It's the people

[road2sobriety]

The subject in group this Saturday last, and this was suggested by one of my fellow inebriants, "Why do you keep coming back?" Everyone had a story to tell about how the program has kept them sober, or why they couldn't do it without AA and the people who come here, or where they'd be without the program and its people. The overarching theme wasn't that we as a group were hungering for the order and discipline of a 12-step program, it wasn't that the writings of Bill W. were so powerful and inspiring that they filled some deep spiritual need, and it wasn't that the coffee at these meetings has some magical property that keeps us all from crawling back into the bottle (or picking up the needle or pipe or pill or powder or whatever one's drug of choice may be) ... it always came back to the people. It's the people who come here and share their experiences ... their ups, their downs, their triumphs and tragedies ... that give us, each of us, the strength and hope and ability to remain sober one more day.

I'm sure that I'll hear from others who are on this path who will argue that it's God, or Buddha, or Allah, or Yahweh, or Krishna, or the Goddess, or Mother Earth, or the tortilla with the image of the Blessed Virgin, or whatever, that gives them the power to maintain their sobriety, and I'm sure that they honestly believe this to be the truth, and who am I to argue otherwise? I'm not concerned with what belief system you subscribe to or how you think it manifests itself in your life ... pray to a lamp post for all I care if it helps you (I knew when I came to AA that this whole God/Higher Power thing was going to be a problem) ... what I am saying is that even if you ultimately credit some celestial being for the changes wrought in your life, it's the terrestrial beings through whom your god of choice manifests himself, herself, or itself. It's the people. They are the instrument for change in my life, and, from the stories that were shared on Saturday, the instrument for the change in the lives of every other person in the room who was willing to share what it is that keeps them coming back.

I'm finding quickly that there is no magic here in this room, no secret elixir ... we didn't all suddenly decide to drink the Kool-Aid. There are however miracles for the taking here. These miracles come not by divine intervention, but rather are the result of human interaction. What motivates these people is open to interpretation ... and I'm obviously not the person to ask for confirmation if the claim is one that involves divine providence. However one feels that they were placed, drawn, or compelled to be here, it is not without the shared suffering, growth, and triumph of the human spirit that we continue to depend on this group of others, so different from us in many ways yet so like us in one very key aspect, to keep us coming back. I am thankful for this group of society's misfits, and I count myself proudly as one of those misfits, because without them my future would look a whole lot grimmer than it does today. For this, I will keep coming back. This is me, still sober, because of the caring, courage, and understanding I find in the company of these people.

[Sneezy]

Thanks, Jeff, welcome to SR!

[Rusty Zipper]

welcome to the SR fam of misfits jeff

[ElegantlyWasted]

Yes indeed... Welcome. Awesomely well written and thought out post. Lots of good stuff goin' on in these here forums.