I had the wonderful experience of attending a seven year birthday celebration of sobriety.  Attending an AA  birthday meeting is very exciting and emotional.  In this particular AA group they allow the birthday addict to conduct the meeting and pick the speaker.  They are presented their coin by either their sponsor, friend or family member.  At this celebration the 7 year coin was presented by a family member. That person was able to share some touching memories of the life and times of the addict. In addition to the touching times there were sad and frightening times on his road to recovery.  The audience laughs, cries, cheers and claps for their fellow addict’s dark times as well as accomplishments.  Some addicts were attending their first AA meeting and very hesitate.  Some believe they can’t be helped at the AA meetings.  Others believe they don’t need help but come because their family or friends constant nagging.  The group of people at AA meetings are all so different. They are young and old, educated and uneducated, professionals and unemployed, wealthy and poor, men and women.  Although they are so different they have a special bond because they understand the addiction of drugs and alcohol.  They are able to put aside their prejudices and differences and become a family.  It doesn’t happen over night.  Many come into the meetings judgmental of the people there and thinking they can not fit in.   As the addicts turn their will over to their Greater Power they learn to love the people and allow them to be a support.  I’ve learned over the years not to judge others by their outward appearance.  When we see a poorly dressed man or woman, maybe some missing teeth, tattoos, piercings, possibly over weight or gaunt, what do we automatically assume?  One might say ‘They do not look like me therefore they can’t understand my journey”.  Then what about the man or woman well dressed, nice teeth, no tats or piercings, a healthy weight? Do they look more like me?  Do we feel more comfortable with them because of their appearance?  We may be misjudging their character.  Some or all of these people may be addicts and could have a long rap sheet.  They may even have a ankle monitor on because they just got our of jail.  I hope we will not judge by the outward appearance.  In my home town there was an uproar about a proposed half way house in the neighborhood.  People were worried about the addicts hurting their children,  dragging down the value of their homes, having a rough crowd coming and going all hours of the night.  We attended the city counsel meetings in favor of this half way house.  We told people at the meeting that we had an addiction recovery home near our home in our last town.  We did not have any problems and to the contrary they were an inspiration to all.  Our country has a problem with drugs and alcohol. Our state and county have a problem with drugs and alcohol.  We need AA meetings in every town.  We need recovery houses to support those on the road to sobriety. In this case the petitions lost and the recovery house is in our town.  Are we so naive to think that the nice house next door or the nicely dressed teenagers in town  don’t use drugs?  Is that just the kids with the long purple hair and black clothes?  Drug and alcohol addicts are everywhere.  They are your friends, neighbors, and family.  We need to open our eyes and reach out.  I hope and pray that we can love and support those on this long and lonesome road to recovery and cheer them on.