Originally Posted by bigsombrero

I never drank until I was 18. I didn't really become addicted to alcohol until I was around age 30, though. But of course, one could argue that I was addicted from Day 1, who knows? At 30 I pushed "all in" and by 36 I was nearly dead. Been sober for 3+ years and I'm thankful I got sober before turning 40.

One way to look at things is that you are even luckier to have fallen down early. You have more time to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Plenty of future left for you, and if you stay sober it's going to be a long and rewarding life! Good for you!