By Dafa disciple from Jilin City

(Clearwisdom Net) I am a 64-year-old retiree. My wife and I are new Falun Dafa practitioners and are Master's new disciples. It was Dafa that rescued me from the addiction to alcohol and gave me a new life. I became a Dafa practitioner and a new person.

In order to stop me from drinking over the last 45 years when I was addicted to alcohol, my family members begged me; my friends tried their best to persuade me; my superior at work harshly criticized me; I repeatedly made resolutions to stop drinking when I was sober. None of this helped, and I continued to drink. People who knew me used to say, "If he can stop drinking, then I can stop eating." I was so dependent on alcohol that nothing helped me. Alcohol was a demon that I couldn't get rid of. It haunted me for most of my life, and I failed to overcome it.

I drank the first time in 1960. That was the first time I attended the wedding of one of my coworker's after I began to work. After eating, I went to another table to ask other people to drink just for fun. I began drinking. I drank more than a fifth of liquor (a 750 ml bottle) and was so drunk that I was unconscious for twenty-four hours. In order to cool myself down, I went to the river and put my feet into the water, and I fell asleep by the river-bank. I might be dead if one of my friends had not found me in time. I didn't learn my lesson from my first drinking experience. Instead, I began to get addicted to alcohol. Gradually, I had to have a drink with every meal. Sometimes I had to entertain customers 5 ~ 6 times every day, and I was drunk every time. I drank alcohol illegally when I was in the armed forces and was serving in combat on Zhenbao Island. My superior wanted to officially discipline me, and I was spared only when the regiment commander intervened. When I was working in the public security bureau, it was prohibited to drink alcohol in the bureau cafeteria, but I was allowed to drink with the special permission of the bureau chief. Since I was the party secretary of the bureau, the entire unit couldn't carry out the rule that prohibits drinking during working hours due to my drinking problem. I had to take early retirement and left my job due to my drinking problem.

Being depressed after retirement, I drank even more. I drank from the moment I got up to the time I went to bed. I was drunk all the time and wished to spend the rest of my life with alcohol. The nasty behavior when I was drunk was so embarrassing that I don't want to talk about it. My wife was so upset with me that she thought about suicide. My alcohol addiction caused huge problems for my family, the people around me and for myself.

March 27, 2005 was the most important day of my life: I encountered Falun Dafa and was reborn. I studied the Fa and Master's magnificent and profound teachings enlightened me and I began to walk on the golden road of practicing Falun Dafa.

For many years, my wife was worried, depressed, sad, and was in bad health because of my drinking problem. In the May of 2004, she suddenly had an internal brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized for more than 20 days. In December she had two other serious illnesses and was hospitalized again. We spent more than 20,000 yuan for her two hospital visits and she was not cured. A Dafa disciple visited us on March 27 this year and introduced Falun Dafa to us. My wife held the precious book Zhuan Falun and wouldn't let go. After beginning to practice Dafa, her diseases were mysteriously gone. She threw away the blood pressure gauge and all the other medications. She was reborn.

In the beginning, I didn't have the courage to practice Dafa because I worried about my serious addiction to alcohol. After reading Zhuan Falun with all my heart, and watching the videos of Master's lectures, I began to understand the Fa and assimilate to the Fa. I felt especially affected by Master's teaching on how to stop drinking. Because I really wanted to stop drinking, Master therefore helped me and helped me remove my attachment to alcohol. I stopped drinking during the Qingming Festival this year.

With Master's compassionate help, I didn't have too much difficulty getting rid of the addiction to alcohol. I didn't feel any pain, and I just didn't want to drink anymore from the bottom of my heart. Dafa's power is simply incredible. Master tested me a few times after I stopped drinking and I passed the tests. One time I met one of my coworkers whom I hadn't seen for many years. He invited me to drink. I told him I had stopped drinking, which he didn't believe. He tried to drag me into a restaurant and almost tore off my clothes. He was really upset later and took off. I used to drink a lot with one of my old friends. He called me twice to invite me to tour two different scenic areas and to have a drink after I had stopped drinking. I thanked him but said no. There were quite a few holidays in May. In addition, Father's day, my birthday, and my grandson's birthday are all in May. We had many family gatherings, but I didn't drink a bit.

My family members told me that I was a brand new person after I stopped drinking. Dafa rejuvenates me. I get up at midnight to perform the exercises, and then study the Fa in the morning. During the day, I either listen to or watch Master's lectures, or go out to clarify the truth and let people know that Dafa is persecuted, and the self immolation in Tiananmen Square and killing were all fabricated and designed and used to defame Falun Dafa. I tell people that Dafa is welcomed all over the world and is spread in 78 countries. I am energetic and optimistic everyday. I was overweight in the past, and lost more than 10 pounds after practicing Dafa. My wife got rid of her diseases too after practicing Dafa.

It was Dafa that rescued me from the demon of alcohol addiction. Dafa saved my family and me. From now on, I will devote my life to spreading Dafa: allowing more people to benefit, let more people know that Falun Dafa is wonderful, and "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" are great.

June 30, 2005