By Anonymous

from down and out to up and out
Look at me! I can't believe it! I'm sober, I'm working, I'm paying the rent on my own home and I'm a dad again.

That might not sound like much to you, but it's a big change for me. I'm 45 years old and I've been though hell. Some of it was just bad breaks, but a lot of it I caused myself.

A little over ten years ago I started drinking. Drinking a lot. When you're drunk, you don't make smart decisions. I got 4 DUIs before I realized I had a problem and put myself into a treatment center. That sobered me up and I continued with AA for another two years. All-in-all, I managed to stay sober for 8 years. But what they say is true: when you're an alcoholic, you're always an alcoholic and all that time I was just a drink away from being a drunk again.

I took that drink after my wife found another man and divorced me. It was a big blow and I just wanted to run away from everything. Since I'm an alcoholic, I ran down a dead end alley. It wasn't long before I was drinking day and night. And it wasn't long before I got another DUI. That's 5 if you're counting.

It's a funny thing about being drunk. You feel sorry for yourself and you want a lot of pity. And what's really odd is that you can get a lot of pity. But pity wasn't helping me much. I needed a big change.

I put myself in treatment again, then headed for step 13. At step 13 you don't get a lot of pity, you get a good dose of reality. If you want to stay there you have to stay sober, get a job and pay your own way. It was just what I needed. And it paid off.

That's why I'm so amazed now. Being sober and working, having my own home has allowed me to rebuild my relationship with my two boys. They're 4 and 10 and they're as glad to have me back as I am to have them back.

Thanks step 13, thanks Bob for making me a responsible person again.