So here I was, in my late 20s, and in the late 1970s, disfellowshipped.
To offer a bit of perspective: being DFd then was not like it had been before, or since. For a period of several years (1973-1980, as I recall), the WTS had "lightened up" on the amount of communication that was "allowed" between DFd people and other JWs, especially when it was family. In fact, it was tantamount to 'if you can talk them back in, then go for it.' And boy-o-boy, did a lot of people try to talk me back in! Almost daily conversations, especially with my Mom. Same old issues, same old patronizing responses...it went nowhere.
Now, to again be very candid with you: During this period I went through what some have imo quite properly described as a "delayed teenage rebellion" episode. I tried several drugs (after all, I'd "verified" by my experiment with tobacco that the WTS doctrine was wrong...right?): cocaine, marijuana, LSD, mushrooms--though I never used a needle. In retrospect, I can honestly say that I was simply experimenting with things that had always been forbidden. However, I quickly found myself bored with the experiences that those physical substances provided; there was something missing.
In any case, it probably doesn't need to be said that I was not much of a husband during that time; the people I hung out with were not exactly what you'd call the "Christian type," and though I loved my wife, at this point we had very little in common: no shared religion, no common activities, not much intimacy. We became very distant from each other. I say this here because it sets part of the stage for the next couple of years.
However, one fact remained: there were only a couple of "worldly" people with whom I developed any kind of bond: one turned out to be a shyster, and one is a close friend to this day. Not much of a social life, eh? So, I began to feel more and more lonely for the comraderie and community spirit in which I was raised, and gradually began to override the "logical" objections I had with the WTS, in favor of again having that close-knit feeling of belonging. So, I initiated a request to be reinstated.
The elders were extremely happy to accept my request, and thus begins the next chapter.
PS: Sorry for the abbreviated sequences...I could say much more, but I'm just doing a first plod through a complicated life; I never kept a diary! LOL
PPS: For those of you who've asked if you can share my story (such as it is) with others--I wouldn't be posting it on a discussion board unless I expected, and even hoped, that it would be shared. As I said early on: if only one JW can be helped by me sharing my experiences, then it is all worth it.