Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2017

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December 4

Quote of the Week

“Alcoholism is an equal opportunity destroyer.”

I never thought of myself as an alcoholic. My idea of an alcoholic was a bum living in the gutter downtown, or someone wearing a dirty raincoat drinking from a paper bag. I owned a home, had a retirement account, and dined at fancy restaurants. I just drank too much sometimes – it could happen to anyone. After years of what I’ve now discovered to be the slow progression of the disease of alcoholism, my life hit a bottom, and I started attending A.A. meetings.

When I got to the rooms, the people I met didn’t fit the profile of what I thought of as alcoholics. There were no dirty trench coats, and the guys who had five day old beards wore them carefully cut and shaped. I met people in all lines of work – attorneys, dentists, actors, house wives, etc. They were full of life, laughing, sharing, and giving of themselves freely. As I listened to their experiences and feelings, I identified with them, and I felt like I belonged.

I remember being in a meeting and hearing a newcomer share that he didn’t think he was an alcoholic. Someone else shared that non-alcoholics rarely found themselves in an A.A. meeting on a Saturday night denying they were alcoholics. The suggestion was to keep coming back. As I kept coming to meetings and working the Steps, I discovered that I, too, had the disease. I found that it is an equal opportunity destroyer, and that no one was immune. I also found that we all have a common solution that works every time you work it.

I thank God daily I was willing to try it.