Eight years ago, my addiction and the loss of my older brother, led me to the A.A. program. My mother and father nursed me back to health, then took me to a small rehab in North Fork, past Ogden Utah to a place called Valley Camp. The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the twelve steps changed my life. In the big book we read that our addictions will inevitably lead us to jails, institutions, or death, unless, we, through the twelve steps and a sincere spiritual awakening change our lives to a sober and guilt free lifestyle. So after eighteen months of good sobriety, the lack of daily inventory, communication with my sponsor, and an injury to my left hand, led me to relapse. Within months I found myself in hand cuffs and on adult probation with parole. After some situations with my family and four violations of my probation, I was back in jail. I lost the love of my life and her beautiful children, and hit a rock bottom that I had never in my worst dreams thought possible. In a jail cell I started to work the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous from start to finish. I wrote this short story as part of my amends to my mother and father. I hope you benefit in reading it as much as writing it benefited me. -Dustin O.