Magazine

January 2013: Still a Great Ride

An old-timer returns to his beloved young peoples’ group, where, long ago, he learned to survive the ups and downs of early sobriety

I joined AA in November 1973, when I was 21 years old. I was sick, sad, sorry and suicidal yet again. In AA I learned that pills, pot and alcoholic cough syrup were considered slips, so my actual sobriety dates from January 1974. Shortly after that, a young woman who was sober six months at the time—and living in a nearby garage—showed up at my apartment and insisted I attend a young peoples’ meeting with her. It was in a church hall in a nearby beach community. Off I went, and even though I was sick, depressed and anti-social, other young people there welcomed me and exchanged phone... Login to read more
Not a subscriber? Click here to subscribe.