Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Jason D. and I am a very, very grateful alcoholic. For years I told people (mostly myself) that I haven’t always been an alcoholic. I had often said I only drank heavily for the last few years. And then, after taking a half-ass inventory of myself said, eh, more like 10 years. Then, looking even deeper, perhaps I hit it hard the last (insert arbitrary number) years. The truth is, I had my first alcoholic drink at around 13 or 14 and while I didn’t drink daily until I was in my thirties (probably?), I have ALWAYS been an alcoholic. I was always picked on and bullied in school and I never fit in anywhere, that is until I found that liquid courage… I was ten feet tall and bullet-proof. I was good looking and smart and could hold a conversation! And, I was popular… Cheers had it right, sometimes you really do want to go where everybody knows your name, and our troubles are all the same. For many years I sat on a bar stool. My drink of choice was always waiting for me when I walked in, I may as well have been named Norm. I was surrounded by all of these like-minded people that had the same interests and problems as me. The bar scene and friends were eventually traded in for isolation and bottom shelf turpentine. When I couldn’t eat or stand up or pay my bills or go to work anymore I went to asylums… er treatment centers to get “better.” 6 times I went with the intention to get healthy and have another go at controlled drinking and 5 of those were unsuccessful (the controlled drinking that is.) I am pretty sure Chapter 3 was written about me! It wasn’t until I finally surrendered and got to work that I was finally freed from the bondage of this disease. This program had always been my last resort, the last house on the left as they say. Speaking personally, putting it first is actually the easier, softer way. Today, A.A. is my first priority and it gives me so much happiness, but I have to put a little bit of work into it everyday for it to work. I would posit this: perhaps the Cheers theme is really about A.A.: I wanna be where I can see, our troubles are all the same. I wanna be where everybody knows my name! I want to be right here, I want to be in Alcoholics Anonymous! I am so excited to serve in this position! If anyone has any questions, comments, stories, artwork or poetry, don’t hesitate to drop a line at lifeline@saltlakeaa.org Thank you for letting me be of service! -JD