Last week I made a promise to try out AA (Alcoholics Anonymous… for anyone who didn’t know the meaning behind the notorious acronym), and today I followed through. It was a lunchtime meeting near my office, not in a church basement, but a place callled Fellowship Hall, which is owned by Syracuse Intergroup which is basically a confederation of different AA meetings in the area (this is all publicly available information). In order to respect the anonymity of attendees I’m not going to write much other than I found the group to be very welcoming, close, and truly comprised of a broad cross section of people from all walks of life. It was heartening to hear that so many others have not just gone through similar experiences, but have been maintaining their sobriety. After the formal meeting I stuck around and chatted with a smaller group of about five people and shared my story with them. While I still have some hesitation, I was told that’s not uncommon, that many people are hesitant for any number of reasons, and it’s OK to “fake it ’till you make it” or to try and find a meeting that might be a better fit. They encouraged me to give meetings a chance, and I’m planning on going again tomorrow.
See related posts below.
Paul's letters... 
Love you, Paul. I know how hard sharing this personal journey is, therapeutic as it might be. Know that many people are behind you and care about you. While feeling disappointed might be natural, know that so too is relapsing. In my job, I regularly interact with people battling as you are. Fight the good fight. Know that this is but a temporary setback that is indeed surmountable (I guess the same could be said about the outcome of the election). Here if you need it.
LikeLike