By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

May 6th was quite a day for me. I had been working on a project and was hoping it would see the light of day and in the midst of it all, I forgot what the day meant for me. May 6th is my anniversary of giving up the bottle, marking two years of life lived without alcohol.

Now, don’t worry, I’m not going to get too preachy. I just wanted to write a more journal style entry (which I don’t often do) to get a few things off my chest (while of course keeping with the theme of BTB, which is music).

For the record: I did not have a Courtney Love rehab moment, nor did I wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy brushing my teeth with a bottle of Jack. But it could’ve happened at the rate I was going…

Without going into extremely personal territory or depth, I simply felt that alcohol was a distraction for me and wanted to refocus my energy. I also wanted to get fit and to be as healthy as possible. With that being said, the first couple of months without drinking were really weird. Like super weird actually. If you’ve ever gone to a bar/club drinking only seltzer water/Shirley Temples you may know what I mean when I say this. The most sobering thing I experienced was going to a place I would normally go to drunk and seeing it for what it truly was and what I saw was not all that cool (like I had imagined) to begin with.

A huge lesson I’ve learned from this is that if you’re used to drinking til’ you can’t feel your face, give it up for a month or so and I promise you, you’ll quickly find out who your real friends are. Drinking often gives the illusion that you are super connected to these buddies that you get wasted with, but when the lights come on and the music ends and you drop the bottle, you realize that some of those connections are true but most are pretty surface. Alcohol may give you confidence to feel more comfortable on the outside — around people — but it will never give you the confidence to feel comfortable within yourself.

I know, I know — what does this have to do with you or music. I just wanted to make a statement (to anyone, but specifically teens/young adults who feel pressured into drinking to fit social norms) to say that you shouldn’t give in if it’s something you do not want to do. It will not make your problems disappear and it will not make you a better person. If drinking is something you want to try, then try it but do it responsibly. Because I know from experience how messy a freakin’ bottle of Jack can be (no wonder Ke$ha thinks her name is spelled with a dollar sign instead of an “s”).

Besides social pressure (along with numerous other variables), chaos & heartbreak are also major reasons behind heavy drinking, which leads me to the MIA JoJo, who has had a hard time with finding stability at a label the past couple of years. Talk about the need for tequila! I kid.

In late 2009 she signed with Interscope Records and began working with Chad Hugo, Pharell Williams, Jim Beanz, and Timbaland (among others). The first single is slated to be released this summer, but I won’t hold my breath, as her label keeps going back and forth. I hardly ever listen to the radio but when I do, I wouldn’t mind JoJo thrown into the mix. Afterall, the girl’s got chops and usually sings about things that aren’t shallow as crap. Plus, the song you’re about to hear is pop perfection and reaffirms the reasoning behind why I could use a new JoJo record.

I guess this long ass post can be summed up by saying — We’re often told to forget, to forgive, and to move on from pain, tests, and heartbreak but my motto is this: HOLD ONTO IT and USE IT to better yourself. And if you decide to be a sloppy hot mess, do it by mistake, not because someone pressured you, you think it will make you more confident, fix your issues, or because you think it’s the “cool” thing to do. The always cool thing to do is to be your own person and to follow your own damn route.

Much love, everyone. And thank you for supporting BTB, I truly appreciate it.

Aiiight, I’m done!

Check out a leaked track from JoJo’s new unreleased record, below.

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