By John S.

I opened the door and walked into the room, the first to arrive. Across
from me, displayed on the wall were the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics
Anonymous, and as I read that first step, it got my attention. It was the
perfect description of my situation and my life at that moment, and just
reading the words filled me with a sense of relief.

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

My drinking had been out of control for several years and my life
reached a point where it became not only impossible but frightening. I
was twenty-five years old and since about the age of 19, I considered
the possibility that I was an alcoholic, but I always dismissed the idea as
ridiculous. I was too young or so I thought. Yet, when I read that step,
the label “alcoholic” didn’t seem to matter any longer, because the
statement at least in my case was true and very applicable. I was powerless over alcohol and my life was certainly unmanageable.