safe2breathe

first off - my name is Colton, I am an alcoholic, my sobriety date is 06-21-08
- I am 29 years old.

I had a friend contact me a few days ago:
he is 26 yrs old.
I immediately contacted him and have been keeping up with him since then - and happy to say - so far so good- his issue until today was that everyone in the meetings was a bit older than he and was playing with the idea (unspoken) that maybe he was too young for the whole "recovery thing"

if you are reading this and thinking the same thing - i want you to be very aware that alcoholism knows no age ...

I started drinking occasionally around 12 yrs old and binged heavily by 14. By 15-16 i drank almost daily... yrs 16 -24 i dont know that i went more than a week or two the entire 8 yrs added up without alcohol.. 18-24 being the heaviest of course. In those years i was arrested for PIs, DUIs, and DWIs over 15 times ... I hurt people who cared about me, and people I had just met. I had zero respect for anyone, including myself. Throwing in some recreational drug use and Rx pills i did extensive damage to my body. By 23-24 i just wanted to die. I didnt care how ... just that it would all be over... My self worth was nonexistent, I was alone, helpless, drunk, and miserable. I had been to AA before *thanks to court orders* and gave it a shot ... made it 6 months sober without doing any step work past 3 and went back out-- drank heavier than ever for about 5 weeks before i was right back to miserable, helpless alone and contemplating suicide once again... having picked up another arrest during this time I now had one goal. I was going to get sober, be sober, and remain sober - I knew i would probably spend some time in prison, and that was fine .. but i wanted be sober throughout it all. I contacted a person who i had met in the program,and I explained my situation/ he agreed to be my sponsor and got me moving immediately. We worked hard, and quickly and by a weeks time I was up to 12. I attended over 120 meetings in my 1st 90 days of sobriety, and 3-4 a week for 2-3 years. I found comfort in the rooms and looked forward to helping others and sharing my story.

I am 29 and sober over 5 years. I am happy. Is 24 years of age too early for recovery? No. Is any age to young or old for recovery? No... but no matter your age, it IS to young to take your life by alcohol and addiction.

Kat60

Way to go Colton!!
What a great share!
I hope to be just like you someday...
And I am WAY older than you! :-)
This disease knows no age...
You are living proof that it's never to late or EARLY to find help and get sober.
What an inspiration! Thanks!

TigerLili

There are kids who are addicted and enter recovery before they reach their legal drinking age. Addiction knows no limits.

Joe Nerv

Great message. Thanks for sharing it.

I too, got sober early on. I was 23. Now I'm 53. And in way better shape physically, mentally and spiritually than I was at 23. And 33, or 43 for that matter .

Like you I dove deep into my recovery right from the beginning. I didn't need any more convincing that I had a problem. I drank every single day for the last 4 years of my drinking, and I'm grateful for that, as it left no question as to whether or not I had a problem. I had also become a completely useless human being, my life was 100% unmanageable.

Getting sober at a young age is IMO one of the greatest things that can happen to someone. Getting sober in AA, again IMO, is THE greatest. AA gave me the best toolkit I can imagine for living a healthy prosperous life. Along with a fountain of never ending friends and support (in all life matters), for the rest of my days. All over the world. Different people use different toolkits, but AA fit me perfectly. It helped me overcome anxiety, phobias, depression, smoking, other addictions... gave me the tools I needed to get myself a college education, hold down a job, become a responsible person... helped me learn how to have a committed relationship with a woman and get married... gave me the oomph and hope I needed to persue my lifelong dream and live it to an extent.... I can go on and on and on and on...

And I feel I got all those gifts because I was fortunate enought to get sober when I was 23. There's an awesome life outside the bottle. Alcohol only makes false promises, lies, and does it's best to steal all we have and make itself all that matters. And it does the same to all those around us. Yes, we're very fortunate.

Louise82

Thanks for sharing your story Colton.

I called the AA hotline when I was 23 but then talked myself out of thinking that I had a problem. I didn't get sober for another 8 years. I accept that was my journey and nothing happens in God's world by mistake but sometimes I wish I hadn't drank away those 8 years.

But maybe that was my journey so that someone reading this will know that no one is too young for recovery.

bigsombrero

Great story, thanks for sharing that. I think the majority of us probably WISH we'd started recovery at a younger age. In fact, I bet if you polled recovered addicts/alcoholics that would be at the very top of the collective wish list.

jazzfish

I first went into AA in my early 20s, floundered around for a year or two, and went back to drinking for another 20-some years. I never grew-up out of my problem. I never figured out responsible, normal drinking. I never got better, only worse. I wish I had acted on the truth much earlier than I did.

mfanch

Age is a very common excuse. I used it myself. At the end of the day it is just an excuse, IMO.

My Aunt is 70 and she won't quit using because she is "too old" to quit.

Rubbish.

My opinions, of course.

Taking5

Youngest ever - top this story: I was in KY on business. I had been to this town several times before (its a smallish town and I have anonymity concerns so I'm not going to say which one) and I knew several people in AA there. I was going to stay over the weekend I got invited to a Saturday breakfast speaker meeting held at a residential addictions treatment center.

So I show up at this meeting and sign in (it is a medical treatment center after all) and we are having breakfast and I can see families greeting their loved ones who are obviously in treatment. So the meeting starts and there this 12 or 13 year old kid who I assume is the son of one of the patients. So we going around the room and they get to and I say "Hi I'm Taking5 and I'm an alcoholic". After that the kids stands up and says "I'm ______ and I'm a huffer".

I was FLOORED. This kid's voice hadn't even changed yet. It varied between Mickey Mouse and Lou Rawls if you know what I mean. I was speechless. HE was the patient and his parents were visitors.

I spoke with him and his parents briefly after the meeting. They came to me wondering why I came up from Mobile AL to this meeting. I explained that I travel on business and this is how I stay sober.

That kid was an absolute inspiration to me. I told him so. No, you are never to young to recover. This is the best example of this I have ever seen.

deeker

ty for that I was 19 and totaled out a cop car when I went to my first meeting. Thought I was to young. I have had 2 more DUI's been in jail 7 times, 5 detoxes, 5 psych wards, 4 treatment centers and a nursing home for 2 months. Lost my home, my truck, my family for awhile and tried to commit suicide twice. I am 52. I wish I had felt different at 19.

Clean and sober one year and grateful I found the solution.

soberhal9

no i know 16 year olds in aa. the 24 year old is no less of an alcoholic then a 40 year old.

You're obviosly very serious about your recovery if you have 5 years. And you're experience can help other younger members .

safe2breathe

i just wanted younger people who might stumble across it to know even they, arent alone --- i worked at a drug/alcohol/and behavioral modification center for adolescents around my 2nd year of sobriety -- sometimes they would be allowed to go to AA meetings if they behaved and met the "level" requirements --they had stories and experiences no one should ever have to go through - and yet, almost all of them had no intention of remaining sober... and i know where that road goes and it sucks... so the intention was - maybe one person considering sobriety reads this - and says to his/herself - ok im not too young to quit . or if that "kid" could do it - so can i -- - and it saves them any more torment of alcoholism and addiction.

safe2breathe

that would be at the top of mine.

PaperDolls

My dad has been sober for somewhere around 43 years. I was about 24 when he got sober. So, there's proof.

TomSawyer

For reasons unbeknownst to me, my alcoholism seemed to spiral downwards faster than most. In a span of about two years, from ages 22 to 24, I went from being a rather functioning college weekend drinker to bender/drinking vodka in the morning/withdrawal drinker. Alcoholism affects people differently, so recovery knows no ages. In retrospect, I'm sure I will be glad that it got so bad at such a young age for me.

fraankie

i have met quite a few in aa
who came in at 16, 18, etc
what a blessing to see the success they have had in and out of the program

fraankie

grandma12

Alcoholism has no age requirement. I didn't start to drink until I was 45 within months I was drinking heavy every day. at age 52 I now just got my one year in sober.

safe2breathe

FANTASTIC! congratulations!

Db1105

I got sober when I was 17. At the rate I was going, I would of never lived to become an old alcoholic.

Gal220

I had the same experience. I drank at two parties when I was 19, then didn't drink again until I was 21. I had three periods of 3-6 months of extremely heavy drinking after that. One of those cost me grad school overseas, a career, and a very different life than the one I'm leading now (still a bit resentful at myself for that, but working on the no regrets thing). I entered AA at 24 when I was on the verge of losing it for a second time. I was at rock bottom for me, and there was no turning back. The options were suicide or recovery, because I couldn't continue life as it was. I've been sober now six years, have married, and have two children. So there's no turning back now! I've too much to lose, and am so grateful I am sober.