Strange one this.
I started fishing at the age of 7, my dad who was a polio victim couldn't get about like normal folk and decided to take me down a local estate lake to watch the guys fishing. that Christmas after seeing the enthusiasm in me, they bought me my first kit and i fished constantly for the next few years until an accident at 14 while fishing a local river with a school pal, i lost an eye when a hook and weight caught in the tree on the opposite bank was yanked back and caught me straight in the eye.
I lost interest for a number of years until one day while rummaging through dads shed i came across my old kit, many years old and completely out of date by the days standards i started to collect gear and slowly got back into the pastime that caused me so much grief in earlier years. like getting back on the horse that kicks you i couldn't leave it alone, i had other sports i was into at the time but nothing satisfied me like angling did...i took it as....it cost me an eye, it owed me big time.
So as for what would i have done otherwise.....i really don't know, its always been there for me.