Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is commemorating its 75th year of existence, priding itself on assisting thousands of alcoholics to live a life of sobriety.
Des (not his real name) of Benoni has been an active AA member and has been sober for 24 years.
According to him, his every thought revolved around alcohol and if he had not been dragged into an AA meeting then he would have been dead.
He said his mother so often prayed for him to die as she believed it would bring him peace.
At the age of 39, he had lost everything – his wife, children, all earthly possessions as well as his dignity and self-respect.
“At that stage I turned to my mother, as I had nowhere to live. Living with her came with conditions. After remaining sober for 30 days, I believed I had beat the devil and was healthy once again,” he said.
“I was sure that I could manage a drink without becoming a drunk gutter rat again. That binge lasted for four days and led my brother to drag me to an AA meeting and left me with other helpless drunks like me.”
Following his fifth meeting, Des realised that he was embarking on a new journey in the fellowship of people who understood him and supported his efforts to become sober.
Clutching onto the mantra of ‘just for today’, he realised the best he could do was to focus on staying sober one day at a time.
“After seven years of sobriety, I was fortunate enough to meet a beautiful woman during one of our many AA meetings,” he said.
“We married and were blessed with a child. It was one of the many blessings that I received since turning my back on the bottle.”
It took 18 years of sobriety for him and his older children to be reunited.
“AA changed my life, there is always a way out,” he said.
“It works if you work it.”
The AA East Rand office is based at the Central Methodist Church, corner Bunyan and Cranbourne streets.
Walk-ins are welcome daily before 13:00. Alternatively, call the 24-hour helpline on 011 421 1748 for more information.
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