Discrimination

They have not issued the toxicology report for Whitney Houston. It really doesn't matter. She is no longer with us. As I read today she is a star and the disease does not care. I have worked with millionaires, professional athletes and movie stars. The disease in each case did not care who the person was. The disease killed them. Every person who dies from the disease of addiction, no matter what the form, teaches us. They teach us that using does not get any better out there. They teach that if we keep using we can end up dead just like them. 

I think daily of my first two sponsors, Michael and Paul. Paul was diagnosed with stomach cancer and from diagnosis to death was 90 days. He held meetings at his house until the last two weeks of his life. Two weeks before he died he took a new comer through the fourth step. Michael died six months after Paul. He reached out to others until the day he died. By the time he had died he had given away most of what he 'owned'. My daily prayer is that I can be like these two men. They always gave selfishly to others. They never asked for anything in return.

When we are using it is all about us. Our self-centered, egotistical being is what keeps us in our addiction. We externalized and blame the world. We do this while we take and take from everyone and everything around us. They say in meetings that if we continue to use we will meet one of three destinations, death, jails or institutions.

Please learn from all who have died from this disease. Re-member we are all teachers and we are all students.