The widely publicized antics of actor Charlie Sheen are no shock any of us here at TLC. None of my recovering friends are dismayed by his behavior. The only difference between many of us – including myself – and Charlie Sheen is he’s a talented actor with unlimited resources to pursue his addictions. Actually, a few of us were admiring the man because he's so tough. Most of us agree that if we had his resources we’d have been dead long ago.

I remember one time when I came across $16,000 that belonged to my former wife, while she was out of town. I spent every bit of it in three weeks, wrecked both cars, and nearly destroyed myself in the process. For an addict, unlimited resources are often a death sentence.

While Mr. Sheen has a bully pulpit from which to expound his views on recovery, most of us just smile knowingly when he makes his pronouncements. For example, he says that AA is boring. He says that AA is a cult. He says only five percent of the people in AA remain sober. Some of what he says is true. For example, this latter is borne out in AA Central Office literature. They’ve published pamphlets estimating that only one of every 33 people who walks into an AA meeting for the first time will die sober. So his estimate is actually a little generous. But the rest of what he says is pretty much subjective, the ramblings of a resentful, angry addict.

For example, over the years some have said AA is a cult. Usually, in my estimation, the people making these pronouncements are in a similar situation to Charlie Sheen. Even though they may not have denial of his magnitude, they’re still angry and resentful at AA. As to the cult issue, there have been people who tried to make that point for many years, but to my knowledge it doesn't have widespread currency or acceptance.

And if we think AA boring, that can sometimes be a telltale clue about our own personality. When I was young my Grandmother told me "if you are bored, then it's because you're boring." I agree with my grandmother. If Charlie Sheen is bored, then it's because he's probably deep down a boring human being. When I finally got clean and sober life changed from boring to exciting. I had new perceptions. I had many, many new challenges. Each day became for me an adventure in sobriety. Dealing with the challenges of staying sober after so many years of living in the muck of alcoholism and drug addiction makes my life a journey of discovery.

Finally, my opinion is that Charlie Sheen spends way, way too much time protesting 12 step programs. When I spend a lot of time thinking about something, whether it's my health, aging, or the challenges of running a business, then it's because those things are on my mind. My prediction is, that if Charlie Sheen survives his addictions, we'll see him as the keynote speaker at a recovery conference.

In any event, I believe we all wish him the blessings of a clean and sober life. Hopefully, Charlie, we'll see you one day on the road to happy destiny.