a community i love, alcoholics anonymous

recently i've been sharing about some meaningful communities to me (new denver church and sexual integrity group).  one of the best communities i've ever been involved in was alcoholics anonymous.

a big part of my past is alcoholism.  a lot of friends (and family) didn't realize the depth of my addiction.  i was a "successful" on the outside...a cop, on the SWAT team, working undercover narcotics.  on the outside, i was perfect.  on the inside i was being ripped apart.

the AA building i got sober in (editclub.org) 

it's not like i woke up one day and decided to become an alcoholic.  no, i drank to provide relief from the pains of loneliness, lack of confidence, and suffering (and some other stuff).  it's a vicious cycle.   you see, to provide relief...i drank...and when i'd drink, those things would go away...but when i sobered up, those pains grew bigger and stronger...and shame and self-hatred began to set in...so i'd turn back to drinking.  things would only get worse and the grips of addiction set in as i began to drink every day.

my story is much more in depth then this but i want to share about another community i love.  a community that changed my life: alcoholics anonymous.  after becoming a christian and asking god to take my addiction away from me, i decided i needed to go to alcoholics anonymous (even when i ask god for help, i still have to work like crazy to stay sober).

my very first AA meeting was at 5:30PM on a monday.  as soon as i stepped out of my car, i was greeted by an man and woman, both with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.  they asked if it was my first time and walked me to the meeting location.  what i felt there, for the first time in my life, was complete acceptance.

i knew that the people in the rooms of AA loved me.
they, like me, were completely broken, and in need of help and a higher power.
they knew what i was going through.
they knew what i was feeling.
they didn't judge me.
they encouraged me.
and as i left each one of them said something like, "take one day at a time, don't drink between meetings, and keep coming back."

so i did.  i went to 100+ meetings in my first 90 days of sobriety (research shows if you go to "90 in 90" your chances of staying sober sky rocket).  and i began working through the 12-steps.

what the 12-steps come down to is this: radical honesty and radical dependance.  it's what we all need in our life.  it's what the church needs.

and almost three years later, i'm still sober.  by god's grace, i have broken the grips of addiction in my life. but i know i'm one drink away from slipping right back into the addiction.

if you're gripped by the power of addiction...my hope and prayer is that you turn to your high power, turn to a loved one, and find a local meeting for addicts (food, drugs, tobacco, sex, work, pain, chocolate--there are some 250+ variations of AA in the world).

a community i love is alcoholics anonymous.

what about you?  what's a community that you love??

ml.