Hi, I'm Blanche ... alcoholic. It feels good to say that today. I started drinking pretty early in life, so I never really learned any living skills ... I just drank. That was the answer to everything. It took a while, too long actually, but I finally figured out that drinking was not the answer. I must have had the help from my Higher Power without even knowing it. I came to, with many "yets." They were right in front of me, but I couldn't see them. I came to AA, and the attraction of you and sobriety was so great, that I knew I wanted to do whatever it takes to have this new life, free of alcohol. I soon found that getting sober wasn't the hard part. I thought I would live happily ever after by putting in a few meetings. But as the alcohol left my life, I started to see my wounded "yets," and the unattractive past I left behind. If it weren't for the presence of the God of my understanding and our Fellowship, I know I would return to alcohol. I knew no other way to live and deal with life on life's terms. Now, I see things around me, and a lot of them I don't like much, but with working the Twelve Steps and working the program that I have been given in AA, at least I can start to walk through them. I know drinking is not the answer now. Life still happens. Just now I'm sober and have choices to make it better.