I had a drinking problem, I was just being an [expletive] and being a person I didn’t want to be.”
Owen continued, “Trust me, there’s [probably] someone reading this that I affected in my days of being an idiot and I can never take that back. … I said things I shouldn’t, as well as did things I would never do sober. I had to own up to those instances and the ONLY thing I could do was be a better person going forward.”
“I just want to encourage any of you that might be considering quitting drinking, that you should!” he added. “Life is so much better. Sleep better. Feel better. Be better. Shoot … I’ll be your supporter. I’ll cheer you on.”
Last year, Owen said he never had a drinking problem and didn’t struggle to stop drinking. Rather, he said he just didn’t like the person he was when he consumed alcohol.
“I just stopped,” he said. “I’m proud I did. What I realized in these moments was that it’s not easy for a lot of people. For me, it wasn’t hard. It was just something I decided to put down. For people who struggled and have reached out asking how I did it, it’s amazing to be able to connect with people like that.”
It all started, the singer-songwriter explained, when he embarrassed himself drinking too much one night.
“317 days ago, I embarrassed myself after drinking too much alcohol one night,” Owen wrote. “It wasn’t the first time, either. The next day, I told myself, ‘Never again.’ I am better than that, and the people I love the most deserve better. My family, my little girls, and my friends.”
While Scripture doesn’t prohibit Christians from drinking alcohol, there are many passages in the Bible warning against drunkenness. In Proverbs 20:1, for example, it’s written, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (ESV).
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