Thankfully, I mostly kept my drinking to myself, so I didn't have many embarrassing moments. But there were some. What I did was adopt this mantra: My addiction led to some bad acts, and I take full responsibility for the consequences of those acts, no matter how difficult those consequences are; but, while taking full responsibility for my actions, I will not allow myself to live in shame of acts committed under the influence of my addiction. In other words, take responsibility but let go of the guilt and shame. You don't need to advertise this approach to others, but if you spend your life feeling shameful for things you did in the past, it is really difficult to move forward. You have to take responsibility - and that is what you are doing - but you can do that without feeling shame and guilt.