Grapevine Online Exclusive
From the March 2016 magazine.
Sometimes Quickly, Sometimes Slowly
It took over 20 years for him to hear the message of AA, but he did hear it
In June 1978, I attended my first AA meeting. I had been to many an open meeting with my parents. They had both sobered up in the early 70s. I felt like maybe, if I were an alcoholic too, I might be able to find some comfort in AA as well. I didn't really believe I was an alcoholic, considering I only drank once in a while, as I was only 15 at this time. To my relief, the folks in AA accepted me as one of their own. And so, off I went to become the premier speaker in all of AA history. Well, that's what my ego wanted for me. Instead, I was just another liar trying to find acceptance.
By December 1982, I was struggling to get anything like happy sobriety. I would get no more than a six-month chip. I reached this time period about three times in the five years I had been coming and as always, my mind would find a good reason to leave the Fellowship.
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