ANN ARBOR, MI — Max Schikora had relied on alcohol for happiness and after 17 years, he knew he had to change.

“That can be a really tough thing to realize that alcohol was more of an emotional and mental crutch,” Schikora, 44, of Ferndale said. “Some people drink to have fun, I drank to not think.”

He made the decision to stop March 22, 2020, nine days before President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency.

“When COVID happened, I realized that my life could be better,” he said. “Working 8 to 5, when you’re lifting heavy boxes and driving forklifts and heavy machinery, when you’re hungover every day is not conducive to a good time at all.”

He has been sober now for five years. He changed careers and now spends a lot of time at a place you might not expect — the bar.

Sch

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