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.