During the Western Washington Area 72 July Business Meeting, it was brought to our attention that the story of Ramiro M., the District Committee Member (DCM) for Area 57, had been shared in the April 2024 edition of the La Vina Magazine. La Vina is the Spanish Version of The Grapevine magazine. The Grapevine is often described as “an AA meeting in print.” Area 57 is one of two Spanish-language districts in our area.
I’m sharing Ramiro’s story here to underscore how we face the same challenge, regardless of background and origin. I’d also like to use the opportunity to highlight The Grapevine and La Vina resources and where you can learn more about them.
Here’s Ramiro’s story.
Hello, I am Ramiro and I am an alcoholic. I started to drink at the age of ten years, in Mexico; and through the years, my form of drinking was increasing more and more. At the age of eighteen years I crossed the border toward the United States and I arrived in the state of Oregon. Six months later I went to the state of Washington, where I’m now writing this story.
When crossing the border I was eighteen years old. It was the year 2000. I drank for three years, responsibly”, according to me, by fear of having legal problems in the country.
In February of the year 2004 I had my first legal problem called DUI, by which I was forced to go to an A.A. for eight signatures. I was just there for that, for signatures, but I didn’t accept my disease. So I went back to drinking in November of 2004. In my second drunkenness I crashed extremely drunk. I was involved in a multi car crash. I was taken to jail for 15 days and after I got out I was returned to A.A. for signatures. This time, according to me, I accepted more, but not enough.
I had been going to meetings for 2 months without drinking, but in January of 2005 I returned to drinking and I had been drinking for nine months without stopping. During these nine months I had other DUIs and, by God’s grace, I had to go back to a A.A.
All of what I thought I would do in this country alcohol took it away from me. After these five DUIs, I definitely accepted my defeat to alcohol and dedicated myself fully to this blessed program. I have not drank again. I spent three years within my home group “10 de Marzo”, in Washington, but in January 2018 after I left a meeting I was stopped because my license was suspended.
I was imprisoned for six months and was deported to Mexico, without work and without money. I had the need not to drink, so I was the founder of a group called “Libertad”, in the community
Ario of Rosales, Michoacán, Mexico.
In 2013 I returned to this country and I am still in A.A. I did the services of the intergroup office, north of Seattle, and in the year 2016 I returned to Mexico again. I arrived and joined my group “Libertad” and the district, always serving. At the end of 2019 I had to return to this country again and joined an “Eco Latino” group from Everett. The group gave me the GSR service and now in 2022 I am about to finish the DCM service of district 57, area 72.
I am very grateful to Alcoholics Anonymous, first for being alive, for being free, and for being what I am today. I have a wife who did not experience my alcoholism, and three children who have benefited from this blessed program. I have been sober for almost seventeen years and I’m happy and content.
Thank God for these 24 hours.
Ramiro M. Everett, Washington
You can learn more about the availability of subscriptions to The Grapevine and La Vina on the Alcoholics Anonymous website at https://www.aa.org/aa-grapevine-la-vina. The same page links to YouTube videos featuring stories from the publications and online access to the content.
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