When I was a kid, I was addicted to riding the merry-go-round at my local amusement park. I would go to the park every Sunday with my grandfather and he would buy me a booklet of tickets to use as I pleased. There was a roller coaster, teacups, handcars, spinning tops, a boat ride and the carousel. But the only thing I would ride was the carousel. I had my favorite horse and I would get on and I would ride in circles for hours without taking a break or getting off. Life’s addictions are simple when you were a kid. And then you grow up.

I had too many grown up addictions to list. I was in and out of rehab like it had a revolving door and I was a generally obnoxious and cocky bastard. Then I was in a car accident that forever changed my life and ended that of a good friend of mine. I was at the wheel when I shouldn’t have been and I was taking my buddy home from the bar. I don’t remember the accident but I somehow hit the leg of a concrete overpass and that was all she wrote. I spend a month in the hospital and would have won a sick and twisted championship medal for the binge I went on when I got out.

My story is long but one thing lead to another and I finally got the help that I needed to get myself sober. What I learned is we all need to learn from our past, not dwell on it. Recovery is about focusing on today and tomorrow not yesterday and last week. You can not be cured, you can be sober. Each moment leading to the next, and you can have your life back.

Now I spend my days talking to youth groups, PTA moms, addicts and anyone who will listen about the sobering figures in alcohol related deaths in the United States. Forty one percent of all fatalities are automobile related and that figure jumps to sixty one percent if you include boat related accidents. The phrase drinking and driving don’t mix is corny but appropriate. So please, if you’re reading this you probably know you need help and realizing this is the first step toward getting better. Take that first step and get off the merry-go-round before it’s too late for you like it was for my best friend Johnny.

Hi, my name is Dan and I’m a recovering alcoholic. I’m twenty-two years old and it’s been sixty-three days since my last drink. I guess you could say I liked to be the funny popular guy that was up for anything and knew how to party. So that’s exactly what I did. What I found out is that being the ‘life of the party’ isn’t nearly as much fun for the person doing it as it is for the enablers watching it. I wrecked two cars, dropped out of college, lost my girlfriend. I saw my friends moving up and moving on. They moved out, and made lives for themselves. I stayed in, got high and my life stagnated. Same town, same scene, same bars… different choices.

I know I’m young, and now I also know that I am an addict. The weird thing about addiction is that everyone around you can tell you that you’re screwing up, that your life is running out of control, that you’ve got to stop drinking but it doesn’t matter until you can tell yourself that and know that it rings true. Sometimes you can even see it and you know what they’re saying makes perfect sense but you just can’t stop. My family and my real friends never gave up on me. No matter how much of an ass I was, they were always there. No matter how much I didn’t listen, they still talked to me and tried to get me to see how screwed up I was. Nine hundred and ninety nine times out of one thousand times I didn’t listen to them…. Even though I said I did. I knew I had to get control of my life and quit drinking. I had tried quitting a few times on my own but it was never enough. I needed help and reaching out was both the hardstand smartest thing Ive ever done. I couldn’t go it alone, but thankfully there are others… also recovering addicts who share the burden and ease the transition from addiction to recovery.

I learned a lot about myself in rehab and I feel like it has given me a purpose. I’ve enrolled into college again and I want to be a social worker and help kids in the same situation as me. It’s not easy getting beyond your habits, but support groups with a special person are a big part of making it. I want to be that person. I want to succeed. I want to be sober.

Hello, my name is Sally and I am a recovering alcoholic. It’s been 39 days and 14 hours since my last drink. I am so thankful for the people who saved my life, and for the power above that has entered my spirit, that I feel compelled to do what I can in my own way to pass the hope and will on to you.

The best way I can explain my addiction is that when I was young I used to dance in the living room of my house where I grew up. I wasn’t a very good dancer, even as a kid… I was sort of a klutz to be honest. My mother used to put the music on louder and then he would lift me up so I was standing on the toes of her shoes as she danced around the living room. It felt like I was dancing really well, but the reality is… she was dancing and letting me come along for the ride.

Somehow it feels like my whole life has been that way. It was always someone else dancing and me just standing on their shoes to come along for the ride. Sure, I often took credit for their efforts and I rarely accepted any of the blame when the music came to a crashing halt.

That’s really what sobriety means to me. It’s about getting off of everyone else’s shoes and standing on my own feet for once. Standing up tall and proud of who I am, accepting that I may never be the best dancer… but a song I dance to in my own way is always going to be more fulfilling than just going along for the ride. You can get sober, you will need help…. I pray you see that before the music stops.