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| I guess I'll start things off myself J. R. - Your District 36 Alateen Coordinator - December 01, 2002 When I first met my alcoholic ( my Step-Dad ), I never even new what an alcoholic really was. Like most people, I thought that they were bums or people on "skid row" with bottles in brown paper bags and as dirty as can be. Little did I know that there are a lot of people out there that are alcoholics, and you'd never even know it. When I was around 14, my Mom told me about a "program" that could help me with my problems. Problems? I didn't have any problems! My Step-Dad was the problem in my mind. We had a deal that if I didn't want to go, I didn't have to, and I DID NOT want to go. Then one Tuesday night, the second one in June of 1986, my Mom said, "Get ready, because you're going to an Alateen meeting." I reminded her of our deal, and she said, "I changed my mind." So you see, even I didn't want to go at first. I was lucky, because there was another kid there that I met at another AA function a little while before that night, so it made it a lot easier for me to go. - Thanks for being there Alex - The meeting used to be held at the Pomona Valley Hospital at the Rehabilitation Center. In the room there were tiles on the ceiling and in those tiles were holes. At the end of the meeting, I could tell you almost exactly how many holes there were in the tiles in that room. A couple months went by and about the only thing I said was my name. Some times I would listen and get a good laugh, but that was only some times. I am not proud of that now, but this is an honest program. Then one day, another kid that was sharing, it sounded like he was reading out loud The Book About J. R. That really shocked me, because I thought that all of them were a bunch of cry-babies, and I didn't want any part of them. That really hit me in the forehead like a 2X4, and brought me into the reality of Alateen. For the next couple months, I really tried to work up the nerve to say more than just my name. When I did finally share for my first time, I was able to let go all of my anger and pain caused by my alcoholic. All they kept saying was, "Keep coming back." After a couple more months, they had elections for "officer" of the group. When I heard my name mentioned for Secretary, I knew there had to be a mistake. I was elected as the Secretary, and had more responsibilities to the group and even more reason to "keep coming back." I have seen a lot of changes at that Tuesday night meeting. From the location where it was held, to the people in the rooms, but one thing has always been constant - the love in those rooms. Now, I Sponsor for the Tuesday Night Alateen Meeting and have loved every minute of it. I am a grateful member of the Al-Anon program, and I am even more grateful to it for teaching my Mom how to change her mind. Thanks for letting me share. |