Minutes to Memories

To protect both the innocent and the guilty, I won't divulge names of the people or places that comprised my afternoon. Suffice it to say that I spent the afternoon visiting with a friend who is in recovery.

He seems to have it, and by "it" I think you know what I mean: he has the will to recover. He has repented, to use the tired religious phrase, but to risk sounding skeptical I think there is a long way to go. He has hit the bottom and begun to look up, but the road ahead is long, and the demons are crouching in the shadows. Oh, I'm not questioning his commitment or his chances at succeeding. I'm just saying that there's a long road ahead of him.

The facility was impressive. It was the first time I had been to this particular location, and I found it to be a really neat place. And my friend is a disciple for sure. He sings its praises and credits it with helping turn around his crazy mixed-up life.

It is an unashamedly Christian recovery program, at odds in many ways with the more traditional techniques. This came out rather quickly when my friend explained his discovery that he wasn't so much an addict as he was a sinner. He discovered that it wasn't alcohol or drugs specifically - it could have been anything. The root problem was spiritual, as is his celebrated solution.

I can't help but think about it all tonight. Somewhere in a treatment facility I have a friend who is in recovery. And isn't recovery where we all ought to be tonight?