When everything collapsed in 1993, my life was not over. My present method of living life was over. It would have been a mistake to muddle the two. I recognised that the method of living I was wedded to (which included a lot of alcohol) simply did not work, but that other people who had once been like me had found a different way to live (without alcohol) which worked a lot better.
It is the same whenever I reach a crisis in my life. The word 'crisis' originally meant a turning point in a disease. It is always an opportunity to change direction.
I cannot fail. I cannot succeed. I just am. What fails and what succeeds is the method of living I choose. If I choose the right method of living, my life will be successful.