Running Scared

WHEN I WAS drinking, I was "running scared" from one bar to another until I reached the bottom, eight years ago. Three days ago, I heard the expression "running scared" from a suffering alcoholic woman, and the pangs of her suffering are still a part of me. I sat with her five hours. Sometimes we talked--mostly not. She felt a little safe sitting alone with me in a quiet place. But I watched her. It had been about five hours since her last drink. The alcohol was wearing off, and the shakes were starting. We suffered together, silently.