Originally Posted by Venecia

There was no tipping point for me either. It just built up and I hated it. Truly hated it.

There were moments that led me to sobriety. Here's one:

Across from where I do most of my grocery shopping, there's a place with the best tacos in town. One weekend afternoon a little over a year ago, I went to get one before groceries. As I was walking in, I noticed a woman entering ahead of me. I remember thinking she looked young, but as I got closer she seemed older.

She'd already ordered when I got in line behind her at the counter and was emptying her pockets to pay with pennies, nickels and dimes. Took forever. Then she got her order: one glass of wine. She stood in place and guzzled it down in one continuous gulp. When she finished, she stared at the guys behind the counter -- couple of young fellas who were starting to look like they wished they were on a different planet. The expression on her face said it all -- "please take pity on me and give me another one on the house."

They politely thanked her and motioned to me to place my order. Her head down, she walked out of the building.

I remembered thinking no one starts that way. And I asked myself: "Where does it end for me?"

I ordered a Diet Coke and a taco and quietly ate my meal. A couple weeks later, I had what I -- now a recovering alcoholic -- hope was my final drink.