50 ans de sobriété active

Publié le 18 avril 2010 par kreizker

in "The Saratogian " - 18 avril 2010

Who are you?

I’m Seymour “Sonny” Segan, 87, of Glens Falls. In World War II, I was an Army Air Corps bombardier. Our plane was shot down over Europe and seven of my crew members were killed. I got out at the last second and was taken prisoner. After the war, I became a traveling salesman and later founded the Jonathan Reid men’s clothing store chain and was elected president of Men’s Retailers of America.

What are you celebrating?

Fifty years of sobriety. I took my last drink on March 3, 1960. My Alcoholics Anonymous group held a ceremony for me on Saturday, April 10, at Christ Church United Methodist in Glens Falls. There were more than 150 people there, including my two sons, daughter, grandchildren and many close friends.

When did you realize you were an alcoholic and needed help?

At first I didn’t realize it because I had blackouts. One night I rolled my car over five times. Finally, I was sitting in a Veterans Administration hospital and realized that it was only when I went out drinking that I got into trouble. So I went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Where can people go to get help from A.A.?

There are literally dozens of meetings throughout the area each week. Everything is strictly anonymous and confidential. In Saratoga County, people can call 587-0407.

Why is Alcoholics Anonymous so important to you?

I got my family back. That’s number one. Number two, I was the low man in the company that I worked for. After I started going to A.A., I became the top man. When I was drinking I’d work two or three days a week. When I sobered up I worked five days and I knew what I was doing. I became a good husband and a good father.

I owe my life to A.A. After many years, you weigh what you have against where you were before. I didn’t have a good life before, when I was drinking. I’d lost everything. I’d lost my family, I didn’t make enough money. I had no place to live.

A.A. gave me my life back. My wife and I traveled all over the world. We went to China three times.

When you weigh all that, after a while you don’t even want to drink. As we say in A.A., “One day at a time.”