Just Getting Them There Is Good

RECENTLY, I saw an obviously new man walk into a meeting. He looked nervously about and seemed very uncomfortable. No one else approached him, so I did, greeting him by saying hello and asking whether he had ever been to an AA meeting before. He pulled out a piece of paper and explained he had come only to have the paper signed for his parole officer. I spent some time persuading him to stay and accept a cup of coffee. He emphasized that he didn't think he was an alcoholic--he'd been framed, he said. He thought his parole officer was nuts. The faint smell of alcohol on his breath induced me to be very patient. I agreed to everything he said, hoping that, in return, he would stay for the meeting.