20 Golden Years

On April 2, 1989 I checked myself into the emergency ward at our local hospital. It was the third time in six weeks that I was there for the same thing: I couldn’t detox myself and needed the hospital to help me. Here I was, 56 years old and thinking my life a failure. This time was different though. One of the doctors attending had seen me come in before, and this time he was ready for me. He knew that I had a drinking problem and had already made arrangements to get me into treatment.