My wife and I were married when I was twenty-one and she...

My wife and I were married when I was twenty-one and she was only sixteen. Within the first year of marriage we found we were a couple with many problems. I started working a week after our wedding day, and soon began consuming alcoholic drinks with my co-workers. Before long I was drinking and smoking heavily.

We had three children in six years, and when my last child was nine months old I migrated to the United States. A few months later my wife and children joined me in New York City. The suffering continued for my family because I became an alcoholic, drinking heavily every day. My wife and children lacked everything—food, clothes, shoes, and the most important thing, love.

One day when my wife and I were having a fierce argument and the children were crying, we had at that moment a visitor. A neighbor knocked at our door and came in to see us. During our conversation, this man asked us if we attended some church and inquired as to our belief about God. I replied that I did not believe in God because if God existed, I would be healed of alcoholism and we would not be living a life of bitterness and lack. How drunk I was!

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

September 16, 1996
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit