Web Exclusive: On the Rat Wheel

I came into AA when I was 29 years old. Some may say that was young but at the time I was worn out. I started drinking at 10 years old and I started hiding my alcoholism from myself and others at the age of 18. So, for 11 years I worked hard to make sure that I didn't appear to be the alcoholic that I had been born to be. The last four years of my drinking I lived alone which allowed me to drink every night without worrying that anyone might suspect I was an alcoholic. Even though there was no one around to hide my drinking from I still worked hard to hide it from myself as well as from strangers.