I recently took an opportunity to travel to Israel for the summer and study abroad. I packed my bags, wheelchair, and crutches (I have multiple sclerosis), and off I went. I had an AA international directory in my hand, and after sleeping off my 24-hour flight from San Francisco, I went in search of AA.
When I gave the cab driver directions, he turned around and gave me an odd look. Why, he asked, was I looking for a bomb shelter? Did I know something he did not? I guess it was a valid question given the way things are in the Middle East. I joked that it was simply a landmark near where I was going. It was no joke, however. The address in the AA international directory gave me the bomb shelter address as the place for the only English-speaking meeting in Tel Aviv. Somehow it seemed to. be an appropriate place for a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, especially considering what my life was like before getting to AA.
The cab driver dropped me off. No one else was there and the bomb shelter was locked. As I wandered around, a woman came up to me and, slightly embarrassed, asked if I spoke English and if I knew where the bomb shelter was. I laughed and asked if she was also looking for the AA meeting. We sat down and waited for someone from the group to arrive. It turned out that she was from the same small town in New York where I had grown up–and run away from– nineteen years before.
The secretary arrived and welcomed us. As I have always experienced when traveling, the group members opened their arms and proved to be my foundation for sanity during the summer.
I offered myself to be available for service and was allowed to be Tuesday night secretary for the summer. The big book and “Twelve and Twelve” repeatedly talk about the fact that personal recovery depends on sharing with others. There is no way I will ever be able to give back all of what AA has given to me. I’m not talking about material possessions, which I still don’t have very many of. I’m talking about self-respect, a comfortable relationship with my Higher Power, and a world of friends wherever I go.
Israel proved to be everything I had always dreamed it to be. With the support of the AA members–Myra, Donnie, Nat, Joanie, Eva, and all the others–I received the courage I needed, and an abundance of love. Being disabled, I often need all the courage I can get. I explored the country, attended the classes I had enrolled in at Tel Aviv University, and expanded my world yet again.
AA has introduced me to the world and I like what I see. Even my disability, which came after I got into AA, is not a reason to drink again. For someone who always saw the negative in everything, I have truly been given a whole new life.
–Bob K.
San Francisco, California