I’m 26 years old and got sober out of AA 4 years ago and have really made a habit of getting more involved in it (my first Matt Talbot Retreat was a great experience as well as the 2 others I’ve been on). My first beer wasn’t until I was 18 but my drink was around 11 or 12. As my adolescent years went on I progressed into sleeping pills, NyQuil, and more alcohol. Screwing up a bit my senior year of high school, it was suggested I go to Al-Anon as a way to help cope (I lasted 6 months) but it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I got sober. I was in and out of Celebrate Recovery meetings and then got more involved in AA.
Within the past year I realize that the program isn’t just about “not boozing or not drugging.” The goals of the program as I see it are service to people who suffer (not limited to fellow alcoholics and addicts) and “conscious contact with God.