I never thought of myself as an alcoholic. My idea of an alcoholic was a bum living in the gutter downtown, or someone wearing a dirty raincoat drinking from a paper bag. I owned a home, had a retirement account, and dined at fancy restaurants. I just drank too much sometimes it could happen to anyone. After years of what Ive now discovered to be the slow progression of the disease of alcoholism, my life hit a bottom, and I started attending A.A. meetings.
When I got to the rooms, the people I met didnt fit the profile of what I thought of as alcoholics. There were no dirty trench coats, and the guys who had five day old beards wore them carefully cut and shaped. I met people in all lines of work attorneys, dentists, actors, house wives, etc. They were full of life, laughing, sharing, and giving of themselves freely. As I listened to their experiences and feelings, I identified with them, and I felt like I belonged.
I remember being in a meeting and hearing a newcomer share that he didnt think he was an alcoholic. Someone else shared that non-alcoholics rarely found themselves in an A.A. meeting on a Saturday night denying they were alcoholics. The suggestion was to keep coming back. As I kept coming to meetings and working the Steps, I discovered that I, too, had the disease. I found that it is an equal opportunity destroyer, and that no one was immune. I also found that we all have a common solution that works every time you work it.
