I went through a police roadblock last night. The driver in front of me was arrested. He was over the legal limit and they lead him away to the police bus. I was coming back from our Thursday night AA meeting at about 10 pm.

As I saw this right in front of me, it was a very good reminder of what could of happened had I continued drinking alcohol. I cannot romance with the idea of taking one drink. The idea has got to be smashed. After 24 years in recovery, the 12 steps are still the best solution to my alcoholic problem. I tried to stay sober on my own and got drunk every single time. I used to count the days of sobriety and once my target sobriety date was reached, I got drunk.

For me sobriety was the starting point. The steps had to restore me to sanity, or I would have eventually died drunk. Recovery is painful, but so is jail time.

Hospitals and sanitariums get me sober, but only the 12 steps of AA can keep me sane and provide a defence mechanism in times of temptation. I do not want to prove otherwise.