Psych Ward Fever

I have started to attend an institution meeting here in the New City.  I have a group of men that I talk to on the phone regularly from the Old City, and one of my guys is Institution Man.  This is a big part of his program and he brings it up often when we talk.  And by "often" I mean "every time."


"You know, Horseface," he sez, sez he, "They have institution meetings in the New City, too."


He's right, irritatingly enough, so I got hooked up with a friend who is trying to promote a regular meeting at a local hospital's psych ward.  I went a couple of times with him and committed to a regular slot.  The third time he wasn't feeling well and asked me to lead the meeting so that he could go home and go to bed.  The meeting was, naturally, a little messy.  There were a couple of people in attendance who may or may not have been alcoholic, but who appeared to be clearly suffering from mental illness.  They were disruptive, god love 'em, so I had to interrupt them as they rambled, trying to be kind and welcoming but still mindful that we're trying to have a meeting and there are some general housekeeping rules.  The meetings are for everyone.  We need controlled chaos at least.


There were a couple of newish outsiders that came with me.  As we were waiting for the elevator -- this being a psych ward, someone had to use a key to unlock the door, then unlock the elevator, too -- I said: "It's not always pretty is it?"  Not being able to leave someplace voluntarily is always a shock to the system as well.  It's a bit of a high realizing that once we leave we get to do what we want to do.  Not so if you're locked up or tied down.


It's helpful for me to do this.  Part of it is giving back some of which was so freely given me.  And some of it is seeing the down and dirty, nitty gritty of alcoholism.  We don't have the benefit of the 12 Step call to someone dying of the disease that was so common many years ago.  I have to remember that untreated alcoholism leads to jail, insanity, or death.