Christmas is a time for both giving - and gratitude.
And for those of us who are addicts and alcoholics, gratitude is the fuel that keeps us clean and sober.
I remember this Christmas season, 27 years ago when I was a hopeless addict and alcoholic. My routine was to get up every morning and shoplift some kind of alcohol. Beer, wine, whiskey – I didn't care what it was. But once I drank it I found the courage to go steal something larger, something I could sell for enough money to buy heroin. My home was the back seat of a stolen car; all the clothes I owned were on my back. I was miserable, demoralized, and in a lot of emotional pain.
I was in so much pain that I had little interest in going on living. But I'm grateful for that pain today. Because that pain was the catalyst that took me to a detox and started me down the path to recovery.
To say that I'm grateful for my pain might not make sense to those who aren't addicts. But the reality is that the pain of being broke, homeless, and in the midst of a black depression, has given me the life that I have today. And I know that most of my contemporaries – those of you who are in the midst of your recovery and enjoying life – know exactly what I'm talking about.
We're grateful for the life we have today. And we know that if we ever lose that gratitude we might find ourselves at the door of the neighborhood dope house or else sitting at the bar, wondering how we got there.
