The topic of "Young At Any Age" at the EURYPAA Convention in Stockholm, Sweden

Welcome to this young at any aid session of your My name is Euselyn and I'm an alcoholic.

Hi everybody, I'm from Stockholm and this is the a preamble. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

The only requirement of membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no use or fees for a membership. We are we are self supporting through our own contributions. A A is not allied with any sect, denomination, political organization or institution. Does not wish to engage in any controversy,

neither indoors nor opposes any causes.

Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other Alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Let's put this back. Sorry,

I just moved it so that we don't get feedback

about anonymity. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than the

promotion. I'm really sorry for the disturbance, but there's a bit of feedback happening and I don't want all all to lose our hearing.

We need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films

through we respectfully ask that A A speakers and AM members not be photographed, videotaped or identified by full name on audio tapes and in published or broadcast reports of of our meetings,

including including those reports on new media technology

technologies such as the Internet.

The assurance of anonymity is essential in our efforts to help other problem drinkers who may wish to share our recovery program with us and our tradition of anonymity. Remain reminds us all that A A principles come before personalities.

The meeting at Europe Euro UPA are being recorded, so we ask that you only that you only say your first name and city when sharing. This is a topic meeting. Topic meetings begin with speakers sharing on the topic, followed by open sharing. While topic meetings are open for anyone to attend,

participation is limited to those who have a desire to stop drinking.

And I've been told that you can speak for seven to 10 minutes, but try to be short so as many as possible can share. So Glenn, you can start.

Welcome, Glenn from Pittsburgh.

Thank you.

My name is Glenn. I'm an alcoholic and I'm from actually Prosperity PA

where it's prosperous.

Thanks for all that. That makes me more nervous than I already,

but I don't know why I got picked for this panel beaten as young as I am.

I'm actually actually probably younger than what I look. But you know, when you go and buy a car, you don't look at what year it is, You look at how many miles is on it. So I guess I have a few miles, but I got, I got sober at the age of 41,

which was five years ago, July 13th.

Getting sober for me was was difficult, as I'm sure I share with a lot of people.

I didn't really want to stop drinking, but it beat the situation that I was in.

And then, you know, in when I when I tried to stop drink or not drink,

it was difficult. And

I had a probation officer at that time that told me that only thing I needed to do was not drink, drink or drug and everything would be fine. And it was like I said, OK, I understand that, but how the hell do you expect me to do that? And she said, you're smart, you'll figure it out. So

I had been to rehab for two weeks

and

I learned about the A A meetings in rehab and I thought well you know I'll give it a try. So I tried to rehab or tried the A A meetings and it seemed to help. So in the US, where I'm from, most of the sponsors suggest that you try to do 90 meetings in the 1st 90 days.

A meeting a day. I ended up doing two or three meetings a day for the for probably the first month, I probably did 120 meetings in 90 days

and it helped. I found out, you know, after about a week of going to meetings that it relaxed me. It it helped help crave the desire to to drink.

It didn't end the desire to drink but it helped crave it or helped stop the cravings. But

after that

life, you know, started getting somewhat better, I guess I realized that it's seven or eight months that I didn't really want to drink anymore.

So I guess the obsession have been lifted at that time.

And you know, I continue to go to meetings and

I still go to meetings. I find that that's what keeps me sober is meetings, trying to do what my sponsor tells me to do.

And

I guess I'll speak a little bit on gratitude now. Life has become a whole lot better financially, emotionally, spiritually, definitely.

And

life's good, and I'll keep it short.

Thanks.

Yeah. And welcome to Vili Kabir from Stockholm, Sweden.

Hi. Hi everyone, everyone. My name is Vivica and I'm from I'm an alcoholic from Stockholm, Sweden.

That's awesome. That's

that's as awesome as the pink concert was last night in Gothenburg. Did you see my T-shirt?

See I'm a self-centered alcoholic. So I want, you know, I love being up here even though I, I'm afraid of making full out of myself. It says I saw my sponsor today, thank God she didn't see me. And that that pretty much sums up my sobriety. I, I,

I, I don't know why it

why it happened for me.

I don't think I know how really either. But about 7 1/2 years ago, I stopped drinking and it was

originally was because of my codependency, because I fell in love with a fellow alcoholic. And I went to open meetings and eventually Al Anon meetings because I wanted to learn about her disease. And, and I loved the meetings And it was too bad I wasn't alcoholic because I wanted to be like you guys. You know, I want to have a spiritual program. I, I, I identified a lot, but I was an alcoholic.

I was just very good at partying without getting the fun out of partying. I knew how to do it. I just didn't get it anymore. And, and I, I figured that if I didn't watch myself, I might develop a problem in the future with alcohol. And then I learned about alcoholism and, and you know, it, it fit my life. It fit who I am and

young at any age,

you know, I was 35. I was in a relationship I knew I wasn't supposed to be in. That was the one before the one that brought me to a a mostly because it was a man. But last night I'm skipping a little bit back and forth. I, I, I had the a friend of mine gave me a ticket to to the pink concert and we wanted to go out dancing afterwards and we couldn't find the club we wanted to go to. So we ended up going to my worst alcoholic nightmare

and for the 1st 45 minutes I was just praying and dancing and praying and dancing and praying and dancing and trying not to judge everybody. Actually, I wasn't trying very hard. I was judging everybody and I was seeing myself and everybody. And I was seeing myself in the the guys I would have tried to sleep with. And I saw myself in the guys I probably would end up sleeping with, which weren't the same ones. And I identified with with the women

I didn't identify with, the people that were actually just there kind of partying on a normal level,

you know, having fun, dancing, drinking a little bit, you know, maybe getting a little bit tipsy. But that was my that was my life, you know, was working in a bar or drinking in a bar. And it was normal to me. And I was miserable. I was so, so, so miserable. And I wanted to stop drinking, but I didn't dare think of a thought through because what if I decided to stop partying? And I find out that I can't.

So I pour myself another whiskey and pour myself a hot, you know, nice hot bath and put on my little eyelashes. And I go out dancing and, and hope that I get laid that time or fall or meet the big love or whatever, you know,

or to me to be able to dance and look people in the eye, you know,

being comfortable, my own skin that that was like that never happened.

And last night I was at this awful, awful place and had after those first 45 minutes or an hour, I danced. I danced almost 5:00 in the morning. And I had a blast with my friends. They were drinking a little bit, duh. And we were just dancing, you know, went for hamburgers afterwards. And I didn't sleep until on the train back here and

you know, I, I could look people in the Iowa while dancing and, and

I wasn't worrying about who was going to like me or if I fit in or anything. I mean, this might sound pathetic, but that that's basically like my life has been self-centered fear. Am I good enough for who I am? And when a a snuck into my life, it was like, I don't know how this works, but I want it. I want what you guys have. So I kept coming back and and I I love to quote this woman that came by to meeting and she said

I'm not doing at all what they suggest. I mean, I'm doing some of it, but I'm not working a perfect program. It's still works,

you know, and it doesn't mean that I get away with shit necessarily. But even if I'm not perfect, you know, I didn't go to a meeting last week, but I'm here now. You know, I didn't call my sponsor last week, but I'm talking to somebody else, having coffee with somebody else now and

a day at a time, you know, for one person it can be as long as I don't drink today, another for another person, it can be, well, what can I do today for my sobriety, even if I didn't do Jackass last month, you know,

and

I'm trying to to have a bit forgiveness that I'm not working a perfect program. But at the same time, I'm extremely happy. I'm extremely tired, and I'm sitting here at an awesome conference sharing about, you know,

strength and hope. And

like I said in the beginning, I don't know why it happened to me or how necessarily,

but you know, if you feel very young in your sobriety, new in your sobriety,

I mean, what do you have to lose? Just keep coming back and and, you know, look at the people that seem to have something that seemed to

be together. They probably aren't

sorry, but you know, they they might be doing some of the suggestions that work and and hang around those people

you know, and

you might never learn what a is about, but you might get might get the sobriety that you know can give you great life. So

I have no idea if this made any sense, but I'm really,

it's really cool to be here and to see so many.

Yeah, I knew a couple of people here. I know, but a lot of visitors and other people I I don't yet know. But this is such a cool thing that's happening, So stop there. Thank you,

Joseline again. And I'm still an alcoholic. Hi Joseline,

the meeting is now open for sharing. In order to give everyone the chance to ask you to limit your share to three minutes, please come to the front and share.

SO

yeah.

Hi. Hi. How are you doing? My name is Michael. I'm an alcoholic. I am from Copenhagen,

not too far away. It's my first. I love you too, all you. It's my first visit to Stockholm. It's a beautiful city and awesome experience being here with all you guys. Thank you very much for the speaks, both of you guys. Young at any age? Yes, I am 37, so I am also a little bit over, I guess what they usually call young people at a a 'cause I heard somebody say that it was if you come in before 30, which I did not do

AT30I managed to get an ex-wife, but still wasn't sober.

Anyway, the thing that just that I wanted to talk about a little bit that was you were talking about dancing. And that's been kind of one of the themes for me this summer has been going out and and going to festivals and and going to concerts and shows and being all this and, and be being comfortable with it without, without drinking. I was, I was sober for nine months first when I first got to a A and, and I was very afraid of going out and, and, and playing music,

music as well and, and going out to parties and going to shows and all these things. So I ended up spending a lot of time sitting at home kind of being afraid of going out where alcoholism was involved because I was afraid of relapsing. So basically, you know, fear of relapsing kept me at home, which was basically what eventually led to me relapsing at home alone,

which is, you know, kind of pathetic when you think about it. But but that was that was the situation. So, So what I discovered was actually the more I go out and, and have fun and go to concerts and then go to shows and go dancing, the more easy it gets. And,

and it is actually really, really, really cool to dance and Just Dance my ass off and sweat and, you know, just be out and having a blast sober. And, and it's this summer. I've had so many tremendous experiences. I went to the Roskilde festival, which some of you might know, which in Denmark, a big, big music festival, another one called the Coburn Hill, which is a metal festival, Another one called Copenhagen Live. Been to a wedding. I've been to the summer

party thing and I've just been out and going about and just, and the, every time I've been just baffled of how incredibly

fun it is to be there and to be dancing without drinking. And then that just blows my mind. There was one time actually at the festival, at the Ross Kilter festival and I was standing there and there was these two girls went up to get some, some drinks and they brought me back and this ecological cola and, and I got it in a glass and it and I took a sip from it and it tasted like there was something else in it. And I was like, usually you guys sure there's no

rum or anything in this because you know, if yeah, yeah, we're sure. We're sure. We, we saw the girl pouring it from a bottle. Because, you know, if not, then you'll see me going crazy in a couple of hours, go running over the festival spot and be like fucking wasted.

And then and then just when I said that, there was a little bit of a part of me that said, oh, that would be fun. Wouldn't that that would be great. Just be like, fuck it all, It's Saturday night. Let me go crazy for just tonight. But but The thing is, the started thinking about would I gain anything from good and drunk? Would I be able to dance anymore? And would I have more fun than than I was doing at the time? And I definitely reach the decision that that no, I would not. And eventually I would have to be standing 3:00 in the morning, like falling over my own legs and be like, fuck, I got to call my sponsor tomorrow.

Just skip it. And so anyway, it's beautiful being sober and it's beautiful being. Thank you very much.

My name is Natalie Emma and I'm an alcoholic.

Can I have this? I'm so nervous.

Can I have later?

OK, so you're nervous. I love you all and I can say it from my heart. I really love you all in this room, everybody,

and that's what I got from AA that I can really love. But I have issues in my head and in my feelings, so I can't really always feel that I love you. But right now I do it. I've been working really hard in the program. I've been working in the program for over 9 years. I've been to approximately 1 meeting a day for nine years

and I've been doing the steps deep, deep, deep inside of me. The steps for me have been an inner experience

also out on the outside I've been pointing to a lot sober and dancing for hours, but get me very tired the day after. So nowadays I don't party all night. But I've been doing that in January and February in with famous people in Stuyvesplon area and at Park Crystal champagne parties and so on.

And I've been in the in the. What do you call it?

It doesn't matter,

but for me, I don't know what to say, but I'm not very interested in so many experiences outside anymore. I've been around the world and I've been doing several careers before I became an alcoholic. I became an alcoholic really down when I was over 30 years old. So I had my careers and my education in university and

an education as an engineer and I did everything before and when I was 32 I was thinking what is what's more about life? And then I started partying, really partying. The only thing I was doing was partying. I got like a pension and I was parting and I was partying for five years,

having luxurious life in Stockholm and

my life, my life was a real mess. I had a wrong man, he was hitting me and everything. I was really hurt in this and it was drugs and alcohol. It was really, really bad for me. I had depression and everything. So I was really down when I came to a nine years ago. So I building my life up again like cement. I'm building a ground to stand on, on cement, and that's why I'm working full time

with myself. I've been doing other programs too, because I had issues with men and I had issues with codependency. I'm really an addictive person inside of Maine. Most outside. I haven't done so many addictive things really outside. I can't really explain it. It's inside of me. It's in my head and in my feelings. I have problems with my feelings and with my thinking. That's my problem

and I have no problem in my life today. I have no deaths. When I came to program, my higher power gave me an apartment.

I didn't have to pay much for it. I earned a lot of money of it. My higher power gave me a lot of money when I came to the program,

so I've had a good life since I came to a A.

As I said, I threw away medicines all the time. I had a lot of medicines and everything. I can't really explain my life. It was so complicated when I came. So now I'm making it simple, a simple life

is good for me and I will see what will happen in the future. But I have hope and I have love and I have my life in front of me. I'm 47, I'm 47 and I have my life in front of me. So thank you for helping me

to keep on living

life where I can feel that I'm worth something. I'm worth something today. Thank you.

My name is Keith. I'm from the Isles of Maui in Hawaii, and I've been to the microphone a lot, so I'm kind of felt ambivalent about coming up. Oh, yes, you can say hello,

young people's alcohol. Young people say hey, saved my life. I came to a A when I was 29 and that was

over 2 decades ago and

sober and,

and I'm glad that you haven't thrown me out of young people's a a just because I got chronologically older. But I'm still allowed to participate because I am young at heart. And you know, it's, I go to, to young people's meetings still and I hear people talk about their experience, strength and hope. And people that are, some of them are, are young enough to be my, my grandchild, you know, and he hasn't talked about their experience, strength and hope. And I identify with what I hear,

identify with the struggles that are here from those young Alcoholics, you know, and,

and identify with the passion they have for the passion I hear for sobriety and the joy of living, you know, and I go to my Home group and I hear that too. But but somehow in young people's AAI hear like this passion for life that's part of youth. And it's very attractive to me and it keeps me coming back to young people's A A, and it keeps me young.

Alcoholics Anonymous has given me so many things that I didn't anticipate when I came here. I only wanted to not hurt anymore. And it gave me a way of living that solves my problems, all of my problems. It gave me Peace of Mind. It gave me self esteem. It gave me true happiness. And I didn't know that it would keep me young as well. You know, people who So I have to sometimes show my driver's license to people

because maybe it's because I'm immature. I don't know, but

but I'm, I'm glad that you didn't throw me out of out of young people say, yeah, just because, just because I happen to get older and I'm going to keep coming back to young people's conferences and young people's meetings and you'll see me as long as I'm sober. Thanks.

Why did I do this? No, I'm kidding. Hello everybody. I'm Stefan and I'm an alcoholic.

Thank you.

I love you too

and thank you for the

shares and the other shares.

I I wanted to participate because I know that keeps me sober but I don't know what to say about the topic. Young, young at NH, the only thing I get to think about is

that I was really, really old when I was young. I, I, I grew up in a alcoholic family. So

when I was 10, I felt like I was 60

and,

and that what what alcohol did for me. What was to, to make me my age again. I got to be irresponsible and

and and crazy, which I was supposed to be. I thought

so.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking about the topic and, and and that's what's happening sometimes in in sobriety now is that I'm or, or what happened before I came to to, to AA and and tried sobriety was that when I was when I was going to get sober, I was going to get grown up. That's what I thought anyhow

so as because I tried many many times to to stop drinking before I came to a A

umm. But I, I got so grown up. It was so boring. I wanted to kill myself.

It, I mean, I was so focused on not drinking that I was not doing anything else but not drinking. I was just staying home and not drinking. And I, I can relate to that, to that, what you said about. Yeah. And

so now I'm trying to

but, but, but what I was trying to say also is when I came to a a this time, I'm,

I heard that some of us are really, really immature. And I can relate to that too, because I I started to to I was, I had to Start

learning things from the first time in in sobriety

and, and and

that were really, really

hellcloth

obvious for normal people. That was I was doing in my first year of sobriety, and

I'm glad it. I mean, I know that I lost many, many years drinking and doing drugs and and I thought in the beginning of my sobriety that I was when now when I was going to learn everything that it was going to take as long time as As for normal people

when they were growing up. But luckily it some somehow it takes it went quicker. So so now I

I, I feel more my age and I feel more balanced. I feel

I can take responsibility and I can

try to to

and be

a goof, you know,

I don't know if I make sense here, but that's what I had on my mind. Thank you.

Hi, my name is PM Marie Covered alcoholic.

Thank you.

Well, I was sitting on the front row here and there was a lot more people than I thought.

Wow. I came to, I came to these rooms, to the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous when I was 15,

a bit up north in Sweden. Young people's a A were not really on my map at all.

I came to a A and there was a bunch of old, old men

sitting in smoky rooms and it was dark

and

I felt,

I felt out of place and completely at home at the same time. And it was really, really weird.

Yeah. And so it took me a couple years to to actually sober up.

When I came to Alcoholics Anonymous, I,

I did not, I was told what not to do,

don't drink, and I was told to go to meetings. We had like one, maybe two meetings a week and

and that was it. And it didn't work for me,

so it took me a couple years. I got sober at age 21.

God willing in in August, I'll be celebrating 10 years and that is absolutely, absolutely awesome.

So to me, to be here at this conference and, and, and the topic to be young at any age,

I, I kind of feel like I'm getting younger every year

because like someone else just said, I felt really old when I came to AAI felt really old. I felt like 100 years old. I was just beat

and umm,

getting sober and, and being sober when I had been sober for two years, I figured, and I felt as if I had been sober for eternity because I'm one of those people. I couldn't, I couldn't be sober for like 8 hours in a row. I couldn't, It was absolutely 100% impossible for me to be sober. And, and so for me, someone who couldn't be sober for 810 hours, to be sober for two years, it was like

that was an eternity. And now it's been almost 10 years and

yeah, I'm feeling more and more like a newcomer every day. And it's, it's absolutely fantastic. It's absolutely fantastic. And I'm, I'm very happy to be here at this conference. It's just mind blowing. And yeah, it's absolutely great. And the solution for me was to work the steps, work the steps, work them quick and do them again later. But, you know, just get connected to to God and

and start it's a spiritual program of action. So just do it,

OK? Thank you guys.

Hi, I'm Nicholas and I'm an alcoholic.

Thank you very much.

All right, well, when I came to AII was younger than I am today, of course, but I felt I felt like an old man.

My my drinking body for my the last last years were old people, old hippest survivors from the 60s, my all my friends in an equal age. That left me and I left a few who could stand drink with me

because I felt they were, they weren't. They weren't up to the test to drink and take drugs the way I did. So when I came to AAI first, I came to a group of young people sitting talking together about the problem, about their issue. And I was, I was the oldest one there, both in my mind mentally and actually age wise.

And coming to AAA and seeing all these young people being sober was both a boost. Seeing that was possible and also really scary because

I don't really like and enjoy being with people my my own age because I don't really, I don't really feel the way you look. You look so good and happy and stuff and I, I don't really feel that way. So

I some, some way decided to, I will stay and stick around here in young people's AA because I don't really do this well. I don't know how to, to be with people. I don't know how to to be someone who has a conversation sober, dances sober, doing stuff sober.

I don't know how to do that. And in a young people say, hey, I get a chance to, to practice and learn that.

And well, in one, one way it worked because I'm, I'm still sober. The years has passed by, but I still have to to admit today that I'm still a bit spooked by young people my own age and how they, you know, live life. And I often find myself comparing my sobriety with others and the way my life has turned out sober. But the way your your lives are. And sometimes I feel

that I'm I'm not equal to you and I'm not as good looking as you are and

made my a bit fast. And, you know, my mirror shows a picture that I don't really like all the times.

And for a long time I kept that, you know, closed beneath him because, you know, I can't really admit that that's true because I, I wanted to be the the best, best good looking a, a, the most sober young a, a,

the one who's closest to becoming a is answer to Jesus or something like that.

You know, that's not really true. I'm full of resentments and, you know, strange stuff goes around in my head. I can see it in a meeting and realize that I, I heard about 10% of what's been said in the meeting because I've been busy thinking about other stuff like

maybe, but I'm supposed to share and how good it will sound when I do it.

So I tried a new thing in a well, a new thing for me. That's, you know, called honesty. When I came to my first a meeting, you know, read, read a part of chapter 5 and it says to you, how do we have your balance to, to, to do this? And I knew that a was nothing for me because I can't be honest. It's impossible for me to be honest. Yes, I, I lie when I open my mouth and speak my first sentence. How do you do? Oh, I'm fine, you know,

and and and so forth. So

I thought, you know, it can be a bit honest and maybe survive, but I try to be more honest today. And the strange thing is for me that, you know, I admit my life isn't that good, as good as I wanted to be, but I myself am calmer than I was when I didn't do this. So I don't like sitting up here and be honest with you, but it makes me feel better when I'm when I'm done it.

Does you know, that's a new experience for me, a few years sober. So

some people are maybe born but a thicker head or something, I don't know. Thank you.

Hi, I'm still in. I'm an alcoholic.

Thanks. That feels great today. I can receive love from you and from everybody and that's great. I feel like I'm worth being loved and and I feel love for all of you. And yeah, it's wonderful. The a way to see it. If there's someone that I that acts strange or whatever, I see them as a sick person.

I don't hate anyone. I don't dislike anyone. And that's, that's freedom for me. And I noticed today I've become a positive person through a A and I used to be such a negative person. Guys that have been with in the program for like over 10 years, they told, they told me how I was when I got in. And I was just so mad and aggressive and negative and

that. And I also felt very, very old every morning when I saw myself in the mirror. In the end, when I was drinking, it was just like, I looked uglier and uglier and my face was swollen. I Yeah. And

just also being depressed, it's the, it's very hard takes much more energy to walk around and do things. And now I feel so much younger, younger and younger actually, because because I can be more and more in a happy state of mind and just feel loved and feel all these good feelings which make life really worth, worth living. And it becomes a fun life. If you see, I noticed like nowadays people say they take up the negative stuff of concerts or whatever. I'm like, what

thought of that? You know, was this sound bad? Uh-huh. You know, I haven't even, you know, now my, my brain has been reprogrammed. So I only see the positive things not only, but often. I mean, it's much more like that from being this negative person. And and I've had so much fun. I've so much fun and sobriety. I mean, I can dance like I don't have any boundaries. It's like I don't have any fears left almost practically. I could stand here and dance even if no one's dancing, whatever. I mean, but it wasn't like that.

I mean, now I've ate your soap. I'm eight years sober. But, I mean, it wasn't like that after a few years. But it comes more and more, more and more freedom with sobriety. And it's so wonderful. I'm so grateful. And just to be able to be in these. How do you say? Yeah,

circumstances, whatever you call this fellowship is so wonderful and it's all through that I've worked with myself for for these eight years and done the steps and seen what's true about me in my life and what I have,

what's my part in life and what is others part and what and letting go of judgment is a lot for me, very important. Judging myself, I mean letting myself be totally free, like what can I do and not do? I can do anything I want. I shake my life every day with my thoughts and also letting go of judgment of others

and also letting go of how much judgment other people put on me or if they do or don't, that's it's often OK, That's a sick person then or whatever I mean, and everybody doesn't have to like me and that's fine. So that's a sobriety for me. Getting working my with my spirituality all the time. More and more. I work a lot with affirmations, positive affirmations and choosing my thoughts, changing my thoughts.

Yeah. So in living in the with a higher consciousness,

so life becomes really fun and justice, we're unlimited beings. We can do anything. That's the way I see it. So just as long as I stay sober, of course, keep going to meetings and do all these things. So thanks.

Hello, my name is Matt. I'm an alcoholic.

Oh, thank you. I like that part. It's so funny,

I my sobriety date is somewhere after Easter 91. I don't remember the date really. I have to check that up. Anyway, so when I came to AI was 29 years old and I came from the same town was Pia talked about and there was a lot of of old people, really old people there. And I was the youngest one in the group,

and I thought, my life is over. This is it now I got to spend my life with old people talking about boring things. And OK, so that's sobriety.

And after three months it came. A guy came in and he was younger than me. And I was so happy because now I wasn't the youngest one and longer. And I, I became his sponsor, of course, because I knew this after three months, I could, I could teach him. And it's a miracle we're both sober still.

Anyway, after a few years, I moved to Stockholm and and Young people's meetings has just started up in Stockholm then. And I was so happy because now I met a lot of people who was even younger than me and we had so much fun and, and young people's Meeting really learned me that I can have fun in sobriety too. It's OK to have fun. And we started to do a lot of funny things. We went out dancing, we went to movies, we went out eating every Saturday night. And

I didn't know one person when I moved to Stockholm. But I wasn't worried at all because I know if I go to meetings, I find new friends. Wherever I am, it's up to me

and, and through young people is meeting. I got a lot of new friends and that was so good for me. I really needed that because to me, it's important to have fun in sobriety because if I don't have fun, I will go out drinking again eventually and to to go against my fears and do things I want to do. But when fear stops me, I have to go against the fear and, and

together with these people I have I have been managed to do that

many times. And I do a lot of things today that I like that I think is funny.

My new drug is karaoke. I love karaoke and to sing karaoke sober has been very important to me. So I arranged karaoke sober karaoke meetings and that's part of having fun to me. And I do a lot of other things too. But dancing is one other thing I love to do. I try to go out dancing now a few times a week and and and enjoy life because

sobriety has to be about enjoying life and having fun.

OK, this age issue,

I'm turning 50 this year. Hard to imagine, isn't it? Yeah,

and I I'm still in denial about it because I don't feel like 50 when I came to AI was my emotional age was about 20. I don't know where it is now, 25, maybe 30, but a lot of times I feel a lot younger than I am. So I I find it more

gives me more to be together with people who are younger than me

because I can relate a lot more to them. People at my age are seems very old to me. So

it's very this 50. Turning 50 is really, really, I try not to think about it because it sounds very old, doesn't it? 50 years old. Wow. But in fact, I am turning 50. So OK,

I was

a little scared to come here because I thought I was be the oldest one. Was so glad I met the guy who is 80 yesterday and he came here. So then it felt okay. And I I felt I have to talk about this. So it's not an issue for me. I don't want to go thinking about how old I am any longer. I feel very young and that's what's important. And I enjoy this convention very much. Thank you very much.

That's all the time we have for sharing. Thank you.