I've been on a journey

This play I'm in, it's called Blackout. It takes place at an AA meeting on Christmas Eve...uplifting holiday fare, no? Anyway, my character is, obviously, an alcoholic. And not a very sucessful one. As part of my study, I've been speaking with many recovering/ed addicts and attended some AA meetings.

What I left with was an amazing feeling. The feeling that my boring life isn't so bad. I have heard people speak that spent the last year moving from crack house to crack house. I have met people who lost businesses, homes, their wives and children to alcoholism. I heard stories about families who no longer speak to their own because of the damages caused by addictions.

I have a lovely home, a great family, and a job. I bitch way too much about all of these things. But I have them. I have my sanity and the respect of the people around me. I respect myself.

These people have lost everything. But they do have hope. It's why they were there. They admitted they were powerless over the disease of drink and are there to seek help. The stats aren't good: one in three people going through recovery twelve step programs will still be sober a few years down the road. But they face the odds with reality and humor and dignity. I really thank these people for their candor. Their stories touched me in a way I really wasn't expecting.

I have learned so much in these past few weeks. I really hope to do their stories justice and not just use this play as another vehicle to "act". I really do.