Vitamins for my superego...

Good deeds are so much fun! I spoke to my first class of drunk drivers last night. This is a public information commitment for AA, and it is a challenging one. Our traditions state that we are a program of attraction, not promotion and we maintain a position of public anonymity. Nevertheless, it is sometimes necessary to inform the general populace of our existence, and so many of these offenders are sentenced to AA meetings, so AA sends speakers in to let them know what we offer, what to expect and what not to expect. I went to my first AA meeting all by myself, and it was a strange and somewhat harrowing experience, stepping off into the unknown. There were all these tough-looking guys milling around the entrance, smoking, so immediately I was forced to run the gauntlet just to get into the room. I came late, just before the meeting, and left early. People looked pretty much like ordinary folks. I worried about being dressed for the occasion till I got there and found that anything would have been appropriate. Some people wore business attire, others work overalls, most casual California clothes, jeans and chambray shirts and pricey athletic shoes. No one wore trenchcoats. They clapped a lot, and men talked about (gulp) their feelings! Not only that, they hugged each other after the meeting. The man I talked to when I called the hotline showed up, and gave me his Big Book and a loaf of bread! The only thing I remembered was the closing chant, keep coming back. That was enough. I did. So I shared this experience with these people last night, none of whom were particularly happy to be there, and I kept it light and amusing but real, too. And my partner, dear Roger, did his fervent story, and was magnificent. And it was a total success; we both stayed sober. And just to make it even more eventful, one young man followed us out and asked which meetings we recommended. The world needs these people to get sober, and maybe one of the thirty in this class will make it. It was a day to remember, for sure.