"You still go to meetings after all these years? the other person asked, sounding puzzled. Because they knew I'd been sober for over 25 years.
"Yep. 25 years I've never gone a week without a meeting, unless something else demanded my presence. Or unless I was sick.
The other person didn't understand the point. Isn't there a time when one knows the literature and the steps and guidelines? And the the answer is yes. Of course there is.
But, in my opinion there's nothing like sitting in a meeting and listening to a newcomer tells his or her story. Alcohol may have taken everything. Job. Home. Mate. Career. Health. All of it. Life is a mess.
While it might seem almost sadistic to benefit from another's misfortune, I look at it as a life lesson. No matter how hard an alcoholic tries to successfully drink, it usually doesn't work.
So even though my life is going smoothly right now, I never want to get into an emotional spot where I think I might find the answer in a bottle or can.
And that’s why I still go to meetings. I want to hear how it works - or doesn't - for another person.
