Ahmed grew up in the streets of Washington, D.C., where he sometimes had to fight for his life. He started drinking “Cisco” at the age of 13 or 14 to escape both himself and his environment. Having blown his money on alcohol and various drugs including cocaine and Ecstasy, Ahmed filed for bankruptcy at the age of 29. Soon after, Ahmed was to become bankrupted mentally, physically and emotionally, until he found a Young Peoples’ meeting in Alcoholics Anonymous.