Through the Darkest Days

When I was five years sober, I was twenty-three years old and I had just been laid off from a seasonal job. I had a new wife, new child, and had put a college education on hold in order to take care of my family. I was learning to deal with life on life's terms. I was attending meetings regularly, had a home group, and was in service there. My career goals were slipping away and I was struggling to raise a family, pay bills, and hoped to improve from the financial situation I was in. Out of desperation, I shared a thought I believed was insanity with my recovering wife. I had told her I was thinking about the military as a solution--that I could have a steady paycheck, get some money for college, and get out in a few years. She thought it was a reasonable idea.