My name’s Rab and I’m an alcoholic - sober and alive today thanks to AA.

I’ve been saying for years that I’ve been going to write to this great magazine to show my gratitude for all the help it’s been in keeping me sober. Drink was my best friend and at the end of my drinking it was my only friend - the last two years drinking was just an existence. If I didn’t wake up in the morning it would have been a blessing.

My wife was instrumental in getting me to AA even through all the suffering she’d had, being married to an alcoholic. She got in touch with Al-Anon who advised her to try and get me to an AA meeting. To be quite honest I could not care less - I had given in to this illness long ago. Anyway I managed to have a drink before going. People used to say I looked like George Best but by the time we opened the doors to the meeting, kids in the street were calling me ‘creeping Jesus’. My hair was down my back and I had a long beard. Members told me later that they didn’t know which person was the alcoholic between the two of us as my wife was also very sick with this illness. They say an alcoholic affects ten people close to him/her.

The most important service work happened next - my welcome to the meeting, people talking to me and welcoming me - something new to this alcoholic at the time. I sat next to a member who told me his name and said he was six months sober. “What’s he wanting - a medal?” I thought to myself. Just before the meeting started he offered me a sweetie - a sour plume - the last thing I was wanting. The top table got under way and told everyone he was 15 years sober. I thought to myself: “I've really done it this time,” but I found myself listening and identifying. When my wife saw me after the meeting she said that she knew everything was going to be alright. The only thing I can think of was that I had started fighting again to stay off the drink, but this time it was going to be different as I had the best back-up force in the world behind me - AA.

That was 1987 and I haven’t touched a drink since. It wasn’t easy at the beginning because if there was a thing to do wrong I did it but the most important thing was I never touched that first drink. I worked the Programme to the best of my ability and shared honestly. My life has changed right round - no more lying in the street drunk.

Thank you AA and thank you Roundabout for all the pleasure you've given this alcoholic

Rab, Tullibody Big Book Meeting