My name is Scott Bennett and I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict.  My sobriety date is February 9, 2013.  I grew up in an alcoholic family and there was a lot of drug use. I had my first drink when I was 10, but my first drunk was at 15. Not too long after I started drinking, I started smoking weed and then using other drugs. I was a black out drunk from day one and that is how I drank for 25 years.

The first day of the rest of my life started on Friday, February 8, 2013.  I was almost done with a 5th of vodka, and that’s when I had enough. I was in tears and made a call to the Kaiser outpatient program. This is where I made my first 2 commitments – #1 go to the Emergency Room and #2 come in to meet with the counselor.  I went to Kaiser three days a week and I went to AA meetings in between. I didn’t like talking in a group setting, but I really liked the education part of the program. The counselor told me why I couldn’t stop drinking and why I was thinking the way I was thinking.  Going to AA made me realize I wasn’t alone, and for me, that was the biggest thing. I did what was suggested, I got a sponsor, started working the steps, and made a commitment. I realized that the only way out of the basement for me was to take the steps that were suggested in a program to recovery.

It hasn’t been easy by any means, but it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made in my life and I wouldn’t change it for anything. All the pain and suffering I caused my family I can never take back, but I can make living amends, which I do every day. So, there is life after the drink, and I’m living proof.