In response to a Chair’s request for a topic, the following situation was brought up: “Ron, a friend, drinks a lot. I saw it at Holiday functions last year. A lot of people drink a lot but Ron’s drinking habit rears its ugly head a lot. He’s always been a party-hardy guy. I’m fairly certain his wife, Peg, knows I’m in the Program. She asked me if I can help him, take him to lunch.”

Two suggestions:
#1:Get her to Al-Anon!
#2: Plan and think before you act.

• Start by re-reading Chapter 7, “Working with Others,” and talk to your sponsor.
• Raise it as a topic at a discussion meeting and ask for ways to raise it.
• Although sensitive, a talk now with Ron can be a positive opportunity.
• Don’t just contact Ron without thinking through issues like:
• • who contacts him?
  • what’s the reason for the call?
  • what’s the role of the spouse to get him to ‘have lunch with you?’
  • would this be consistent with your relationship with him?
  • has he had experience with AA before or with some manner of counseling?

If this is a relationship where sensitive topics have been discussed before, it might be appropriate to say something like, “I have been fine, but a bit bumpy with my wife. She has a brother that is fighting a substance problem.” If he says anything like, “Gee, that’s an issue for some,” you then might say, “How have you been … you seem tired or otherwise involved with stuff when we talk. If his is a general noncommittal response, you say, “I went through some stuff a while back and had to reach out.”

He probably doesn’t know his habits will get worse, not better, and won’t go away on its own. Your purpose is to leave an open invitation for you and another AA person to talk with Ron sometime to relay the nature of your problem and what you had to do; your Message is, “It saved my life, my marriage, my job,” and so forth.

Key conclusions: Care, patience and planning are key elements -one size doesn’t fit all. Preaching and judging him in any way is verboten! Put yourself in his shoes – what worked for you? And remember, you are selling something he absolutely, positively does not want. He thinks he is “not that bad,” believes it is none of your business and thinks he is managing it “just fine.” He has no idea what will happen if he continues the same pattern. The disease never stays the same – always gets worse until that final catastrophic end and he loses all self-respect, wife, family and, his job, or worse.

A great idea can be suggested with prior careful thought: “Hey Ron, come with me to a meeting; see if it makes sense, nothing to lose. They’ll tell you what worked for them, maybe it will for you if you find yourself on a slippery slope.“

Jim A, St. X Noon, Cincinnati, Ohio