When misfortune falls
Sometimes, when alcoholics become homeless, they will sober up, find a place to stay and go on to achieve long-term sobriety.
My story is a little different. I got it backwards. I lost my personal condominium in a foreclosure and I became homeless after 26 years of sobriety.
Given my long-term sobriety, I decided it would be pointless to live out in a gutter, so I checked myself into a homeless shelter in Homestead, Florida. I had volunteered at serving dinner at this shelter before, so I knew all about their good work.
As for the residents there, some were decent people, while others were little more than thugs. I was bunking in a room with about 20 other homeless men and I didn’t get much sleep. These men, many who had just come in off the street, were snoring loudly, moaning and groaning and sometimes arguing with each other far into the night. This was not too conducive to sleep, but I decided to tough it out and make the best of it.
As for dealing with the thugs, my strategy was to not call too much attention to myself and to avoid arguments. Luckily, most people were on their best behavior there so they could keep getting the benefits the shelter was offering, such as free room and board and a discount on permanent housing.
While I did not attract too much attention, I decided to identify myself as an AA member with 26 years of sobriety. I shared my experience, strength and hope with the other residents. I’m not sure if I got any recruits for AA while I was in the shelter, but I was able to show the calm, peaceful exterior of someone with long-term sobriety.
There was a lot of drinking going on at the shelter, and this was a real test of my sobriety. I was not tempted to drink at all actually. I had been sober so long that I had lost all craving for alcohol. Of course, that craving could be reawakened by the first drink, which I dared not take. Frankly, I found all the drinking going on around me to be totally disgusting. I did not want to join in.
I kept going to AA meetings the whole time I lived at the shelter and even chaired a meeting while homeless. My fellow AA members were supportive; a few had even been homeless themselves.
After four long months there, I finally found permanent housing. While I had a rough go of it in the shelter at times, I am grateful for the help I received there. I was able to find a new home without getting beat up by the thugs, and, most importantly, I kept my sobriety, and may have helped a few people.
After my move into my new home, I got my computer set up (it had been in storage) and I was able to resume my tax business. Thank you, AA. I got my life back.
