Top story: Recovery comes to town

A tale from years gone by:

It was 2006, freshly sober. Six months off the bottle, I was very wary as Christmas and New Year’s approached.

New Year’s Eve was on a Saturday, and I was missing my former best friend. There was a 12-step meeting that night in Holder, and then the gang headed to a friend’s house for a sober party.

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I was in no party mood. Alone, not wanting to get drunk, but feeling rather bored and useless. So much so that I decided to skip the post-meeting party and come home to spend New Year’s Eve washing my bathtub.

This is a true story. My bathtub.

I often wonder, especially during this time of year, what would have happened had I done that. If I spent my first sober New Year’s Eve alone and pathetic.

Well, that didn’t happen. Once I told some friends of my plans, they didn’t let me out of their sight. Two women threw me in the back seat of their car, and we spent the night attending 12-step recovery meetings throughout Citrus County. They didn’t leave me alone until after the bars were closed.

I think of that night often. How sober people in recovery will go to the ends of the earth to help a fellow sufferer. We have a responsibility to one another. Our purpose is to stay sober and help others.

And that leads me to 2025’s top story: Opening of the Old Schoolhouse Community Center at the Historic Hernando School.

Full disclosure: This is a conflict of interest for me. I’m a sober drunk who attends 12-step meetings, and I’m a trustee at Club Recovery of Citrus County, which oversees the community center.

I also had a little something to do with this thing getting set up. Very little. I had a vision, but it’s the dozens of others who shared that vision, expanded on it, and put it into action with long hours of hard work.

Combine that with eager Citrus County officials, led by Commissioner Rebecca Bays, and the result is nothing short of outstanding.

We signed a lease with the county in January and cut the ribbon in June. I envisioned a vibrant community center, and that’s exactly what the volunteers have created. It’s not just for alcohol/drug recovery. I mean…we have dulcimers! And bingo!

I mentioned the other day that longevity makes a story powerful. Yeah, it’s a big deal today, but does it have legs? Will its effects be felt for years to come?

The Old Schoolhouse Community Center checks off that vital box. The impact is significant and real. We started seeing more people at recovery meetings almost immediately. This building is a beacon for the lost and frightened of Citrus County.

There’s a pledge we follow that goes something like this: I'm responsible when someone reaches out for help. I mean...it's pretty blunt. No gray area. We live by that pledge. One alcoholic/addict helping another alcoholic/addict.

That’s how 12-step recovery works. And that’s why the folks at Club Recovery worked their tails off this year to get that historic building in the extraordinary shape it is today. They couldn’t wait another day to offer recovery to the sick and suffering alcoholic and addict.

So, look. It’s Christmas week, followed by New Year’s. Very difficult time for a lot of people. It’s a cliche, but true: You don’t need to be alone.

The Old Schoolhouse Community Center is running 36-hour alcathons for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve/New Year's Day (the first one starts at 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve). Meetings around the clock with plenty of food and fellowship. I have spent many a wee holiday hour with friends at an alcathon.

(Click the above link for details. Message me if you want to know more.)

Someone gave me a homemade T-shirt for my 65th birthday that I wear at least once a week. It reads: “Recover LOUDLY to keep others from dying quietly.” I believe wholeheartedly in that approach.

We don't do theory here. Meat-and-potatoes recovery is heavy on love and acceptance.

The Old Schoolhouse Community Center is this county's boldest statement yet about combating addiction and alcoholism. It’s a jewel for Citrus County, and my choice as the year’s top story.

— Program note: Seems like I’m taking more days off than working, but that’s the calendar. The blog takes a Christmas break the rest of this week, then we’ll be back Monday for 2025’s final days.

A sincere heartfelt wish for a safe and beautiful Christmas week. Enjoy it, friends.

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