ask away! My life is an open book!
No, initially I grew very unhappy in the religion of my childhood (Catholicism) as it was presented to me by my family. At the age of 12 I announced to my family that I no longer believed in God. They were horrified. I insisted that I would no longer attend Mass, to which i was told that I MUST worship God, in some church, 1 time per week,
That began my quest. Each week I visited various temples, churches, synogogues, even B'Hai Faith firesides and Quaker Meetings.
I ended up at the Vedanta Temple. I was welcomed and cherished by the Hindi/Bengali community, and they took good care to teach me simple lessons.
Alcohol is forbidden in the Hindi traditions, with the exception of celebrations and medicinal draksha. It is a very different culture than the European one. I feel that, with globalization, we will begin to see more alcoholism develop among Indians. Currently, it is not describede as a disease other than a weakness. I also see my role as a servant of the recovery message if needed by this group of beautiful people.
PS After I got sober in AA , I was initiated and ordained as a minister. I am also a healthcare practitioner and teach yogic healing.
Sorry if this rambled. I am at work...3 phone calls interrupted me.