Facing Our Fears A Search for Reassurance and Purpose in Life

by Darryl Duke

In this new part memoir, part self-help book, Darryl Duke invites readers along on his personal journey from fear to belief in himself.

Darryl experienced a lot of uncertainty as a child and used his imagination to escape the fears he felt. As he grew into a shy and insecure teenager, he often acted out in vain and pretentious behaviors as a way to overlook his fears and feel better about himself—something he would continue to do into his adulthood.

He would also find that alcohol made him feel better about himself. And although he didn’t drink every day, it would eventually become a problem for him. Finally, after many unsuccessful attempts to quit drinking on his own, he went to Alcoholics Anonymous.

For several years, AA and the Twelve Steps helped Darryl face his fears and grow more confident, and he also began to love himself. But when he longed for answers that AA couldn’t give him, he searched elsewhere.

It was during this search that he started to believe more in himself, and the possibility that something created life for a reason. A combination that finally enabled him to be happy with who he was and filled him with a sense of purpose.

189 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2009

About the author

Darryl Duke grew up in York, Pennsylvania. He had a difficult childhood with little guidance from his parents and found it hard to form friendships. Despite having fears and insecurities as a teenager, Darryl won a Golden Gloves Championship at sixteen, but it did little to boost his self-confidence and self-esteem. It was soon after this that he found alcohol temporarily could, and it slowly became a part of his life.

However, after years of drinking, Darryl woke up one morning hung over and knew he couldn’t go on living like he was. He went to Alcoholics Anonymous and used the Twelve Steps to stay sober and live a spiritual life, but eventually his search would pull him in a new direction.

Although grateful for what AA did for him, Darryl is no longer a member. As his beliefs in life changed, so did his views on substance abuse and recovery.

It is now Darryl’s hope that his life experiences help others find greater happiness and meaning in their lives.

“Some people say life is hard and has no meaning. Maybe life has no meaning except for the meaning we give it. I found that having a sense of purpose in our lives helps. I define my purpose as helping others. I’ve also found that by helping others, we help ourselves. In this sense, we’re all one. Life can seem hard at times, but if we use those times to grow stronger and our experiences from those times to help others, we begin to see how easy life can be and that it does, indeed, have meaning.” —Darryl Duke