I Keep Telling You, It's *Not* A Recovery Blog

I'm just calling it "The Club" from now on.

So, I made it to the 10AM meeting this morning, at what I’m now referring to as "The Club." The earlier meeting was smaller, more intimate. Maybe 20 people in all. It may have been a smaller venue, but there was a world of hurt in that room. 

It was an interesting mix of older and younger, true believers and cynics, AA Lifers and Life’s lost souls. Somewhere in that mix, is me. Fine, whatever, bring on the group hug if we must. I was glad just to have shown up.  

One cool and unexpected thing as I was walking out to my car, I heard someone shouting my name. I turned and here came this younger guy I didn’t recognize. He stuck out his hand and said, “I was in Gilda’s IOP! I remember you from there!” 

(Not Gilda's meeting, but...)

Wow. It was Young Noah. That's what we actually called him in Gilda’s IOP group, "young Noah," because there were two of them, and the other Noah was about 90. 

Back then Gilda ran her IOP three nights a week, and yours truly here showed up every night. When I'd finished her 10 week program, I did it again. And again. I did that for three years. 

The material didn't change much from week to week, night to night, but something about showing up for that Zoom group every night, checking in, listening to the others -- it helped. I’m still showing up to Gilda’s group once a week, so I guess it's still helping.

There are a few others in the IOP group who have continued with it, and over the months (and in a couple of cases, years) we've become therapy-friends. But it's rare that we actually encounter each other in person; it's a video group, after all, and socializing in real time isn't encouraged. 

(Not Young Noah, but...)

Now here stood Young Noah, in the flesh. He hadn't been to Gilda's group for at least a year, and I was surprised & happy to see him. He told me he was leading the Wednesday groups there at the Bayshore Club. 

He looked good. He was cool and calm, his eyes clear. He looked content. He looked happy. He looked sober.

Well, sheee-it. It was great running into someone I knew. But now I feel kind of obligated.