נתקלנו בקשיים ביחסים בין אישיים, לא הצלחנו לשלוט ברגשותינו, נפלנו קורבן לדיכאון ולאומללות, לא הצלחנו להתפרנס, חשנו חסרי תועלת, היינו מפוחדים, היינו אומללים, נראָה שאיננו יכולים לעזור באמת לאנשים אחרים…
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52
These words remind me that I have more problems than alcohol, that alcohol is only a symptom of a more pervasive disease. When I stopped drinking I began a lifetime process of recovery from unruly emotions, painful relationships, and unmanageable situations. This process is too much for most of us without help from a Higher Power and our friends in the Fellowship. When I began working the Steps of the A.A. program, many of these tangled threads unraveled but, little by little, the most broken places of my life straightened out. One day at a time, almost imperceptibly, I healed. Like a thermostat being turned down, my fears diminished. I began to experience moments of contentment. My emotions became less volatile. I am now once again a part of the human family.