Follow Me, Just Follow Me

After thirty years of addiction to alcohol, I hit my spiritual and economic bottom: I was a classic drunk. I surrendered on May 10th, 1990, after my adult children unknowingly did an intervention. At that moment of surrender, I felt a love from my children that was beyond what I felt I deserved, but I was frightened. I knew that I couldn't drink. Nevertheless, in my early years of not drinking, I did not go to AA. It was a painful struggle and, looking back, misguided. I attempted to fulfill my spiritual needs with the religion of my childhood. I did not drink, but I was so lonely and in so much pain, I could not focus on what we learn in AA: Sobriety is more than not drinking; we must nurture our spiritual, mental, and physical health as well. Fortunately, an AA group met in the community center of the church I attended. And when I found out that one of the members of the church, whom I respected, attended AA there, I began going to meetings. Immediately, I knew that I should have been going to meetings from the first day I stopped drinking.