My sister passed away in September, in my mother's home, from alcoholism, at the age of 29. She was so far gone (health-wise) by the time she passed that, even though she'd been trying to sober up for at least 2 days and probably a couple more than that, my mother thought she was drunk right up until she took her last breath and because she didn't tell anyone that she was trying to sober up to go to treatment, nobody could get her the medical support that she so desperately needed. None of us even knew the real cause of death (withdrawal) until we got the coroner's report back, just this past February.

Alcohol is indeed a deadly disease. It doesn't just kill the people who are alcoholics, but it kills pieces of the hearts of the people who love them. I am one of the lucky ones; I've been sober since 2006. My other sister celebrated three years of sobriety earlier this month; as the first sober member in our alcoholic family, my own sobriety helped pave the way for her to see there was another way to live. We both live every day with the remorse that our other sister couldn't get there in time.

Congratulations on 24 hours. Anyone who has ever been in any kind of active addiction (alcoholic or otherwise) will know what a huge accomplishment it is to stay away from anything for that long. I wish you a journey full of as few obstacles as possible and great self-awareness, and if you ever need anyone to talk to (aside from the forums - one on one), please don't hesitate to message me.