My Testimony
by Jasper Braxton

Did you ever wish—even for a second—that God had not shown you the truth, because you felt like you could never live up to His high standard? Because you felt like you were not going to make it?

He saw the truth of God's great plan and purpose. He believed it! But when he looked at himself, and at his many weaknesses and problems, he felt overwhelmed. Was real change simply an impossible dream?

What about you? Maybe drug or alcohol abuse is not your particular problem. Yet this world is filled with people who have broken lives, broken marriages, broken families and broken dreams. They find life overwhelming and do not know how to make it any different. They are not where they are because they want to be there, but rather because they do not know how to be somewhere else.

Mainstream Christianity does not have the answers. "Just give your heart to the Lord," the preachers say. Many sincere people have walked down the proverbial sawdust trail at revival meetings and evangelistic campaigns, only to find a few days later that the "new" religion has worn off and they are really no different than they were a little earlier, except that one more hope has gone.

There is a multi-billion dollar industry directed at people who want to change what they are and how they feel. There are psychiatrists and psychologists. There are books and diets that guarantee to make a new person out of you, not to mention cosmetics, hair extensions, toupees and even plastic surgery—all supposed to give you self-confidence and change your self-image.

Of course our western world is a pill-oriented culture. Whether it is children who wriggle and squirm and do not pay attention in class, or adults who feel "stressed" about problems of the job or problems in their families, drugs are preferred as the answer. The fact that abortion is the most common surgical procedure in America, and that Valium is the most commonly prescribed drug in Australia, ought to tell us something. The changes many people seek are changes in the effects they are experiencing in life—while ignoring the actual causes of those effects!

In 1935 two men, given up on by most who knew them as hopeless alcoholics, met in an Akron, Ohio hotel room. Known to millions as Bill W. and Dr. Bob, they began a fellowship known as Alcoholics Anonymous, and shared with other alcoholics 12 steps that have dramatically improved hundreds of thousands of lives, including mine.

I am Jasper, an 18 year old Australian male. Last year I was diganosed with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) which is when you feel worthless or guilty for times in your life you had/have no control over.

Many sufferers turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with the disorder as it relaxes them and takes them away from the real world and all it's hassles.

For me, I turned to alcohol and cigarettes. Keep in mind I was only a 17 year old boy at this time! However I had amazing parents, siblings, doctors and friends who helped me through.

Going to Alcoholics Annonymous was one of the best things I could have done for myself. Not only did I get over my alcohol dependancy, but it also helped me to start the process of getting over my MDD.

Alcoholics Annonymous gave me confidence and helped me to realised I have a worth and I can be anything my heart wants me to be!!

Everyday I live I owe to Bill W and Doctor Bob. If they had not founded AA,I would not be here to tell the tale.

If you are in a similar situation to me, I urge and encourage you to seek the help you need. Whether it be Alcoholics Anonymous or any other support group.

It changed my life and it will, if you let it, change yours!!