1000 Steps

I remember clearly the first time I went to an AA meeting. It was in the basement of the MCCT church on May 3, 1989. Earlier that day, a counselor at a treatment center advised that it would be best if I attended a few AA meetings prior to my entry into treatment a week later. I thought, I don’t know what these meetings will do for me, but I’ll try anything. I was tired of feeling hopeless, helpless and unlovable. I picked up a meeting guide and found that there were gay meetings in Toronto. I decided to go to one as a first step at being honest with others and myself. Besides, who would know me there? I arrived at the church just prior to the meeting and looked down a staircase with what looked like a 1000 steps (actually it was just five). At the bottom of the steps, I saw the slogan “You Are No Longer Alone.”