Sober since 2013, Ed Latimore tells the story of his painful battle with his addiction to alcohol. After having lost his shot as an Olympic boxer, he came to understand that his battle was just as much with identity as it was with the dopamine reward system. Ed shares that attempts and relapses to overcome an addiction are a normal part of recovery, and he encourages all to pursue activities and relationships which do not tolerate addictive behavior, thus creating a new identity. Ed Latimore is a former professional heavyweight boxer, a competitive chess player, and a bestselling author. Ed’s writing focuses on self-development, realizing your potential, and sobriety — all of which he approaches from personal experience, overcoming poverty and addiction. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx