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Patty’s erratic, wild, and reckless behavior began when she first started black-out drinking at age 11. By the time she was 16, that behavior brought her into Alcoholics Anonymous, where she has stayed sober for more than 40 years. Back in 1981, there were few treatment options available for teenage alcoholics and drug addicts. Though neither of her parents were alcoholic, they struggled to help Patty as her use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs spiraled out of control, She found herself in a variety of groups and psychotherapy intended to arrest her addictions, including early exposure to AA, but none seemed to work. The fact that she blacked out virtually every time she drank made it exceedingly difficult for her to recognize the connection between her drinking and the dangerous, sordid, and often illegal activities she engaged in while drunk. Even her arrest at 15 following a car crash did little to convince her of the need to get sober. But the slippery slope got ever steeper and the accelerating consequences of her blackouts became ever more severe. By the time she got sober, at an age when most people haven’t even started drinking, Patty’s brief, but concentrated experience as an alcoholic and drug addict, were finally enough to guide her into Alcoholics Anonymous, where she found a sponsor and the Twelve Steps. She literally grew up in the fellowship, gaining a spiritual awakening along the way and the willingness to help others.
Of course the story doesn’t end there. Patty is quick to acknowledge that 40 years in AA is really 40 years of one-day-at-a time and that her life has constantly changed and evolved. She has experienced everything life has offered, both good and bad, while remaining ever-grateful that she found the Program so young and with so many promising years ahead of her. I both admire and respect Patty D. and believe you’ll glean much from her story, whether you got sober when young or old, recently, or many years ago. So, sit back for the next hour and enjoy this calming yet captivating interview with my friend and AA sister, Patty D.