Our meeting place up here is close enough to the center of the city that we attract new comers, as well as people coming back after a trip back to alcohol. That gives a lot of us, who attend this meeting regularly, a chance to walk back down memory lane.
What it does is to allow most of us to spend time on the basics of this program. The first three Steps. Mainly the First. Being powerless over alcohol.
I couldn’t help but think of what the BB says about what it took to convince me that I was powerless. And what it says in there about those who need something more to convince them, if they are truly alcoholic. It recommends that they go back out and try to do some controlled drinking on their own. It tells the alcoholic, who needs more, that it might be that a good case of the shakes might be what they need. If they survive that, the program is still here waiting for them.
Sounds harsh. But the truth is that nothing anyone says is going to convince anyone, who has doubts about whether or not they are an alcoholic. Our best teacher we are told is alcohol itself.
I know from my own experience how true that is. Alcohol definitely taught me that, if I continued drinking, I was a dead man. If nothing else, at the very least, insane. I had no problem with the insanity talked about in the 2nd Step. I was ready for the first three Steps, when I came into the rooms for the first time. I’m still ready today.
I was thinking that if we finally discover that we are drinking against our will, no matter how much we want to stop, there’s a good chance that we are powerless. That was true in my case. Suicidal thoughts? Yes to that. And total insanity. I had that too. I didn’t need anyone to convince me.
Anyway, I was thinking about the two men, who showed up today. The one coming back and the young man, who was at his first meeting. I listened to the sober people in the room, who talked to them and heard a lot of wisdom and experience in what they said.
I was grateful that I was sober and could hear and understand what they were saying. I could only hope that the two men could do the same.
One thing, a few peoples said, was how they could not stay sober on their own. They needed others and a higher power to help them to stay sober. The “we” of this program was mentioned again and again. I thought to myself, what a wonderful thing it is to be part of this program and be part of the “we”. That no matter how long I stay sober I still need others to do that.
Anyway, I was thinking about this and grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to the newcomer and the man coming back. I need that.