AA Meetings: My Path to Sobriety

It was a lot of work to drink like I did. Besides being tired of living, here is a short list of things that I was tired of:

1. Tired of feeling like hell in the morning.

2. Tired of looking as bad as I felt each morning.

3. Tired of going into work trying to keep my distance from people because I knew that I still reeked of alcohol.

4. Tired of getting DWIs.

5. Tired of living in fear and worrying about if I was going to go to jail for a long period of time because of the next DWI.

6. Tired of wrecking cars and praying that I would not injure or kill someone.

7. Tired of spending all my money on alcohol, lawyers and courts.

8. Tired of trying to convinced myself that I could go out and just have a few beers.

9. Tired of waking up full of self hatred because once again I had failed to 'just have a few'.

10. Tired of calling in sick to work, when both my boss and I knew the truth.

11. Tired of hunting for a new job because I could not keep one for more than a year.

12. Tired of living with the knowledge that I could not be a decent husband or father.

13. Tired of not making commitments because I knew that I could not keep them.

14. Tired of watching friends I grew up with move beyond the 'partying' to develop meaningful lives, while I was still the 'party animal'.

15. Tired of living with the knowledge that I did not have to live this type of life, if only I was willing to follow the path of millions of other recovering alcoholics.

Since March 13th 1999 I have been living a life of recovery - nearly 10 years now. I am happily married to a wonderful woman, live in my dream house on 5 wooded acres, have a nice job which I have been at for over 9 years (by far a record for me!) and most importantly - I have learned the meaning of peace and serenity..

If things in the list above sound familiar to you, maybe it is time for you to find a new life through alcoholics anonymous. It is possible for anyone who has a willingness, born of misery; to discover the promises of AA.

My own experience has taught me that I can not convince anyone to seek help; it does not work that way. One must be willing to take action and try another path or there is not much chance for recovery. My goal here is to plant a seed and give hope to someone who still wakes up hating themselves because they have failed once again.

For many people, it is necessary to go to an alcohol treatment center to get dried out and sane enough to take the first steps towards a sober life. Keep in mind that no one comes out of a treatment facility 'sober'. They come out well nourished and hydrated, full of knowledge about the path to recovery and hopefully the willingness to join a 12 step program and follow these three steps:

1. Go to an AA meeting

2. Ask for a sponsor at your first meeting that agrees to meet with you one on one and walk you through the Big Book

3. Attend 90 meetings in 90 days

These steps can build the foundation to starting a new life of recovery.