CLEVELAND — Other than hand sanitizer, you won’t find a drop of alcohol in Cleveland resident Tony Kost’s house.

“I’ve been sober for 4.5 years. Sept. 5th of this year will be 5 years,” Kost said. 

Yet, most days of the week he drives to a place that has plenty of it. 

Kost is the general manager of Terrestrial Brewing Company in Cleveland's Battery Park neighborhood. 

“I love being able to create memories for people,” Kost said.

Kost has worked in the service industry for years. His friends describe him as genuine, positive and fun to be around. He loves meeting new people and as he mentioned above, being a part of creating memories for customers.

Social Drinker Becomes Severe Severe Alcoholic

He started out as a social drinker. He would hang out after work and drink with his buddies. That quickly turned into an every night occurrence and then became an every day and night occurrence. 

“It was always like, all right, dude we’re going to get through this weekend. We're going to have a good, you know, whatever, you’re gonna drink, you're gonna get yourself together Monday, but Monday never came. It was always an excuse. It was always the next week. There was always a reason to keep drinking because acknowledging that kind of stuff is terrifying. Nobody ever wants to look at themselves and say you're a drunk, that sort of self-actualization and that sort of self-truth is hard,” Kost said.

Before he knew it he was 33 years old and a severe alcoholic. He describes his alcohol consumption level as staggering. 

“I was so dependent on alcohol that I literally like chugged pint glasses of vodka and then drink throughout the course of the day; wine, beer or shots, whatever, I could drink to keep myself from going into withdrawal,” Kost said.

Breaking Point

At the height of his darkest days, Kost found himself passed out drunk during a work shift in a dark, bug-filled attic above a restaurant he was managing. 

“Waking up in the attic crawl space storage of the restaurant I was running at the time, during a shift laying in the dirt and the grime and like caterpillar centipedes crawling around on old patio furniture, sleeping one off at like I think it was probably one o'clock in the afternoon. I was so drunk. I got so drunk at work,” Kost said. 

That was his breaking point.

“That's when I kinda really had the realization for the first time that like, it was time to start to acknowledge this, you know, terrible life I was living,” Kost said. “I walked into the ER at Lakewood hospital and I walked up to the glass and I said, 'I'm killing myself by drinking. And I really don't want that to be my story. I'd like to figure out how to not do that. I know that someone that drinks as much as I do could possibly die from going through withdrawal. And I was wondering if you'd help me.'”

Journey to Sobriety

After a week in the hospital, he began his journey into full sobriety. But he wasn’t sure if he could still work in the industry that he’s known and loved for years.

“I'd spent a very, despite my alcoholism, pretty successful career in the restaurant bar industry. I made a lot of friends. I'd receive a lot of praise and accolades for my ability and my passion for the industry. And it was something I was very proud of, but I was terrified that by staying in the industry, I was going to fall back into this cycle of drinking. And that's the last thing I wanted to do. Like I said, I was going to not drink. So that was my goal,” Kost said.  

After talking with his father, Kost decided to go for it.   

“Hiding from alcohol, running from my addiction and my dependency on alcohol, for me, wasn't the answer. It was better for me to find the courage to face it head-on as opposed to running from it,” Kost said. “I felt like had I ran from it or tried to hide, hide in another job or something, it would have tempted me more. I would have been drawn back to it and I probably would have ultimately ended up failing. I think by approaching it the way I did and just diving right back into it and immersing myself in a culture that I loved and found support and I was able to overcome it.”

 With grit and determination, he faces his demons every day at work. But has set his mind and never looked back. 

“Knowing that one beer could lead to me faltering again is not worth that one beer,” Kost said.

Help From Four-Legged Friend

But he hasn’t been on this journey alone. His four-legged best friend Oscar James has helped him through it all. 

(Photo: Tony Kost)

“Had I not had him to come home to or had he not been there next to me, you know, laying in bed when I've been crying or whatever, I don't know. I don't know if I wouldn't have been able to not turn to drinking, you know? Cause a lot of my strength is definitely very ingrained in this dog of mine,” Kost said.  

Almost every day, Kost takes Oscar to the Metroparks for a walk. 

 “It kind of lets me reset and kind of think about things and just get out in nature and, you know, when he's happy and enjoying himself, I tend to find that I'm most happy,” Kost said.  

(Photo: Tony Kost)

Inspiring Others

A man and man's best friend are now living their best life sober, and together are inspiring others to do the same. 

“There is no answer to what's going to help, you know, help someone get sober. You have to figure it out on your own. And when you find that strength on your own, I think is when you are really able to achieve and like stay on the path of living a sober life because it certainly isn't easy. I mean, I feel like if it was easy, there'd be a lot more people that could live a sober life, but it's difficult,” Kost said. “Coming down to the park works for us.” 

(Photo: Tony Kost)

This heavily tattooed guy has a liver that’s been through the wringer, but a heart, mind and devoted best friend that’s helped him overcome it all.