When I stopped drinking, the first decision I made was to go AWOL (Absent Without Leave). That is, after being in the Alcohol Army for more than 30 years as a Non-Commissioned Alcoholic, I was jumping the fence and running away from alcohol for good, with no-one's permission but my own. I was never coming back to this army. Nursing a terrible hangover, I started pouring every ounce of liquor I owned down the kitchen sink. Later I changed the acronym to Awesome Without Liquor. And I can say now, nearly three months later, it really is!