I'm Jerry, an alcoholic.

I remember my "jumping-off place" well. I was sitting on the couch in my living room. It was a morning like many other mornings. I had just gotten out of jail again for another DUI. My wife was already gone, and I had already wrecked my career. I was not only lonely, I was socially isolated because even the heavy drinkers didn't want to drink with me anymore. I was in the depths of as pitiful a despair as I can ever remember being in. I couldn't imagine life without alcohol, but I couldn't imagine living one more stinking day the way I had been living. In complete desperation I cried out to a God that I couldn't see, let alone understand, "You gotta help me." And about ten minutes later the phone rang and a lady who I knew to be in AA asked me if I was ready to go to a meeting. I allowed that I was and I accompanied her to my first AA meeting the next night. I've heard it said that "if you want what we have..." I didn't know what you had. But I knew what I had and I had had enough of that already. I was desperate and willing to trade what I had for whatever it was that you had on the basis of a rumor that it might possibly be better. Anything would have been better, than what I had. I've not had a drink since my first meeting. And that was almost fifteen years ago. I can't tell you that every day has been a holiday and every meal has been a banquet since I got sober. But I would not trade my best day drunk for my worst day sober. All of the promises have come true for me and, what's more, I honestly believe that if this program can work for me, it can work for anyone who is willing to work for it. I thank God for this program and for all of you.

Thanks for letting me share.