I do have a master’s degree in English, yet I consider my AA life something much more valuable. Sure, I had over 20 years of teaching writing part-time at colleges and universities in America as well as China, but if it had not been for AA, I would not have anything, so my authority that matters is in Alcoholics Anonymous.

From the time I was 15 to age 25, I lived to drink alcohol–mostly beer. In high school, I discovered that alcohol made me feel good, and I made friends who enjoyed it also. That was the focus of our lives. By age 25 however, I had few friends left, and I could not hold a job.

It was in a jail cell in Ontonagon County, Michigan where I had my first AA meeting. I was the only one there who denied having a problem. I only wanted to bum a cigarette and maybe get a free cup of coffee. I did. A year later I was ready for another meeting, one in my hometown. I had the “gift” as we say–the gift of desperation.

AA taught me how to live sober, how to be happy, to know my limitations, and to embrace a life with a Spiritual center. Thank God for AA.