Theresa Corrections

2022 Chilliwack Roundup

Welcome to Chilliwack AA. I’m your host, Ted S sober since October 17th, 1996. One day at a time

I’m glad you can join us for our podcast on Chilliwack AA.

Before I introduce our fabulous guests today. Let me tell you a bit about the podcast Chilliwack AA

Chilliwack AA explores the life of people who have recovered from alcohol through Alcoholics anonymous.

 In each of my interviews, my guests will share their experience, strength and hope with us through a lively discussion of what it was like, what happened and what it’s like now. We will talk about their struggles, successes, and how they remain sober.

This podcast strictly adheres to AA 12 traditions and all general service board guidelines for safeguarding anonymity.

 No advertising is allowed, and no one receives financial gain from the show. Chilliwack AA and my guests do not speak for or represent AA a large.

This podcast is simply my way of giving back to what was freely given to me

And now, let me introduce you my guests for today’s show Theresa, speaking at the Chilliwack Roundup, 2022.

My name is Clifford, and I am a alcoholic. I want to welcome you to our District 45 Roundup.

For those who are not aware in District 45 we do have 3 federal institutions, one provincial institution and one hour from here we have 8 federal institutions and about half dozen provincial institutions.

So anyway. It’s my great pleasure to invite Teresa to speak to us about the value of being a Correction Volunteer

My name is Theresa, and I am a alcoholic.

 Thanks for having me here.

I was trying to find a quiet place and still my mind before coming up to speak to you

Before coming up to speak in front of everyone, on a occasion like this for me, the volunteers that came into corrections have touched my life in such a way that I could give my life with service forever and I don’t think I would be able to repay what I feel I’ve received from the love, of a couple of few very important ladies in AA.

 To give you a little story, a little bit of a background about myself

I grew up very fast. You know, I can remember feeling from a very young age. I have one sibling brother he always seemed to be the one that, uh, stayed out of trouble. You know, mom always referred to him. Why can’t you be more like your brother? You know, I can remember distinctly from a very, like probably the age of 3, feeling like there was something wrong with me. You know, I was never going to be good enough. There was something bad about my nature and I didn’t know why or what and that little triple negative thinking just grew and grew as years went by. You know, like many women in the program in the places I’ve been In life. Um, you know, I have, I have had a lot of trauma and some terrible things happen to me, repetitively for all of my life. as a very young girl. That was confusing and I used to think, you know, by the time I was about 12 and I started experimenting with alcohol and other things, I used to think the reason that I, you know, drank, and did the stuff the way I did it was because of what had happened to me. Right. And so, there was very much this feeling like. Um, you know, if I could just fix, get fixed, I just need to fix what’s broken inside. And once I’m fixed, I’m going to be okay. I just need to fix this. And, you know I could never, I could never really figure it out. I didn’t know what was wrong. And,

Um, you know that. it’s unfortunate that, um, that life had to take om this serious and drastic consequences that they, that it did in mine. Uh, I never would have imagined in a million years that my life would have ended where it did. And in some, some walks in this world, probably people would think that’s terrible. Like you don’t deserve another chance.

You should stay locked up in prison forever. Uh, we don’t need your kind out here. Thank you very much. Like, you know, and so, you know, in one sense, I live in this dichotomy of, you know, I don’t deserve. Right. Feeling of you know, I don’t deserve to be forgiven. And to another place where it took such tragedy to occur in my life for me to be able to to be who I am today and where I am today. And with that. Um, and because of the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve come to be okay with it. I’ve come to see how these circumstances and the trajectory of my life and we’re it can be used to help someone be set free and I never would have had that opportunity.

If it weren’t for some, some volunteers. Coming into the prison to talk and share with me. And not just talk and share with me but extend a loving hand and support and continue and support and guidance in my life. Um, By the time I was, uh, just before my 13th birthday. Um, after, you know, starting to drink and, Uh, back then I drank with a sense of like ridiculous that it wasn’t, you know, I drank far too much way too much and had no control over, you know, the outcome of how that night ended. Um, I didn’t really know any different that there was a problem with how I was drinking or not. I just drank and you know, it was all in like pedal to the middle. Right. Uh, or nothing at all. That’s the way I’ve been in part. Partially my nature is like that too, with whatever I do. I’m very, very highly motivated person. Um, it’s just where I focus up motivation. And, uh, so by the time I was, um, 13 years old, I was a missing child. Uh, I had been coerced by somebody much, much older than me. Um, uh, taken away from my family and put into a life that no young girl that age should ever have to be involved in and without any of the skills or knowledge to really know what I was doing. Right. And I thought I was a very mature well-informed young lady. Right. And I was, I was convinced by you know, the people. that we’re taking advantage of that situation now, that I could look after myself better than my parents were looking after me.

And, uh, I kind of liked that, I like that idea. Yeah, I got this, but, uh, it didn’t take very long for me to recognize the seriousness of where I had ended up. Um, I was trafficked. I was, uh, missing, like I said, for about 18 months. I was catapulted into a deeply, deeply entrenched life full of addiction and everything that it has to offer. It was terrifying.

As a young girl that age I was six months pregnant when the police finally found me and brought me home.

And at that point, I had experimented with every sort of everything. And, uh, there was nothing left to see. That’s when I mean, I knew that in my hearth, the party was never there really, for me from a very young age. It happened so fast that coming home I had this very strong resolve that I would never, ever touch in any of those substances ever again. I wanted nothing to do with it. It wasn’t appealing to me. You know, alcohol, nothing. Right.

I truly believe to every ounce of my being that I was, that. I was never going to go there It just terrified me. And yet, before hitting nine months pregnant. Um, and left with. Thinking like the thinking in my head was so futile at that time. I never, ever wanted to experience what I had experienced again. I was terrified that I was never going to be able to face life again and be a normal kid and have a normal life. I didn’t think I could keep the child that was in that I was carrying, I had a plan, an exit plan, so to speak, like I’m going get rid of the baby and. Um, by, by adoption and, and, uh, you know, carry on. And, and really there were some few suicidal thoughts there. Like it wasn’t worth living life. Wasn’t worth living. That’s how it felt. And just kind of trickling in there. This is some kind of sick joke, and I don’t want any part of this journey. I’m not having fun. And I’m never going to have a meaningful life.

Well, about, like I said, three months Into it, I can remember my mind starting to say. You deserve to have some elite. You know, I’m going to counseling and I’m talking to people about what I’ve been through and none of it’s really working and I’m seeking something to make me feel okay. And, and, and that my mind will say, well, you know, alcohol never really was your problem.

You know, surely, I could just have a drink or a little bit of that other green stuff. Right.

Like I immediately bought into this idea without even thinking twice about it. Right. And off I go. And I start, you know, on this path of thinking that I can. I can control what I’m doing. And if I stay away from certain people, places, things I’m going to be okay. And I can cope with this. Um,

You know, I ended up keeping my daughter. Um, she gave me a reason to live is how it felt from that last moment. When I was thinking about whether the family that I was going to give her a way to, and I, and I gathered together all that motivational energy that I have inside. And I said, I’m going to be a mom.

I have some purpose, a reason to live. I’m going to look after this child, I’m going to go back to school and I’m just going to, I don’t have to be a kid. I don’t have to face that. I don’t have to explain. This is what I’ve been through. And, and, you know, I can, I can have a drink here and there on the side, and that makes my life feel a little bit better.

And I, and I carried on like that. And you know what? I did tremendously well for somebody who’d been through what I’ve been through, that’s the truth. I caught up, you know, two years behind. In school, graduated on time. You know, seemingly was functioning to a certain degree. But internally. The dialogue that I lived with was incredibly, um, Shameful.

I couldn’t share. I didn’t feel closer connected to anyone. I couldn’t tell you where I’d been or what I’ve done. Because I had this tremendous fear that if you knew you would want nothing to do with me, I didn’t believe that anybody worthwhile would ever want to love me or be with me. Long-term. Um, so why I was really like,

Head under You know, the surface, just kind of pushing past time with survive. In this survival gear. Right. And in the moments of like my quiet still, like, I didn’t want to be here. And I just know that I lived that way for a long time. And because of that, I, I accepted and made decisions, accepted people in my life weren’t you know, really that healthy. Um, because I didn’t deserve any better.

And, you know, it what was only a matter of time, like the ball was in motion. I was. I went to counseling, and I did things to try and try. Getting better and heal. Just never seemed to matter.

And, uh, eventually the partner that I had, you know, aligned yourself up with. He started to get worse and worse into his own addiction. And. And I found myself at a crossroad. Were. Um, there was a part of me that was saying you need to leave. You need to stop and get away from this. Right. And.

And I can’t bear one more day in this pain that I’m feeling right now.

And the only way I could think of barring that pain for one more day was to join that person. And then what they were doing, I couldn’t stay and not be a part of what was happening.

And I wanted to do the right thing and leave. But I didn’t believe in my value and worth enough to do that. And so, I picked up.

And. Off like a freight train. My Life straight for a crash course. Like things got bad, really fast. I tried to get away. I tried to stop. Um, I tried to get help.

And I couldn’t muster the motivation to stay stopped. And they took my daughter from me. And the moment that they had that I lost my daughter. I gave up. Because they took my reason for living. I had no reason other than her, uh, that’s a dangerous place for be. I end up in a psychiatric You know, didn’t, wasn’t successful there.

At that attempt on my life and a deeply, deeply ashamed. I ran away and I entrenched myself into a heavy, heavy life with addiction, alcoholism, drugs. Like it was bad. And, uh, I gave up. And I wanted to die. And I never thought, like I was hurting anybody. Right. I felt like I had every reason in the world to feel like a victim and what I’m going through. And I really couldn’t get past that.

Um, you know  I had? , no opportunity really to, to get a hold of the program Alcoholics Anonymous or any other program during that time? I, I just wasn’t well enough to pursue something like that I would say. And it wasn’t really introduced to me at a young age. My first introduction, we would have been in a, in a detox center.

You know when I’m half alive. Um, And just, wasn’t nothing you could really think in the moment I started to though out for a moment. The shame that I’d start to feel was so intense. That I couldn’t face it. And my, my body physically said, that’s it. We’ve got to go. I know what’s going to stop this  from thinking and feeling right.

So. Fast forward a few years. You know, when you’re living a life like that and you don’t want to live, you don’t realize. You don’t know how to, how to stop. Um, there’s only a few things that can happen, right. First a lot of people. Don’t make it, if they die. Um, uh, you know, someone like myself, I ended up in, in prison.

Uh, no criminal record prior to that. Um, But the choices that I was making, the people that I was surrounded by. And the, and the desperate, desperate state I was in, led me to do something I never thought I, I, I was capable of doing.

So, when I went to prison, I wasn’t overly upset about it. Because I have been living such a tragic. And intense. Light of survival. And I felt incredibly ashamed about what I had done. Right. So I was kinda like, yeah, I deserve this. Probably better off, over here. And I had this belief inside. That maybe just maybe if I could just be removed from all that chaos and the life that had been kind of dragging me along as I felt it was that I would start to feel better.

And I might be able to get help and it might be able to get fixed. Right. And I was again in not that firm resolved that I was never going to let what happened. Happened again in my life. I did not want that to ever happen. So I was going to do whatever it took. Um, And I believe that, but.

Again, just there’s this thing that goes on internally inside of me  mentally. The thoughts. The thinking in my head are so devastating and so isolating at times. And, uh, I just didn’t know how to stop Right. And the fact is that. The prison. Physical prison, which I was in, I was almost comforted by this idea because of the true bond, which I lived in with internally, emotionally, mentally, I couldn’t be around people. I didn’t know how to have friendships. I couldn’t be my true assault. I didn’t know what it was like. I felt uncomfortable alone and I felt Incredibly uncomfortable in a room full of people. Even if those people liked me.

I would tell myself that I wasn’t, I wasn’t lovable. I wasn’t going to be like, I couldn’t tell them what I thought and felt. And I knew this going. You know, going through. And I threw myself into every program we had to offer. And that, and I invested and I tried to be as honest and thorough as I could be in every, every opportunity they gave me , because I’m cognitive just to have that drive naturally, but I would always come out the other side, still feeling so isolated and disconnected and like life was not like worth living. Uh, this was, I was not having any fun moments. I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out. And if they did let me out, I have this gut feeling that I was just going to be one of those other people doing the walk of shame coming back in a couple of months, because I didn’t trust that if I continue to feel the way that I did that I would not be able to stay sober. And I knew that there would be conditions in my life.

But I didn’t really know how How you deal with that? Right. So.

You know in that journey. Um, There were some people that like some meetings and things that I went to inside the prison and I, I would go to a meeting and there might be lucky to be, in some cases, there was a few people Volunteers. Sometimes there was no volunteer, you know, it was like the blind leading the blind.

A lot of the time without the volunteer there, we, even though we were doing. There was no. Message of experience strength and hope. There was a lot of message. That I would have heard about this is my plan and this is how it’s going to work this time. Right. And then I would like observe being an observer and I’d see that. Yeah, well that didn’t work they’re back. Right. They’re going out to meetings. They’re still coming back. That’s obviously not the solution either.

Right. And so I didn’t believe in it. I didn’t think, you know, Um, but there was a lady, um, who was kind enough to join me today. That kept me  coming to the meeting. And there was something about, you know, her spirit and, um,

There was something about her spirit, she had this strength. And this calm security that you can sell. And yet. So loving. You know, And you could distinctly feel that she didn’t care what you thought about her. She was there to be who she was. You know, and she challenged me and she’d ask me questions. You know, and I, until like the first thing she asked me is, are you an alcoholic?

And I’m like, yeah. I don’t think so. Right.

And she, you know, she would send me home with things to read and. When you read that and come back and talk to me after. You know, I didn’t think alcohol was my calling. I didn’t see myself as an alcoholic. Right. And I can remember thinking in there, even though after such a tragic, tragic consequences to the life that could be living in all of that.

There was this little voice that go through my mind every once in a while after years of being inside. Right. Maybe one day I could have a drink

 You know, why is that? Why does my brain say that to me, like who cares? Right. You shouldn’t be thinking that way about. Wow. You know, Maybe one day.

Um, I didn’t know what alcoholism was. I had no idea what I was suffering from. I mean, I was hoping somebody could psychoanalyze it out to me, the counselors, the programs, all the stuff. You know, somewhere in there, I can get a plan together to manage my emotional nature, you know, figure out how to live life.

You know, in a successful way and hopefully not be so miserable. Right. But, um, you know, She spent the time and, and I literally just came for that connection. That connection and I felt loved and accepted. You know, And. I haven’t been the person who had experience from in healthy relationships in my life. So that’s pretty paramount to me that somebody was able to offer that.

She brought step packages to me, step work. You know, we talked about these things together. I started to see some things about myself that I had never seen before. And then she couldn’t come in anymore. Um, something happened in her personal life and.

But she kept writing

She took the time to write a letter like. At least I would say about once a week or a couple times a month, I bought a letter from this lady. And I don’t think.

It’s just crazy, right? Like cheesy. Writing. Like the stranger is taking me. You know, sharing what she was sharing. And then I just felt, I felt loved. No. Like she wanted nothing from me.

Um, uh, you know, it was a very fond feeling and, and so, you know, when, when. Uh, there were some other ladies that came into that meeting too. When I continued to go to the meetings. At one point I was, I was given the opportunity to go out to meetings with somebody. And, And another woman, you know,

She took the time to come into the prison and sit down with me and read. The Big Book. And walk me through. The steps. As outlined. in alcoholics anonymous. That there were moments in that. Period. Just over a week. Where it was absolutely earth shattering. Like mind-boggling. The whiskers that had been happening in my mind.

I knew without any doubt in my mind that I was a real alcoholic. I would never have known. I would never have Right. And I can’t tell you how important that is because I didn’t need to have a third, fourth and fifth chance.

The circumstances. To me being in front of you today and being able to be. You know, physically free for prisoner pretty serious. I don’t have a chance to me if I go out and pick up a drink and I allow that to take its course in my life I’m going back. There, and I don’t get a release date. You know, and all the shame and everything will just come right back in. Right.

And so I can’t afford to think that there’s somehow. Uh, way that I can put something, some type of substance in my body and I’m going to be okay. I can figure it out and control it. Cause the delusion of that. is pretty serious. Like I just had a friend. Go out. Just on that notion. But it wasn’t It really wasn’t that.

I’m going to be okay. Right. Um,

Going through the 12 steps again, right. And another faction, like continuing this journey became really, uh, Life changing for me. As I went through. My fourth step. And I. Poured my heart out. With that same level of motivation that I’ve given my life. It was like she said, prove it wrong Theresa. Right. Se you know, see if its wrong

Give it a hundred percent , you cannot prove it wrong, unless you give it a hundred percent. So I did. I said, well, y’all can get me to do it. I might as well give it a hundred percent. I saw things that I never, I never realized about myself. Right. What was driving me. What was causing me all this discourse on the side for all these false beliefs.

And programming that I had inside. How I was making all these decisions based on fear and stuck in this. Victim. Right, which I didn’t want it. You know, I saw myself as a survivor, right. Uh, victim and here I was, And I was able to let it go. And, uh, You know, further to that. You know, someone.

I got honest, I did a very thorough fifth step with  another volunteer, a woman came in and sat with me and listened to my full story. And you know, her, I’ve never seen her a matter  since disappeared into the ether. I know she’s around somewhere, but you know, that, that moment. Incredibly freeing. Right.

To cast all of that stuff out. Um, And, and then the kick and the push, like you, you better get out there and share this with others. Right. Your life depends on it. Your service and I’m inside. And then I’m thinking to myself, there’s no way, How can do this inside here. That’s what I thought. Nobody’s going to share the personal things that you shared with me, like to me, and here, like review all that.

And she just said, you know, a simple prayer. Can we pray. Follow the discipline. Are you willing? You know, and sure enough. You know much to my surprise. I had people knocking on  my door within like a week and for the next year or two, that I was there wanting to go through the Big Book And trusting me. You know, and from that place,

I developed a connection. With people for the first-time intimacy that I was started. Right. A feeling of love and, and. It was okay. You know, my, I wasn’t ashamed of my past. I wasn’t judging people for theirs. And I felt. Better. All That bad I’ve been through could be used for good.

How it can be used for good

And I was free. Like. I was still free.  So I’m in jail. I could have stayed there forever because I helped some fall inside I’ve never felt cool. You know, relationship. And I didn’t need everybody to love me and like me, I just have a few people that were meaningful Right. And, um,

You know, I think about how Incredible alcoholics anonymous and the 12 steps Has been in my life. The things that his has given me that nothing else on this planet can give me

I have a level of self-awareness. And responsibility within myself today that nothing in life could have taught me, but.

When I went ahead and I needed to go up in front of the parole board and ask all those really difficult questions. I was able to answer them with honesty and integrity and put shame to the side. And risk looking like a terrible human being for a moment to tell them the truth about what my motives were.

And just that action alone. I believe is the reason that I got out when I did.

Because there was a level of accountability and truth there that you couldn’t argue and debate. So, you know, records were broken in my case, the fact is I was the first lifer to get parole on the first try up in the history of that women’s federal prison. That’s miraculous. And I do say that’s because of alcoholics anonymous and I can remember after the hearing.

Sitting in the waiting room for this decision to be made. And I was, I looked over at the people that are supporting me and online.

I don’t know why, but I feel like they might let me go.

And if they let me go, I’m going around the whole prison. And tell every single person in here. It’s because of the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous and I’m going to preach that. Because I know what. I went through right now, I would not have been able to deal with. I have not done that fourth step , fifth step and working them the way I had been.

And sure enough.

And I did. It’s so exciting. Like you call it, do the 12 steps.  Totally silly. But that’s how impactful it was for me. And then transitioning into the community. I have no idea where I was going, where I was going to land, where long-term, you know, the supports and those precious people that I have in my life. I thought I was saying goodbye.

I thought I was going to create a new right. And yet they’re right here with me today. Like I just got placed It’s I can’t. They can’t get rid of me. You don’t want the journey continued. Right. And I began to feel my value and worth even more. And then I wasn’t like. And my stigma and all this other stuff. And.

You know, I didn’t have to question and go through that song and dance. When I got out. You know, I can tell you that I know many other people. That are in my circumstance that have been. In prison and released that didn’t have that opportunity that I was given. And they had to do that. That experiment.

With the idea. That I can probably have a drink. Right. It’s probably not that bad. And I’ve watched how that’s taken off and landed them right back where they were. Over and over again, because after you’ve been inside for 8, 10, 15 years, Your mind is surely going to be telling you you’ve been away from it for long enough.

You should be okay by now, right? You probably can handle it this time. You’ve taken so many programs and had so much counseling and so much time to reflect on what you’ve done. You’re going to be okay. This time. You don’t know. What you’re suffering from? If you haven’t been given the opportunity to understand that the way I was given it, the only reason I’m successful is because I understand the illness that I have. I found a solution that works, and then I have the support in the community to keep.

Keep doing that every day. Right? Like the complacency being sober for years and years is. You know, and sometimes it’s almost a little bit more dangerous, like early on that first year, like the fear still biting at your butt. You know, you can keep you sober for a time. It may not keep you happy all the time, sober or emotional sobriety, but it can keep you sober for a time. And.

And after years and years of kind of being there, you start to get life together. I think. Yeah, I got this. I got my job , house  family, right. Going along and all of a sudden. You know what a drink would be really nice right now.

WHY?. Right. Where does it come from? Like, um, You know, I have a discipline in my life to continue to vote on my home group. I have somebody that cared enough about me to understand how the value in having a routine. I have coffee. With. You know, one of my best friends. You know, who is the one of the volunteers?

That came in on almost a weekly basis. And if I don’t show up every week, I’m telling you. I get a score, but it’s generally consigned. Like at first I was afraid of disappointing, but then I realized she truly wants to spend time with me. She misses me. Like, it’s not, you know, somebody trying to keep tabs on me

I genuinely like I’m depriving her of that connection and what she craves and looks forward to. You know, how cool is that? I’m wanted and I’m loved and I’m valued. There’s been so many opportunities for service. And I think about it, like, I didn’t think I was a big able or capable of giving what I have received.

You know, if somebody hadn’t said, just get out there and do it right. Go to it. You know, I wouldn’t It’s not some miraculous scholarly thing. It’s literally just a willingness to be there and to be intimate and to share and to read and to walk someone down that path you’ve walked through. Right.

And, uh, there’s no greater thing in my life That is the truth. You know, in work today, I’ve been given. Incredible opportunity. Incredible. I have no business having a job. I have. They shouldn’t have it. Like I was told, you’re never going to have this kind of job. It was kind because you have a record and you have this and you have that, right. None of that mattered.

None of it. Because alcoholics anonymous. Has given things that I.

I didn’t know where possible. And you know where there’s a will for God in my life. He makes the way. And that. It continues to foster in every area of my life. I was just chatting with a lady tonight You know, I wouldn’t be able to do my job without alcoholics anonymous and what it does for me every day. If I didn’t, if I.

Wake up in that spiritual program of action. I’m going to be smashed my head against the wall real fast. And get tight and miserable and insecure. Right. I have to stay connected. And my body and my mind will sometimes try to get me to drift away. That’s the truth. I wish I was washed. White as snows, but like I find myself going through these little periods where I start to feel isolated, whatever I convinced myself is more important than like when this moment. Right. And if I get away from that program of action that I’ve been given. I started to suffer quickly. You know, I feel that just score that irritable kind of insecurity. Discontent. Disconnected. And I immediately get scared because I know that that’s, what’s behind the drink for me. Right. And I don’t have to feel that way. And so what, throw myself back into service.

I keep coming. You know, to the program. I keep doing the disciplines that I have pretty darn good life today. You know,

I still, I came here today because of, you know, the gratitude that I have in my heart.

I wish that every person that was inside, had the same opportunity that I had.

Because. Having that work. Kind of about foundation before I was released. Has been paramount for my success. There’s not a tool or program that they could have given me in prison that. That would have given Long-term sobriety. Nothing. I tried it. All right. So, unfortunately, you know, it is what it is, but.

It’s not always easy. Um, Uh, for me to go inside, it’s a lot more challenging to get in But for other people who are interested. What I would say is, you know, don’t be afraid To explore that you might find yourself gifted with treasures that you could never have imagined. Um, People when they’re, there are often quite desperate.

And broken. And willing. Right to do whatever it takes. The moment they bridge across to freedom. The willingness dissipates a little bit I find because there’s so many other options. There’s so much choices we’re given today in the world. Right. And. So there you. It looks like a better idea over there. I think I’m going to go over there.

A little bit nicer. You know, But when you have very few choices and you’ve tried everything that is to offer your willing to take it.

Um, So, thank you. Alright, thank you to alcoholics anonymous. Thank you. To my sponsor. And to other ladies, And familiar faces. I see here that. Taking the time to go in and share a message with the women in corrections. And please continue to just show up. Thanks for being here

On behalf of the committee, thank you very much Theresa for coming, sharing your hope, your strength, your experience with us. And, what a power of example one alcoholic talking to another. The difference we can make right?

 Yeah. So, thank you very much.

We are always looking for volunteers in Corrections. You can help. You don’t even have to physically go in and there’s opportunities.

Like Theresa was sharing, writing a letter or being on a contact list or supporting correction Committees in your district. And districts can have corrections committees who even if they don’t have an institution. Uh, they can support institutions. Uh, next to them or near them. So, there’s a lot of opportunity if you’re interested in volunteering in any way, uh,

Check out with your district. Uh, please do so that’s it. We’ll close with the Serenity prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Well, my friends, this is it for this episode of Chilliwack AA Podcast.  I want to thank my guest, Theresa for sharing her story. And thank you for tuning in. This podcast can also be heard on Spotify, Anchor, Amazon music, Google play, and SoundCloud. Or visit our website, http://www.chilliwackaa.org. Listen to every interview, share your thoughts and comment on our website.

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