To Be Of Maximum Service

When I was 22 years old, I thought I had a drinking problem, so I attempted to stop on my own. After many tries, I gave up. An acquaintance at work Twelfth-stepped me after a blurry weekend. We talked for a while and I asked him to take me to a meeting. I listened to old men (probably about my age now) telling stories of depraved drinking that I had not yet experienced. When asked what I thought after the meeting, I told my acquaintance I was not as sick as these people—I could control myself. I was told to go out to try some “controlled drinking” and let him know what happened. I went out for what I call my “Lost Weekend” and learned that I could not control it myself.