Braun’s New Life As a Recovering Alcoholic

LIFE ON THE ICE –

Jan. 25, 2024 – As is the case with many alcoholics, Braun’s slide into addiction was gradual. First a beer in the evening, then two or three — at some point another at dinner during the week and then in the morning too. But at some point, he’d had enough. Braun would suffer from withdrawal, he’d get chest pains when the intervals between drinks became too long.

“I didn’t want to have to hide, I wanted to go through therapy without the fear of someone recognizing me,” Braun says. “One of the reasons I needed therapy was that I had been hiding things for years.”

As difficult as it may have been at first, going public took a lot of pressure off him.

“Then I went to a clinic for six months, 600 kilometers (373 miles) away from Berlin. I wanted to get as far away as possible to avoid falling back into old habits,” Braun recalls.

“After that, I went back and had to relearn my life. This meant learning to go grocery shopping without going to the alcohol section.”

It was a difficult process that took between two and three years to complete.