Checking Out AA

I first came into AA in January 1986 after my doctor suggested it would be a good idea for me to “check it out.” I had turned 30 a month earlier and although I had told myself that my 30’s would be my best decade yet, it wasn’t happening. I was binge-drinking and blacking out regularly. I knew I had a problem, but I didn’t think it was that bad, at least not compared to other drinkers that I knew. But it turns out it was that bad – I was unable to stop drinking and I could not imagine a life without alcohol.