It had been raining at its worst, and I barely noticed the lady getting out of the car parked on the grass verge just outside the main gate.
I was in a rush to get parked before the deluge resumed, and ended up in the last spot, 'way up in no-man's-land, beside the trailers.
We got to the Senior Center at the same time, the lady and I.
She had made the 167 painful steps (I counted 'em later) on a walker and I felt like a lout.
But she wasn't at all put out and waved off my apologies.
Wednesday's Sober Seniors Meeting of AA was her destination, and she was prepared to go to any lengths to get there.
"I wouldn't miss this meeting for the world," she said.
She is not alone.
It is almost 12 years since the group was created, but it is now considered one of the finest groups in Palm Beach County, attended regularly by patients, former patients and other alcoholics who have made it a must on their AA agenda.
It is a lively meeting and has even been known on occasions to be contentious in the best traditions of old-time AA! But back in the early 90s, there wasn't even a senior program at Hanley-Hazelden, as it was then.
The head of treatment at the time was Carol Colleran, now the Executive Vice President of Public Policy and National Affairs.
The seniors took their place in the Men's and Women's Units.
But their problems were often different and it wasn't just the age gap.
And Carol came up with the concept of special treatment for seniors, a concept she has fine-tuned over the years to become a leading advocate at the national level of recovery programs for older adults.
First she got the go-ahead to set up a different treatment schedule for these older adults, tailored to their unique needs and problems.
Next she wanted an AA meeting at Hanley, a group with speakers the patients could relate better to and get their first taste of what a meeeting is all about.
This was essential knowledge.
AA is what was going to keep them sober.
Recovery begins after treatment, is Carol's mantra.
The first Sober Seniors meeting was in October 1995 and was led by Gifford (Gif) Dean, who is still the key player in the group, backed up by others too many to mention.
Over the years he has sponsored more ex-patients that he can probably count.
"I knew Carol from AA meetings, " say Gif, "and I had become a volunteer at Hanley through her.
Then she asked me if I'd like to set up a group there.
I jumped at the chance.
It was a great idea.
"The name for it came to me right away -- Sober Seniors!"There were only about half a dozen patients at that first meeting but Gif got the word out to a few outsiders who came too.
Ten people total perhaps.
And it just grew and grew.
Discharged patients return.
Several regulars found out about it in AA Intergroup's Where and When listing -- Wednesday, West Palm Beach, 12:00PM Sober Seniors, Hanley Older Adult Unit, OD.
By the time the Older Adult Unit was opened in 1998, it was well established.
All they had to do was change the meeting room to the new unit.
Today there have been as many as 50 people, standing room only.
"it is a dream come true," says Carol.
"It is truly one of my favorite meeting," says Roger M, still a developer at a youthful 76.
"I am not an alumnus, but it fits in with my lifestyle and we always talk about things I relate to.
" Says Gif: "I'm doing what I do, helping others.
And this is the place to be.
"And the lady with the walker? I did a Ninth Step and drove her back to her car...
I was in a rush to get parked before the deluge resumed, and ended up in the last spot, 'way up in no-man's-land, beside the trailers.
We got to the Senior Center at the same time, the lady and I.
She had made the 167 painful steps (I counted 'em later) on a walker and I felt like a lout.
But she wasn't at all put out and waved off my apologies.
Wednesday's Sober Seniors Meeting of AA was her destination, and she was prepared to go to any lengths to get there.
"I wouldn't miss this meeting for the world," she said.
She is not alone.
It is almost 12 years since the group was created, but it is now considered one of the finest groups in Palm Beach County, attended regularly by patients, former patients and other alcoholics who have made it a must on their AA agenda.
It is a lively meeting and has even been known on occasions to be contentious in the best traditions of old-time AA! But back in the early 90s, there wasn't even a senior program at Hanley-Hazelden, as it was then.
The head of treatment at the time was Carol Colleran, now the Executive Vice President of Public Policy and National Affairs.
The seniors took their place in the Men's and Women's Units.
But their problems were often different and it wasn't just the age gap.
And Carol came up with the concept of special treatment for seniors, a concept she has fine-tuned over the years to become a leading advocate at the national level of recovery programs for older adults.
First she got the go-ahead to set up a different treatment schedule for these older adults, tailored to their unique needs and problems.
Next she wanted an AA meeting at Hanley, a group with speakers the patients could relate better to and get their first taste of what a meeeting is all about.
This was essential knowledge.
AA is what was going to keep them sober.
Recovery begins after treatment, is Carol's mantra.
The first Sober Seniors meeting was in October 1995 and was led by Gifford (Gif) Dean, who is still the key player in the group, backed up by others too many to mention.
Over the years he has sponsored more ex-patients that he can probably count.
"I knew Carol from AA meetings, " say Gif, "and I had become a volunteer at Hanley through her.
Then she asked me if I'd like to set up a group there.
I jumped at the chance.
It was a great idea.
"The name for it came to me right away -- Sober Seniors!"There were only about half a dozen patients at that first meeting but Gif got the word out to a few outsiders who came too.
Ten people total perhaps.
And it just grew and grew.
Discharged patients return.
Several regulars found out about it in AA Intergroup's Where and When listing -- Wednesday, West Palm Beach, 12:00PM Sober Seniors, Hanley Older Adult Unit, OD.
By the time the Older Adult Unit was opened in 1998, it was well established.
All they had to do was change the meeting room to the new unit.
Today there have been as many as 50 people, standing room only.
"it is a dream come true," says Carol.
"It is truly one of my favorite meeting," says Roger M, still a developer at a youthful 76.
"I am not an alumnus, but it fits in with my lifestyle and we always talk about things I relate to.
" Says Gif: "I'm doing what I do, helping others.
And this is the place to be.
"And the lady with the walker? I did a Ninth Step and drove her back to her car...
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