Tom was a happy child with loving parents, brought up in home where there was no drinking, but his maternal grandmother had died an alcoholic. As a young man Tom was quite shy and sometimes felt separate from others, but when he had his first drink of alcohol he found an ease and confidence that he had not had before. This led to daily drinking, difficult relationships and eventually what Tom describes as 'spiritual sickness'. After a couple of experiences with rehab Tom became ready to live a life free of alcohol with the help of AA. Coming from a family affected by intergenerational trauma and being close to someone also recovering from alcoholism, Tom finds it an important part of his recovery to also attend Al-Anon meetings.