Originally Posted by
tiburon88 
I find that many people like to brag about their clean date. Who cares if someone has 20 years clean? It doesn't help me any. I get more from people who are struggling with the same issues as me at the moment. I know some people who have absolutely NOTHING going on in their lives except
meetings and "counting days."
I wouldn't care much if they were swinging their clean time around like a sword, or trying to impress others on their pseudo-superiority. And, mind you, there are people like that...so I know how unattractive that can be. Yet, I care very much to know that there are people who can stay clean for 20 years (and more) because it helps me to understand that it can be done. For the newcomer who struggles with staying clean for a day and finds it hard to believe that recovery is possible, very often, that addict with 20 years clean provides them with hope, encouragement and inspiration. There are MANY who care, and for good reason.
I guess it's true that addicts can become addicted to anything they like. So would it be too much of a stretch to know addicts who are addicted to meetings? Maybe they missed the part about getting a balance in their lives. Who knows? Two things for sure... they know their clean date and they're staying clean. That's most likely 180 degrees better than where they came from.