This was a day when two alcoholics were in need of help from people like themselves. One was coming back and had just come out of rehab. The other was brand new. The new one seemed hardly interested, but the person coming back paid close attention to all that was being said.
I think the person coming back had everyones attention. I know I could share and then listen to others who had great stories and were really helpful.
I know that my sharing related to pain, suffering, and then hope and an answer from my Higher Power back when I came in. But hope was what I know grabbed attention.
And having carried the message to those who needed it, I finally left and came home and the one word on my mind was again “hope”. Hope was what got me to change from an alcoholic in total despair to one who was finally able to really pray and surrender to my being powerless over alcohol. And it was that prayer which freed me from the power alcohol had over me.
Again I stop and have to think what hope has done in my life. It opened the door to this program after I stopped drinking. Hope continued and I didn’t drink. But I did bring in a careless, crazy, immature, egotistical alcoholic who needed help from all those in this program. And I was given the help I needed which fulfilled that desperation of hope and led to a faith which had eluded me during my drinking.
As I sit here thinking about all of this I can’t help hope that the two people who came today can find the hope and the help I received. My hope for them is that they will find the freedom and happiness I did. I know there’s no more I or others can do, if they don’t want what we have. I have to admire all those who gave what was needed today.
Anyway we all wanted them to spend the rest of the day free from alcohol, with the hope that what comes will be more days just like this, but less heavy in terms of suffering. I know that what I’m thinking about now is that I’m dedicating the rest of this day to staying sober.
Needless to say I know and saw the demonstration that I and others like me really cannot do this alone. I know I need all the help I can get and hope that the two today receive the same. Makes me grateful to be sober and I owe my thanks to my Higher Power and all those in here, who have given to me the help I have needed.