My Home Away From Home

I moved to my current home of Ames, Iowa in August of 1987. I had a little over one year dry, and I was very proud of my accomplishment. The problem was that I had a mental defense against drinking but lacked a spiritual one. I hadn’t taken the Steps, I didn’t have a sponsor, and I didn’t have a home group, much less a service position in a homegroup. I was doing this sobriety thing alone, in other words. The AA members in the town where I got sober were wonderful examples, but I didn’t think I needed to do what they were doing so I didn’t ask for help. As a direct result of my inaction, I came very close to drinking my first night in Ames. I was very scared and felt very alone.