Hi, my name is Peggy and I'm an alcoholic.

Today is my one hundredth day of sobriety. I recall a time I was sitting in the Aer Lingus terminal on my way to Ireland and, while looking at the faces, I thought how similar we all looked, being Irish ... family. For many years now, I've been thinking of another family and wondering if I belong in AA. Yes, I do belong. I found myself asking, "Peggy, when are you going to stop drinking and go to the family reunion and introduce yourself?" When I was stopped for DUI, I knew without a doubt that I was receiving a personal invitation. Drinking had become an outlet too great to handle. It was more than just a beverage ... each time, a drink became a drunk. Problems were still there with new ones to pile on the old. I was humiliating myself beyond belief, hurting others by embarrassing them while drunk, etc. Going into the rooms has been welcoming, familiar. Not being judged is a comfort. My going to jail is not an experience I will or want to forget. Why anyone would go though that experience again truly escapes me. The smell, the food, the cold, shame, people, guards. Time now reflecting on an old Peggy. December 23, 2002, is the birthday of a new person.

- Peggy