I had been a mail carrier for more than 20 years and a member of AA for just as long.

When I was court-ordered into AA, my mom was initially embarrassed that her daughter was an alcoholic.

I was 23 when I got to AA in 1984. I was a broken and lost person. I had spent nine years in hard alcoholism. I failed college twice. I had no job and I had been to jail.

Early on I worked hard to craft myself into a sober person. I proudly provided family and friends updates on my breakthroughs and progress. I wasn’t shy.

Like so many others, reaching a bottom of total demoralization convinced me I was out of control. I checked into a rehab and from there I started my AA journey.

When I was 12 years sober, I had a lot of difficulty at work. My job as a visiting assistant professor at a university was on shaky ground.

One of the early gifts of sobriety was meeting and then building a life with my partner of more than 25 years.

Step Ten is our “acid test.” Can we “stay sober, keep in emotional balance and live to good purpose under all conditions” as we grow in understanding and effectiveness, putting our AA w

One day a man barged into our meeting room and hijacked it while it was in full swing. His profanity-laced, hate-filled tirade continued unabated to the dismay of all those attending.

I was the responsible, first-born child who always strived to please my parents.

When I was a few years sober, my twins decided they didn’t need me to go trick-or-treating with them anymore.

When I was in my active alcoholism, I always joked that I never wanted to be pregnant because that would mean I’d have to go nine months without drinking.

There I was again, waking up in a strange place with only a vague memory of the night before.

In early 2016, I made a momentous decision. I vowed to save my life, my family and my marriage. In other words, I was going to get sober.

When I first started coming to AA I was peppered with all sorts of suggestions.

On a Sunday morning in the winter of 1968, I heard my next-door neighbor stirring on his back patio.

“Hall Rats” is what some of us members are referred to in the Seattle area.

Due to my recent unemployment, I have had plenty of time to reflect on my life.