KEEP COMING BACK!

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He looked no more than 24-but he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. This preppy young man, tall, dark and handsome-we'll call him Joe-stared absently at the floor as he cried out for help. He said his life had begun to spin out of control ... he felt powerless and lost....This weekend Joe spent three nights in a jail cell for failing to pay a longstanding traffic ticket...his relationships were a mess and there were problems at work.

He wanted to drink, but he didn't. Instead-he came to this place, this room...it had become his lifeline...this was the one place-that he could get some good honest advice from strangers that he trusts. These people understand his pain..they've been there...through the same desperate, struggles- the daily depression, anxiety and worry...the feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and shame...But Joe also knows somehow they've found a solution here and he wants what they have. They're smiling-but he's not. You see Joe is a recovering alcoholic...and right now he's struggling not to take that first drink... because he knows-it probably won't be his last. So, he's made it into the halls of an AA meeting begging for a new sponsor, someone with enough sobriety-enough humble clarity to guide him through the ongoing steps of recovery...

For a lot of alcoholics, not drinking isn't half as tough as not repeating the same old behaviors...or keeping the same destructive attitudes. Now that takes work...honestly looking inward at our personality pitfalls...plying through them...and putting together a plan of action that will lead to a lifetime of healthy choices-choices that do not include drowning in alcohol. Joe says he knows he's powerless over alcohol, that only a power greater than himself can help him...and that by just coming back to these rooms...and following the advice of the old timers---he will eventually come to terms with his disease and learn to live life on life's terms. And even though Joe says he feels like a failure right now-he has a lot to be proud of. It took a big dose of courage to walk into this AA meeting and share his deepest, darkest secrets...But it is his willingness to be open and to be honest that are critical steps in the ongoing recovery process...steps that will lead to the path of healing and hope-freedom and peace that he is so desperately craving. Let's just pray that he keeps coming back!

For more information about AA and how to find meetings in your area follow this link : http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/en_information_aa.cfm

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