My name is Bobby, and I'm an alcoholic.

More than seventeen years ago, I attended my first AA meeting at the Makati Medical Center in Manila, Philippines. I cannot really recall what was talked about in that meeting, but I do remember seeing bright faces and hearing laughter and cheers. I also felt the warmth of being accepted and allowed to sit and listen. Before that, I was groping in the dark, a self-destructive, lonely alcoholic. When I found AA, I found the joy and sunlight of a group of men and women who are friends and fellows with one another in the great and wonderful adventure of the AA way of life! As I keep coming back to AA, some faces fade away, but I see the same brightness, hear the same laughter, and feel the same loving warmth at every AA meeting.