Sobriety Lessons I Learned From A Chicken

I’ve been sober for almost seven years, but I try to remain teachable. When I first came into AA I was desperate to know how to stay away from that first drink, so I listened to everything the old-timers said and I watched what they did. I would ask myself: “Can I do that?” and if the answer was “Yes” then I did it.

Once I got past my initial panic, I realized that people coming in behind me also had valuable sobriety lessons to teach, which brings me to my friend “Nuggetz.”  It’s not unusual for an AA group to have an outdoor area where birds and squirrels congregate—my home group has one. What is unusual is that my home group also has a chicken. Nuggetz is coming up on a year in AA and has taught me some valuable sobriety lessons, so I decided to tell her story so that others can benefit from her wisdom.

1. Find a safe place to roost. Like many newcomers, Nuggetz was hopeless when she came in to AA. She was being chased by some children the first time I saw her, but she ran and hid under some shrubs where the children couldn’t get to her. I thought that seeing a chicken at an AA group was pretty novel, but I never thought she would stay.

2. When you find a safe place to roost, stay put. In the few years that I’ve been in AA, I’ve seen lots of people come in and sober up. Many of them stay, but many of them go back out, and some of the ones who go back out don’t make it back. When Nuggetz came into AA, she stayed. Even on days that I don’t see her I know that she is still around because I see her food dish (labeled “Chicken Scratch”), or her water dish, or the occasional freshly laid egg.

3. Stay away from people, places, and things that aren’t good for you. Nuggetz has stayed away from her former life. Also, I don’t know if the children meant Nuggetz any harm when they were chasing her, but they weren’t being a positive influence in her life, and they didn’t have her best interests at heart.

4. Make lots of AA friends. Everybody likes Nuggetz. One of our members bought her the above-mentioned food dish and water dish, and even made her a makeshift chicken coop that’s tastefully hidden behind the shrubs. Even though Nuggetz has a chicken coop, she prefers spending her time outside of the coop, where our members can see her and have hope.

5. Eat well. One of our members goes to the feed store so that Nuggetz has an ample supply of feed and “scratch.” Nuggetz supplements this diet with birdfeed, corn, and the occasional insect, no doubt a delicacy if you’re a chicken.

6. Drink lots of water. One of our old-timers is fond of saying “Drink water, walk slow, read the Big Book, and leave her or him alone.” Nuggetz is never far from her water dish, and I’ve never seen her take a drop of liquor.

7. No matter how sordid your past is you will always be welcome in AA. Nuggetz isn’t just any ordinary escapee-from-a-slaughterhouse chicken. Some of our members who know of such things say that Nuggetz is a game-hen, a special type of chicken used to breed fighting roosters. Since cockfighting is illegal, Nuggetz’s very existence means that she was engaged in illegal breeding activities before she came to AA. Sometimes we speculate about her past, but no one in AA holds it against her. Apparently Nuggetz inherited some fighting skills too; although she hasn’t gotten into fights with any of our members, she has been known to hold her own against the neighborhood cats.

8. If it’s a hot day, a shady spot at your home group is a good place to relax. Nuggetz can often be found relaxing beneath one of the shrubs. Nobody bothers her, and we let her have her quiet time.

9. Listen to the old-timers. Nuggetz’s favorite shrub is the one right next to the “Serenity Porch,” the porch where the old-timers congregate between meetings. If she’s feeling particularly sociable, Nuggetz will come from under her shrub and perch on the arm of one of the chairs. I like to think that she’s listening in on the conversation and soaking up their words of wisdom.

Of course, Nuggetz is also imparting some wisdom of her own. At my home group we don’t bother ourselves with such deep questions as whether it was the hen or the egg that came first, because thanks to Nuggetz, we know the answer.