Andrew W. resumes Church Basements, his tales from the world of Alcoholics Anonymous:

Jilted by his girl friend and desperate, the boy had written on his arm, “Without you, can’t live. “ Then he got into his dad’s methadone stash and killed himself.

Weeks later his father Steve asked his group for help controlling his remorse and free-floating anger. "If I can’t get past this,” he shared, “I’ll pick up.” Meaning he would relapse.

These days AA meetings are about addiction to all mid-altering drugs, not only alcohol. Most of the younger AAers have been cross addicted. “My drug of choice is more,” Tom told the meeting one day.

Steve’s dead son was one of a cluster: three unrelated deaths of local teenagers who OD’d on methadone. Wendy was the parent of one of them, who died two months ago.

Alcohol and drugs had already consumed her family. She buried her husband last year after he died at the end of an alcoholic binge. Wendy herself is trying to recover from alcoholism and heroin addiction. That’s why the methadone that killed her son was in the house.

The local newspaper covered that death and the other two. But In church basements the back stories reveal a background that more fully explains what happened.

A few days ago an AA member relapsed, weaved off the road, and killed a gardener. She’s back now hysterical, consumed with guilt over her relapse after eight years of sobriety. She’s facing jail time and has already lost her kids to Child Protective Services.

Many in the rooms have heard it all before — sad stories of personal and family destruction, strange doings by drug addicts and alcoholics. And the recalled details are only a fraction of the whole story because blackouts are commonplace.

With few exceptions the listeners will dutifully repeat, “Thanks for sharing,” regardless of how weird or horrifying the story. They are thankful because these stories are the medicine that helps guard against relapse. For many they’re the most valuable part of AA meetings. They call it “keeping it green,” green being the memory.

Green is the new bleak.

Posted by Jerome Doolittle at July 16, 2009 10:52 AM

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