My 60-day celebration was small, but loud. The Dixon NA meeting, while being one of the oldest in that part of Northern California, was also one of the smallest. On that night, there were a handful of visitors from Woodland, just north of Davis. I was surprised to see cake, since 60 days is only […]
Read More 90 Days Clean: 12 CD’s for a PennyThere’s an old concept in science called “the observer effect,” where just observing something changes it. In counseling, there’s the “observer-effect bias.” I think people in treatment can intuitively feel when that’s happening.
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery: Chapter 5- ThirtyChapter 4 Friday, August 22, 1992 5:30 came right on time. It felt horribly, sarcastically early. I thought about calling in, but remembered Craig’s speech about no more chances. I still had a couple of days on the books, but using them this soon was unwise. Besides, there’d be coffee at work. I didn’t drink […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 4: Consequences/Davis/Unexpected callThursday, August 21, 1992 It took a moment for me to react to Joe asking me to chair the meeting. I was familiar with meetings, but I didn’t know shit about them. It felt wrong, like I was the last person on the planet who should do it. The look in his eyes was too […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 3. NA/Secretary/Foreshadow of a Memory that Doesn’t Exist YetI left that first AA meeting with something I never had before: phone numbers. I showed David and Robert, and they validated the accomplishment. For most people, it’s probably a very small thing. But for the person struggling with addiction, that kind of trust is reserved for dealers and other connections. Anyone outside of that […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 2: After Meeting/Phone Calls/Navy Memories/Home in NA