Fatal Addictions Poem by Ray Andrews

The new ones come in looking pounded
Beat up and bleary eyed
You can't tell what they are thinking;
About every cure they've tried

Some eagerly share their stories
Divorce, disease and jail
And feelings of deep remorse
The last one heard without fail

Many claim this is the start
Of their newly recovered lives
Most of the continuing members
Can't tell if they're hearing lies

Successful ones share stories
That share a common tinge
We'd lost control of our consumption
Down to the very last binge

The demon had it's hooks in us
And was scaring us half to death
Mortality stared us in the face
When would be our last breath?

The newcomer also learns his character
Is much like we used to be
Selfishness, fear and anger
With these he'll never be free

He hears that we caved in
And got as honest as we could be
We said with our abuse we were powerless
And this opened our eyes to see

Our stories carry a powerful punch
Nobody's given a shove
What we want the newcomer to feel
Is our unconditional love

If he looks and listens quite closely
He'll see the pain in his heart
Has disappeared in the rest of us
The result of doing our part

Will he come back and mend his ways
Or will he just fade away?
Some take the high road, some the low
We just share our love today