Mike's Back (Blog Note)

I'm back. Had a very nice weekend. If you're in recovery (I've been sober for 33 years, seven months, and 20 days), I recommend looking into whether there is a recovery convention anywhere near you. They're lots of fun and very inspiring. I heard about ours for years back when it was in a different town, and didn't have a very clear idea of what it was or what it was like, so I never went. Big mistake. I finally attended when it moved to my own town just up the road from where I live.

There's no master list of such events that I can find, probably because there are so many kinds of organizations. These include AA, Al-Anon and Alateen for people whose lives have been affected by alcoholism in a relative or friend, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, and many more. Other groups help with behaviors rather than substances. Within each category there are many kinds of events. In AA, for example, there are conventions/conferences, roundups, workshops, retreats, cruises, and so on. Local recovery groups in your area should have information about the range of opportunities near you.

Next year I'm considering getting on the committee (basically just helping in some way), and the thought also occurred to me that I could travel to other such events elsewhere in the country. There's a conference in Rochester, for example. Any way you cut it, though, the Conference of the Lakes, which is what our convention is called, has become one of the high points of my year. I had been looking forward to this one since the last one! And will do the same again.

Mike

Book o' the Week:

ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History by Jennifer Dasal (Penguin, 2020. Adapted from the popular podcast.)

The link above is a portal to Amazon, through which most anything you purchase will be credited to TOP. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Original contents copyright 2021 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Comments

[Dave]

I'm glad to hear you were able to attend -- and had a good time too!

(I grew up in the area around the birthplace of AA, so it's kind of a big deal here.)

[Dan Khong]

Well done for being off alcohol for 33+ years. There is nothing good in consuming alcohol. Those who have quit have found their minds to be clearer, and medical science are finding more more diseases associated with consuming it. One might even say, "Alcohol causes endless problems".

[KeithB]

You could set up a photobooth at the convention.

But from the way it seems you work, you would only get to about 10 people the whole weekend. 8^)

(I did it *many* years ago, using my Canon A400 and Selphy printer. Printing was the bottleneck)