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

When I reminded my sponsor that the Steps were "just suggestions," she was not subtle. She responded that they're MUSTS if we want to stay sober. I took her seriously because I wanted to do the least amount of work possible to stay sober. So had she told me that I could stay sober whether or not I worked the Steps, of course I would have opted not to do them at all. My sponsor doesn't sugarcoat things. She is very direct and to the point. But she is just what I need. My sponsor tells me what I need to hear not what I want to hear. Sometimes she makes me angry, but when I sit and think about it, it is almost always because she is telling me some truth that I don't want to hear. She has never told me anything that would ever hurt me, or lead me to a drink. I was told at the beginning that sobriety could be as hard or as easy as I choose to make it. If I follow the suggestions, life usually goes pretty well, and if I don't, well, let's just say when the pain gets great enough, I finally listen to the suggestions. Life is great today, and it's all because of this program. Next month I will be celebrating four years of continuous sobriety. If a hardhead like me can do it, anyone can!

Thanks so much for letting me share.