My name is Mary and I am an alcoholic. Being able to make that short statement has changed the whole course of my life.

My drinking career started at 16 and in 10 years I had reached a point of being spiritually, mentally and morally bankrupt living in total fear and degradation.

When I found A.A my first feeling was one of relief. To know I had an illness that could be arrested, and not, as I thought, that I was crazy or just plain no good.

A.A. has given me the ability to cope with life, one day at a time, to accept the things I cannot change. It has given me peace of mind, confidence and self-respect but most of all, it gives me a wonderful fellowship, an affinity with people that care about me my life has meaning.

Each day I thank God for giving me A.A and the privilege of carrying the message.

Related Reading:

Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism
Mindfulness and the 12 Steps: Living Recovery in the Present Moment
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book, 4th Edition
12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery: Avoiding Relapse through Self-Awareness and Right Action