But anyways, thanks for the pity.

Hey, since you’re just a druggie, how about having a drink on me? Oops. Now I think I need to add you to my 10th step. Crop report!

Now my thoughts on NA… anybody can be an addict. Anybody can also be a non-addict.

Meetings: (i) Regular reminder or risk of gravity or relapse (ii) Learning from experience of many other alcoholics (iii) Somewhere to go for company instead of drinking (iv) Unconditional acceptance and friendship (lots of hugs).
Steps (i) Recognition of one’s inability to control drinking (ii) Acceptance of the need for help (iii) Encouragement of honesty and good behaviour, mandate to make amends to those we have harmed to deal with guilt, practice dealing with fear. (iii) Encouragement to develop a realistic view of oneself, avoiding the stress of a false image, allowing gratitude for desirable qualities (iv) Emotion processing: bring feelings to consciousness, recognize them share them with others: they dissipate, or, if not, we accept them as parts of our psyche, learn to live with them, become their friends (v) Mandate to provide service to others bolstering self-worth, alleviating low self-esteem. (vi) Meditation to alleviate stress. (v) Prayer (for theists), good for health.
Fellowship: a support network to call in case upon in case of crisis.
Sponsor: with whom to share, from whom to get advice, to call in upon in case of crisis.
Serenity: to accept the things we cannot, so that we don’t get wound up.
Courage: to change the things we can so we gain fulfillment from action instead of uselessness as the fruits of procrastination.

I don’t want booze today and I don’t have to avoid temptation.

8 years and counting. Not going for the record here, but it’s been a pretty big deal for me given my past.