What Is The "Most Wonderful Thing That a Person Can Do?"

I want to take a look at a testimonial in The Big Book, because it speaks of me and my story. It was written by a pioneer member of Akron's  A.A. group, the first in the world. The account begins on page 182.

"My case is rather unusual in one respect. There were no childhood episodes of unhappiness to account for my alcoholism. I had, seemingly, just a natural affinity for grog."

I had to look up "grog." It is "a mixture of rum and water, often flavored with lemon, sugar, and spices.... (or) any strong alcoholic drink." That's my Bartending 101 lesson for today.

To continue with the story: "My marriage was happy, and I never had any of the reasons, conscious or unconscious, which are often given for drinking....

"Before my drinking had cut me down completely, I achieved a considerable measure of success.... But of course, this all went down the drain with my increased drinking."

Alas, there goes me. An alcoholic can be a successful professional, a well-known politician, a skilled craftsman, a writer like I was....

Not all of us come from disrupted homes, broken marriages, dangerous peers, lack of education, sexual and physical abuse, or all the other terrors of youth. I had none of those. Instead, "I achieved a considerable measure of success."

I became an alcoholic anyway in my later years. For quite a while, I was ashamed. This wasn't the way I was brought up. But God uses my weakness for the good of others.

The story quoted above ends with these words: "I came into A.A. solely for the purpose of sobriety, but it has been through A.A. that I have found God. I feel that is about the most wonderful thing that a person can do."