Breathing my Mind into Your Face

I just left the evening AA meeting. It was the same two speakers from last week and people kept asking all these questions about whether addiction was a disease, hereditary, or a choice. It was getting annoying but luckily the leader of the meeting shut it down by saying: “the origin or explanation for it doesn’t matter. We’ve all got it. We’re all addicts. The point of AA is to find a support group of people like you that will help you manage the ups and downs of life without relapsing.” They did a great job of reducing my anxiety about going to meetings and trying to find a sponsor. I’m glad I stayed because I had an awesome conversation with Charles after the meeting ended. We opened up to each other and it felt great to talk to someone like him that was previously clean for five years and heavily involved in AA. Connecting with someone like Joe may seem unlikely considering he’s a black dude, car detailer, and GM line worker from Flint. However, I feel like we have a lot in common and I feel really comfortable talking to him. I’m feeling hopeful for the future and ready to conquer the real world when I get out of here. I feel like I’m becoming myself for the first time in 22 years.