From hopeless drunkard to avid sportsman… An IRONMAN

“Sir, you can’t trust me until you attend their session. I can assure you, that no one will recognize you as we will go in a private vehicle.  In the meeting also you will not be asked to speak, you will not be even introduced. You just observe, how we people work.” On this condition I went with Nitin Ghorpade, in Aurangabad to attend the ‘Alcohol anonymous’ session that was being conducted in a school that cold November evening.

I was amazed with the session and the way each of the alcohol addicts were conducting themselves. The session was marked with total honesty about their own journey and also how they extended whole hearted support to the new members. The members were candid enough to admit that it’s a painful process both physically and emotionally. Many a times they reached a point of breakdown. It was only their mental resilience and determination to break free of this painful habit that saw them through. It was a revelation for me also as to how unrelated people could come together and create so much of positive synergy. I was extremely glad that I went there so that I could understand the vibes and the atmosphere of faith. It just further strengthened my belief that the mind is the most important gift that a human has and how it can be conditioned to achieve whatever you set out to achieve. The people in the room were discussing their achievements over their addiction. It was an evening well spent.

However, having said this, I want to focus more on Nitin Ghorpade, who himself was an alcoholic until a few years ago.  He would remain under the influence throughout the day and spend all his money on alcohol.  His whole family suffered in the process.  His urge for alcohol was so strong that he would drink any make.   His wife and other family members took all possible help from deaddiction centers to doctors but nothing worked on him. A time came when his family also gave up.  It was certain that he would die soon as he had developed liver cirrhosis by that time.  But one day a friend of his advised his family members to take him to alcoholic anonymous session.

This was a turning point. After hearing a few people who had already quit drinking or were on the verge of quitting he realized, this was the last try and he must explore it. That day he pledged to himself that he would quit drinking. In his sane moments he knew that his addiction was affecting his family and very soon they will be in shambles financially too, if he did not do course correction very quickly.

From that day he did not drink ever and his old transport business also started picking up.  This was not all…… I wish to discuss about another miracle here.  He turned towards sports and gradually he reached the pinnacle, and in times to come he kept on achieving new heights. In Year 2018 he attempted the Ironman at Hamburg Germany and successfully completed it. Ironman, as we know, is an activity of 226 km’s with 4 km’s of swimming, 180 km’s of cycling and 42 km’s of run. Each activity has a cut off time. Believe me it really tests your endurance and Nitin has attempted the Ironman not once but multiple times, in 2018, in 2019 and this year in 2022 too. Today his credibility as a sportsperson has increased tremendously. In addition to Ironman’s, he has also finished 42 km’s full marathons ten times, 21 km’s half marathons 50 times. He is also an ultra-runner today with runs of 161 km’s and 72 km’s Khardungla challenge in Ladakh. The list is never ending and he has explored cycling also with 200 Km’s, 300 km’s, 400 km’s and 600 km’s under his belt.

He is not stoppable today. In addition to his business he is devoting a lot of time to promote sports in Aurangabad. Today, he dedicates his time to those who wish to get rid of their drinking habits. He regularly attends ‘Alcohol Anonymous’ sessions and spreads the message of healthy living. Nitin is a living example, of the victory of mind over matter. He has proved that nothing is impossible, if you are determined. He has conditioned his mind in such a way that it listens to him in all his endeavors. Today after quitting alcohol and getting into sports he looks a much younger man.

I consider Nitin an achiever. Those who believe that it is difficult to come out of bad habits, to them, I wish to say it’s all in the mind and if your mind is determined then you can do it.  So go for it, TODAY!!

Thanks Nitin for letting me know about ‘Alcohol Anonymous’ and their effective work in the field of deaddiction.