Article January 8, 2007 ISSUE

MY JOURNEY OUT OF ALCOHOLISM

BY JUNE SULLIVAN

One of my parents was an alcoholic. So when I started drinking in my 20s and found I couldn't stop, I accepted the label of "alcoholic" as part of my makeup—a characterization I took on without even thinking. Although I desperately wanted to do something about this destructive habit, my addiction was so strong that I was afraid I might never stop.

My drinking habit continued for 15 years, into the mid-1980s. By then, I was drinking every day, mostly after work. I got to the point where I couldn't go anywhere, even to visit family, unless I had a bottle of alcohol with me.