I'm at a 12-Step meeting this Sunday morning where a man who's been sober for about four years says he really feels an intense need to have a drink. He's choked up with tears as he tells about his wife taking their three children and leaving him for another man with whom she's been having an affair. Everyone at the meeting can feel his emotion, the pain in his heart. There are many damp eyes in the room.
He pours out his feelings for a while and appears to be somewhat calmer by the time he passes to another visitor.
As he was talking I was reflecting that this man's outpouring of emotion is exactly why AA has been such an effective organization for more than 80 years. It's available everywhere for anyone who needs support in rough times. Or a place to fellowship with likeminded people who simply want to share their perspective on life in the realm of sobriety.
AA meetings are in most cities, large and small, and welcome anyone who needs a safe place to deal with any kind of issue. Everyone is welcome. No one is judgemental. People who went through hell to get to AA are smiling and supportive as they share their stories of the adventures that got them to the rooms in the first place. And there's usually someone at the meeting who's been through the same experience and is willing to share how he found a solution.
And the great thing about the program is that everyone is welcome, it's free, and there are hundreds of meetings throughout the Valley.
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