Siren Song

I have told the following story at several AA meetings as a reminder to all of us not to be too complacent concerning our illness: An old man stood in front of us with tears running down his cheeks. He could hardly speak as he began to tell us his story. He'd been sober for thirty-four years and things were going quite well for him. His life was under control and there were no real pressing problems plaguing him. He was walking past a liquor store and for some unknown reason decided to buy a half pint of whisky. A half pint won't hurt me, he said to himself as he walked through the doors. Within a few days he was up to a fifth a day. His friends in AA discovered he was drinking again and helped him to regain his sobriety once more.