How much time did it take you to become successful?

[SmileyPSU]

I first started playing in little home games at my fraternity and did well so I decided to take a shot with online poker. I started up at Royal Vegas because I was sucked into their College Poker Championship. I ended up placing third in the first qualifying tournament that I played in, and thought I was God's gift. I made my first real money deposit soon after (at Royal Vegas because I was obviously soooo much better than everyone else on that site) and after running that hundred dollars up to $280 in one month I played break-even poker over the next year while (now I realize) having no idea what the hell I was doing.

I had a cake semester in Fall '04 which lead to entirely too much drinking which was unhealthy for both myself and my bankroll. I'd play, lose my money, swear, and redeposit. I dropped probably $400 my last semester of college, which was alot of coin for this college kid.
A
fter I graduated I decided I wanted to play better and only when completely sober. I've lurked here at 2+2 (one of these days I will become a much more active participant) since early 2005, discovered SSH, and have worked my way up from .25/.50 to $2/$4 in the past half a year.

That's my story. Anyone who wants to put in a little effort, read some books, and (hopefully) participate in these forums will play winning poker. I am proof of that.

Thanks to everyone who posts here; you guys really do make all the difference in the world for guys like me who are looking to learn. Your efforts are really appreciated.