By JOY KINGBURY/for The Herald — Addiction is a craving of the body and an obsession of the mind. So many of us suffer from addictions, and they are difficult to deal with. Many of us give our lives to it. Health suffers, it isolates us from family and friends. We do embarrassing things we wish had not happened, or we forget they happened.
It has been this way since man first crushed grapes. We know, in our hearts, that
we cannot stop, but we kid ourselves because of the need for alcohol or the addictive substance. We do things to trick or talk ourselves into changing when we become ill or desperate to make it better… new brands, only after five oclock, quitting tomorrow, (tomorrow never comes) changing substances, dumping or throwing away the substances, going back for more, we are caught in a trap of our own design.
It’s killing us, ruining our families, leaving a path of destruction in our wake, but we go on until that day
when we stand at the turning point. It may be criminal charges, pain, illness, being sick and tired of being sick and tired, an intervention, any event that brings us down, or leads us to despair.
At that point, we must make a decision. To take it all the way to the grave, or, to find a way to live and put that life on the right path to havea happy, joyous, and free life. If you wish to find this new way of life, you will be happy to know that there is help. Alcoholics have devised a plan. A guide for life which is unfailing.
Their plan is simple, but not effortless. There are twelve steps to follow, literature to read, a sponsor
to guide you, a telephone tree and twenty-four-hour help. If you are willing, and can be honest with yourself and others, then attend meetings and call on AA. In Oakridge, we meet
on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 8:00p.m. for an hour at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on the Crescent St. overpass. You will regain a feeling of belonging and a new and wonderful world will be yours.
The AA program has been adapted to many forms of addiction. It is the same program for all. This great gift to desperate people is here for you, whether one of us or one of those. Meetings are open to all. YOU ARE WELCOME! Whatever your form of addiction may be, our program works for all who work it.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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