Small World

I SOMETIMES find myself wondering what a strange world it is in which I, an Irish-born American AA, find myself holding an AA meeting in the psycho ward of a Spanish hospital. But there is a bond between the Spanish patients and me, even outside of our alcoholism. I myself had been in Bellevue Hospital's psycho ward in New York about twenty-five times, and from there I was sent five times to Kings Park State Hospital as a chronic alcoholic. So I am quite at home with these men at our AA meetings. And it is very gratifying to me to see the way in which they respond because they know I am one of them. At these meetings we talk a little about AA and the program and a lot about ourselves as practicing and as recovered alcoholics. We try to arouse faith in ourselves and in our AA Fellowship without going too deeply into the whys and the wherefores of the program.