The Road Back

THE plight of the alcoholic is like that of the motorist lost in a maze of twisting and turning side roads leading nowhere--roads which get rougher with each passing milepost. God only knows where the luckless driver will wind up if he continues his aimless wandering. He may eventually get back on his original route, or he may not. He will insure reaching his goal only if he seeks guidance. To do so, the motorist need only ask direction or glance at a road map. The alcoholic, on the other hand, must give much more in the way of effort to get on the right road. He must, in spite of self-recrimination and bitter memories, painfully retrace each step. And for his guide, he must lean on the Twelve Suggested Steps of the AA program. I am in the process of retracing my steps.