Hi, My Name Is......

My name is Airon Later and............no, wait, let's start this off right.

I am not Airon Later. Airon has been, and always will be, a fictional character that I just happen to have created over 15 years ago as a way to seem much more interesting than the person I actually am.

My name is Brandon, and I have a problem with staying sober for extended periods of time.

At this point, I'm sure you're wondering to yourself, "Hey, Brandon, aren't you supposed to say 'My name is Brandon and I'm an alcoholic'"?

While this would be true in a more traditional setting, I feel that the visual that is conjoured in the audiences mind when they hear the term 'alcoholic' is one of a person that is consistently drunk - literally waking up and reaching for that bottle that rests on their nightstand and consuming every hour of the day, occationally blacking out, stumbling, slurring, and finally passing out somewhere around dusk only to repeat the cycle again.

I would be remiss to admit that there are people such as this. However, I do not fit this catagory, so the term 'alcoholic' will be used sparingly and with clearly defined terms within the text that you will find here.

So what is this blog all about then? Let's take stock to find out......

Have I lost my job? Yep.
Have I lost my family? Pretty sure that's the case too.
Have I lost my home? Yes.

Seeing as how I have lost the three main things in my life that have given me purpose, there is only one thing left for me to do - confess. I have to confess to everything that has brought me here, admit that I need help, and try and share my experience with someone that might need to take the same path that I am.

But before we really get into the blood and guts of this, I think I should explain the title of this blog.

12 Step Programs, at least traditional ones, do not work. I don't care how many editions of the so-called AA "Big Book" have been printed, the basic premise of a 12-Step Program is doomed to failure from the outset. To wit, I have titled this blog as not only a rejection of such a system, but to show that even though I tried to abide by it's alleged norms, I was both viewed as an outcast of the system and summarily treated as one.

While I will review each of the steps in the AA lexicon, I will offer my own versions of them as well as explainations of why they are either faulty from their very root or why even the slightest of adjustment would move them from cult-mantra to reasonable approaches. And with that in mind, this first post is essentially the first step in what I feel a real rehabilitation program should be about - admition and sharing.

Seeing has how I am a follower of the theory that music is therapy, I will be punctuating each post with a song that I feel fits the particular thesis of the day.

And with that, I give you our first musical installment -

Life Of Agony - Fears: