Abstinence Is Supremely Important

The world is coming to an end.

At least my world is. My town is destroyed,
I cannot find my family. The dog is dead.
My house is ashes. My insanity was coming back.
I learned there was a meeting walking distance
from the shelter I share with a thousand strangers.
I went and they announced the topic:
"Abstinence is the most important thing
in my life no matter what."
Had I known any of these people
I probably would have laughed out loud.
Then the sharing started and another visitor
displaced to the same shelter talked about
this being her second time to start over.
She had found it true, the importance of abstinence.
She talked about getting back in the food,
struggling to hold on to sanity, to recovery,
talked about eating as close to plan as possible,
how controlling that alone gave her strength
to  cling to Recovery. I heard. I listened.
I learned Abstinence is the most important thing
in my life no matter what!