Fifty Years of Sobriety, One Day at a Time

Reaching fifty years of continuous sobriety gave me a reason to stop and reflect on the journey. By that anniversary, I had lived 18,262 days without a drink—one day at a time.  May 11, 1976, was my first day in AA, and I remain deeply grateful for what began that day.  I came to AA as a 21-year-old young man. Fifty years later, I could look back as a 72-year-old man and realize that what I thought was the end of my life was actually the beginning of a new one.

When I first arrived at AA, I thought my life was over—especially my social life. But it wasn’t. In many ways, it was just beginning. I was being introduced to a new way of living, unlike anything I had ever known before.  One of the greatest lessons I learned early in sobriety was the idea of living life on life’s terms, one day at a time. What a freeing concept that was.

In some ways, it reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day. Yesterday’s mistakes no longer had to define me. What mattered most was what I chose to do with the day in front of me. Each new day gave me another opportunity to improve my behavior, grow in my relationships, and learn how to carry myself differently in life. That way of thinking became a major turning point for me.

90 Meetings in 90 Days

I was first introduced to this new way of life by a friend named Big Dan. He suggested that I try the program by attending 90 meetings in 90 days. Someone had given him the same advice when he first came into AA, and he said it had worked for him. At the time, he had six months of sobriety.  He told me that after 90 days, I could decide for myself whether I wanted to stay in AA. He assured me no one would come chasing after me if I left. After all, AA doesn’t have truant officers. So I took him up on it, and I stayed.

During those early days of sobriety, I attended many speaker meetings and began identifying with the stories I heard. I believe that identification is one of the most important parts of recovery—realizing that I am an alcoholic too and that I am not alone.

I needed to know that if I truly had a problem, AA had found a solution through the Twelve Steps of recovery. For me, it has.

Looking back over fifty years in AA, there have been countless days, yet no two were exactly the same. Living life on life’s terms taught me that change is the only constant. But through AA, I learned that I could adapt and handle life as it came.  I have never second-guessed AA in all these years. It has been a steady beacon, keeping me grounded and guiding me safely through life.

I am forever grateful to AA and to God’s grace for giving me the strength to continue, even during those times when there seemed to be no reason to keep going. We all face days when life is not what we hoped it would be. But even the darkest moments eventually give way to brighter days.

Fifty years of sobriety has taught me that I don’t have to know what tomorrow will bring. I only have to take care of today.

I want to thank everyone in AA who has shown me, by their example, that recovery truly works—if you work it, one day at a time.