“Well I woke up Sunday morning, with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.

And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more for desert.”
- Kris Kristofferson (Johnny Cash)

On New Year's Day, there were many people with Sunday morning hangovers. For some people, it happens once a year. For others is an every day experience.

Many people use booze or drugs when life is out of control. It is easier to pop a pill or have a beer than to tackle underlying problems. 

New Year's Day is a time when people will make life changes. Diet classes and workout centers fill every January and people make resolutions to improve themselves.

My demon is my weight. Getting to obese would be an improvement. 

Last January, I started a group called Don's Fat Guys Club. I wrote a column inviting men meet me and to share ideas about losing weight. Four men showed and the group was started.

This January, I am 22 pounds lighter and the group is going strong. We've added a few members (and looking for more) but every person in the group has lost weight. 

If I can ever get below obese, they'll probably have me on Oprah. The Fat Guys have been an amazing success story.

Like most successful self help groups, we do not charge a fee and give each other support. 

We are difference from 12 step groups in that we are competitive. We put a dollar each in a pot. The person with the biggest weight loss that week gets the cash. It is a motivator. I won three weeks in a row and everyone was gunning for me on the fourth.

Motivation is the key to battling demons. I don't know what makes a person decide to get help but it has to come from within. Once they decide, they need the support of others and from a higher power. 

People who turn to booze, drugs and other poisons use them as a substitute for something missing in their lives.

Employees with substance abuse problems are a real dilemma. I've had good employees suddenly become bad employees when faced with a trauma in their personal lives. They started drinking or taking medications. 

It was not just Sunday morning coming down, it is Monday, Tuesday and every other day as well. They were constantly hung over.

They did not come to work drunk or stoned but not at the top of their game. Although we cared for them as people, the organization can't carry someone who is not pulling their weight. 

It is not easy to suggest that someone start dealing with their problems. Most people with problems know they have problems. They don't appreciate your pointing it out to them.

You don't need to tell me I'm fat. My scale, clothes and broken chair will do that for me. 

On the other hand, If you are a true friend or loved one, you want to do something to get the person to confront their issues.

Concern needs to be communicated in an effective manner. 

I once suggested via email that a friend needed to find a therapist. Good intentions with bad implementation.

If I had gotten the email instead of sending it, I would have responded by sending the lyrics to the Aaron Tippin song "Kiss This." 

My friend had a milder temperament.

A struggling person needs support from other people. That is one of the reasons that groups like Alcoholics Anonymous have had such tremendous success. They give a person with problems love and understanding. 

The Fat Guys have worked because we root for each other but have a competitive nature.

The result of a recent wager is that I am starting 2006 with a personal trainer. That ought to help my weight loss and overall fitness. 

I hope people fighting drug and alcohol problems will use the new year as an opportunity to look at their lives and battle their demons.

This could be the last year when they face another Sunday morning coming down.

Don McNay is President of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond Kentucky where the Fat Guys meet every Tuesday at 6. pm. His column is syndicated on the CNHI News Service and he is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. You can write to him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text84168 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or read other things he has written at DonMcNay.com