From Dragonfly: Cold Shower

Every so often, you get into the shower here and there's only cold water. Our water has been exclusively freezing since last night. I still took a shower this morning, but it was awfully fast... most people did not do the shower route. Anyway, I did not expect this day to go anywhere good after a morning cold shower, but I was pleasantly surprised, and it is only 7:15am.

While eating a pop tart and watching the morning news in my unit, a woman sitting next to me and I started talking. Turns out that she was born in the city where I was prosecuted for my crimes... then it turns out that she was also a compulsive gambler. And, she is here for wire fraud for crimes connected to her gambling... first person who has my story.

Unfortunately, she has never been to a GA meeting and knows nothing about recovery. So, I offered her some materials. I lent her one of the books sent to me, as well as some materials my counselor sent my way. Although she hasn't gambled in 2 years, it is like a dry drunk, you need the recovery program to help you - especially once released from prison. Also, many people outside of G.A. don't recognize that contests, raffles, etc are also gambling. They may say they haven't been to a casino, but they may still be feeding their gambling action needs through different forms of gambling (which are plentiful in prison). So, I hope Ska decides to talk with me more about her gambling. She gambled in the same casinos as me - as well as the ones up in Alaska. We were surprised by our similar stories that led us in to prison. I hope she chooses to seek recovery. Whether or not she does, I know that I've armed her with some great reading materials and hope that she tries to understand the underlying gambling addiction. Only then, can she be able to make the changes necessary to ensure that she does not find herself going back to gambling, or, as happens with so many, switching to a different addiction.

So, cold water was just a disguise for a day where I was able to do something for someone else. It felt good.