Hello, I'm Lori and I am an alcoholic. I have had a few starts in sobriety. One when I was in my early 20's, one in my 30's, and again in my 40's. Each one was different, but profound and significant. I didn't have my heart into it the first time I came through. My elevator had gotten off on a very high floor, and I wasn't quite convinced. So I kept up the drinking until my 30's and by that time there was no doubt! I'd had enough embarrassing moments to last a lifetime! But did that stop me? Nope! I kept right on going, despite two treatment centers and a wonderful support system. It wasn't until my daughter was born that I realized I didn't want to wake up with a hangover ever again. I don't want to die drunk, and I don't want my daughter to ever see her mother in the condition she was in the night before. My elevator may be a little higher than others, and my story may be worse than another's, or yours worse than mine, but we are all here for the same reason ... to stop drinking! So the first month was pretty damn scary. I didn't think I could go 24 hours, much less 24 days without a drink. To think of not drinking through a weekend was more than I could process mentally, much less physically. Dear God! It was difficult not to project! So that's why 24 hours at a time was helpful, but one hour or one minute at a time was even better. I would come into this meeting room and ask lots and lots of questions. My body shook for about a month, my mind would race, I couldn't think straight, and I wanted what you had. But I didn't think I could ever achieve that because I had quit a thousand times, and had never achieved what you had. But I listened. And people held my hand. Your stories were different but the same. And I realized we are really all alike ... just like you told me we were. Even though we come from all over this world we are still the same. I think we sometimes forget that. Thanks for letting me share.

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