Dear Alcohol,

[moosmom]

I had to hit rock bottom before I admitted I had a problem. When my friends found out I was in AA, they told me they never realized I had a drinking problem. I think that was because they also drank as much as I did!!

When I hit rock bottom, I was suicidal, unemployed and very depressed. I THOUGHT the only way I could make all the problems go away was to drink them away. Boy was I ever wrong.

As I worked the AA program, I realized how much drinking I actually did do. Work functions there was ALWAYS alcohol at business dinner meetings. I remember my absolute WORST time was the alcoholic black outs. Not remembering what I did the night before. Driving on the highway after drinking three Long Island Iced Teas on an empty stomach, totaling my car 50 miles away from home in a black out. I was VERY lucky I didn't kill myself or someone else. I woke up in the hospital ER with my father standing over me asking me what I drank.

When you go into the program, you have to totally change your way of life and the people you hang out with. It was hard because some of my friends told me I wouldn't be fun anymore if I didn't drink.

I am not proud of what I've done, but I am proud of how far I've come since then.