Many of us wanted to help others before getting clean, but once we started using, doing so became difficult. One member described it this way: "My heart aspired to help people, but my brain never got the memo!" At some point in early recovery, many of us have the experience of sharing and then seeing another member relate. Maybe they nod in agreement, or they shake their head in shared amusement or disgust at the insidiousness and insanity of our disease. Maybe they vocalize--"That's right!"--or shed a tear. However they do it, they let us know that they know that we know--we share in the knowledge of the disease, and we share our experience with recovery, too.

This is how we get clean and stay clean--the therapeutic value of one addict helping another. We share experience, strength, and hope; we share tea and coffee; we share the joy of staying clean and the pain of losing fellow addicts. We do it together. At many points along the way, we are reminded of our purpose for being here and being together. Maybe it's when a nonmember asks, "Why do you still go to those meetings?" We might even wonder, Yeah, why do I? Then we remember--we are uniquely qualified to help other addicts, and helping addicts gives us purpose and keeps us clean.

When we go through something clean--an unintended pregnancy, parents with dementia, falling in or out of love--we are rarely the first ones in the room to do so. We share what we're going through so others can help us. Then we share what we went through so we can help others. Yes, we're each other's eyes and ears; sometimes we are also each other's trailblazers, coaches, older siblings. We have a reason for being here. And that reason is one another.