Sue took me to De-troit Metro Airport the next day. I was somewhat scared, in shock, hopeful and whipped. A lot of emotions raging. I didn’t want to drink, but I was uneasy as hell…
I had been told to wait at Gate 14 when I got to Minneapolis, for the Hazelden van. As it turned out, it wasn’t a long wait. There were two of us going in for treatment that day. (On a side note here, in later years, when I had long ‘lay-overs’ at the Minneapolis Airport between flights, I would sit at Gate 14, drinking coffee – to see if there were any “new guys” coming into treatment! Sick, huh?)
The van ride was about 45 minutes to Hazelden. As we turned off the highway, the driver, in recovery himself, pointed out a bar. He asked is either of us needed “one more” before going in. Neither of us took him up on his offer, but apparently, some do. He went on to tell us that upon completion of treatment we will receive a ‘coin’ from Hazelden. That coin, he went on to tell us, could be redeemed for 1 free drink at that same bar! Again, sick…
We got to Hazelden mid-afternoon and they put us in their clinic for a physical. Some are too sick (physically) to enter treatment. Then they gave us our ‘Recovery Starter Kit:’ a Big Book, the book of Alcoholics Anonymous, and a few other things. They told us to read the first 164 pages of the Big Book that night, and I did. At that time, I was willing to do anything to get sober! I don’t think I understood much of what I read, but I read it.
Then we were told our first 5 days were “assessment.” That scared the living Hell out of me! I knew I was a drunk. What if they told me at the end of the 5 days that they thought I ‘just drank a little too much,’ and they were cutting me loose. I knew I would die. So I decided to hold nothing back. It just didn’t make sense to me to ask for help, then hold back, or lie to the counselors and shrinks.
And so began my journey into sobriety…
This is the Hazelden facility, Center City, MN. Of interest, we were told that the ‘ice fishing’ scenes for “Grumpy Old Men” were filmed on that lake…