It's the Joy!

But the most compelling part of A.A., the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter, the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Page 333

It's serious. Addiction. It's a disease,
and lethal when you reach the point
of powerlessness, an unmanageable life.
It's serious. Relationships run amuck,
resentments rampant. Fear in control.
Keep on the path you know, the one
you've walked for years and you're doomed.
There's no way out. But take another path,
twelve simple steps, and the road can be walked,
the oppressiveness no longer controls,
the mood becomes lighter.
And when you can find folks living the steps,
no longer white-knuckling it, though formerly sunk...
you'll find a jovial crowd, people who can laugh
at the dangers involved, the path they've covered,
the dire straits they were in, and they grin,
a happy lot, a people you want to join
not only for the answer but the fun of finding it!