Getting Started
In most cases, it is not a question of starting but of continuing. Most people have drawn at some time in their life, even if it is only a doodle on a telephone pad. The main question is: do I want a challenge or do I want to take the easy way? The challenge is to do something from real life and get professional or amateur opinions of your drawing as the work progresses - in other words, join an art class or a sketching club.
Lessons
Lessons at art classes are cheap, especially if organized by the local community. The ultimate challenge for beginners is to join a life class, and paint the nude figure. The models in life classes have to stand still and be drawn or painted, which is actually very hard work. If you are worried about not being good enough for the class, do not be. Most adults who go to life classes are not very good at drawing, and some of them never will be because they go simply for an enjoyable night out and because of the people they meet there. Many of them do not particularly want to improve, and others do not take kindly to any form of instruction from the teachers, who consequently have to be mastered of tact and diplomacy (and usually are - the traditional stuffy ones are a dying breed).
Sketching Clubs
Sketching clubs are usually concerned with landscape, which is easier than life drawing (in this context life is drawing from the nude). Experienced artists often go with sketching clubs, for the sake of companionship and comfort. For those sociably inclined, there is a lot to be said for sketching clubs, which usually include experienced artists as well as learners. There is no easier way to pick up techniques and tips almost buy accident. Overlooking a good artist at work can be very rewarding, and it is amazing, by simply looking around, how many styles and methods of drawing and painting you find there are.