Have you heard the phrase – “If I don’t do the work of recovery, there are three places I’ll be.  Hospitals, jails, or pushing up daisies.”  Adapted from 12 x 12 “Each AA member is to follow the 12 steps to the best of their ability or face jails, institutions or death.” Chapter Nine – look up the page.  *ahem*

And then from the NA pamphlet Hospitals, Institutions, and the NA Me We know that addiction leads to “jails, institutions, and death,” and that NA’s primary purpose is to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers.

It’s guest writer day.  Amazing friend of mine Scott D. from North Carolina (Outer Banks style) has some things to say about service.  Mainly H & I, hospitals and institutions.  Prisons, county jail, treatment centers, hospital units, detox.  All suffering, all in need.

There are NOT enough of us in those places, and there is such a HUGE need for such work .  Scott does a jail meeting weekly and that impresses the hell out of me.  To not get any “touchy feely atta boys” but more often than not … blank stares.  Doing the work of recovery, behind closed doors. Literally.

Beam us up… Scottie.

The service deal doesn’t work without set up, coffee, break down, greeters, smiling faces, laughter, literature etc., but what I’d really like to talk about is volunteer work in the hospitals and institutions arena.

Carrying the message 12 step style to those who may have found themselves painted into a corner by circumstances, and forced to face one of their bottoms (potentially their last, if they so choose), this is where I find the juice. Service in all its forms is rewarding in its own right and much like plugging into a generator for a charge, but I have found that hospital, prison, jail work is like a direct link to a nuclear reactor and one of the biggest blasts I get in my recovery. It can really put our blessings into perspective by bringing to light the concept of “There but for the grace of God, go I.” (the grace of God and some good lawyers, in my case, but that’s a story for a different day)

In the case of institution work we are dealing with a captive audience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re hanging on our every word. You have to keep in mind that some of these folks are just looking for some extracurricular social time out of the pod.  Or hoping that a bit of brown nosing might add to their credit column during their next performance, I mean appearance, before the judge.  But I have found that many are really at the end of their rope, have tied a knot, are holding on for dear life; desperate enough to at least hear the message of hope.

It’s important to remember that all we can do is take aim and fire. Whether or not the message hits the target is entirely out of our hands. It is, however, incredibly encouraging to see the dome light come on and shine through the eyes of someone who’s come to the realization that it’s the first one that does all the inevitable damage, and that there just might be a way out. Planting the seed doesn’t mean immediate germination.

I strive to make enough of an impression in my delivery of the message, so that someday, if and when one of these cats finds themselves in yet another jackpot as a result of their disease;  my image and words creep up in the back of their mind and they find themselves saying, “ maybe that silly little bastard was right.” I can’t make anyone stop drinking, but I can sure as hell make it a little more uncomfortable for them, and through all of this I strengthen my sobriety.

I realize that this kind of service isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  So if you’re looking for something perhaps of a bit higher octane, there’s almost always an open position in the political arena of district, intergroup etc.  I know my limits and have found that this is just a resentment waiting to happen, a luxury I can’t afford.  So fortunately, there are many well suited for this kind of work.

The point is that we all have our place. Fall into the ranks and start doing something.  WE are all needed to keep the herd safe and flourishing. You’ll be amazed at how good a little bit of unconditional love can make you feel.

Scott D.

(I don’t think this needs much of anything else. except maybe a great big thank you to one of my favorite people.  Thanks for sharing with us *mwah*)