I tried everything to get control of my drinking.

First, I tried to set limits. I told myself "just one drink" at events.

But as soon as I started drinking, the limit disappeared. One became two, then two became three.

Then I switched to light beer instead of craft beer. I thought less alcohol would solve the problem. But I just drank more of the light beer to get the same effect.

Finally, I tried the "weekends only" rule. But those boundaries lasted until Wednesday when work stress hit.

Or Thursday when I had that parent-teacher conference.

Or Friday when my friends wanted to go to dinner.

I made it a few days here and there, but nothing I tried lasted.

I was about to start going to AA meetings until a friend introduced me to something called B4.

She told me it was a natural drink mix that could give me the 1-2 drink feeling without the downsides.

“It feels like waking up from a perfect nap. I feel relaxed, but outgoing.”

I thought she was nuts.

But the science behind it intrigued me…

B4 is made with 6 supplements called nootropics that boost focus & mood and calm your nerves at the same time.

And the price was nothing compared to what I spent on alcohol…

So I decided to give it a shot before girls' night out. A situation where not drinking felt impossible.

I mixed B4 into my water bottle on the way to the restaurant.

Twenty minutes later, something happened.

The knot in my stomach was gone. I was talking. I was laughing.

When the server asked what I wanted to drink, I said "water."

My friends stared at me.

"Wait, you're not drinking?" Sarah asked.

"Nope," I said. "And I feel great."

Their jaws dropped. Then they smiled.

We stayed until they kicked us out. For once, I was the one telling stories and cracking jokes.

I drove everyone home that night. And I remembered everything when I woke up the next morning.

It was incredible. But that was just the start.