30 Years Clean

I started drinking at age 11 after experiencing that alcohol made me numb to my Mom’s death. I wasn’t drinking every day, but at 16, I was drinking every weekend. My first DUI was at age 17, but I continued to drink and started drugging also.

Still functioning, I took a job over on Wall Street and for 11 years I continued my “partying” until my employer told me I had a problem. I wasn’t ready, so they fired me and that is when things got really bad. I became homeless at points, even though people were telling me I needed help. I did not listen. Finally, in 1987, my sister came to me and said “I want my old brother back”. I don’t know why it was at that point that I was done! I stopped drinking and drugging, and went to rehab, AA and started to get my life together. At age of 40, I decided to achieve a life-long goal that could not happen while I was using, I went to college. I received my Associate, Bachelor and Master’s degrees, and am now working in the field of addiction… giving back for what was so freely given to me. This March, I will celebrate 30 years clean and sober. AAIOU!