Wounded or Wise

I spoke before a group of police officers in my home town. It was their holiday party, and they asked me to do a presentation on addiction and an inspirational talk on recovery. The group contained some of the same officers that ‘knew’ me during my years of addiction. I give speeches all the time in my work in front of audiences of ten people to many hundreds, and speaking is something that I enjoy and look forward to.  However, on this afternoon, I found myself very nervous. Nearly sick, really; in fact it has been many years since I have been that nervous. Standing in front of this group of men and women, badges shining, hair combed perfectly and uniforms pressed with sharp creases, brought back all the memories and emotions from a hard time in my life. Then, the police were always the enemy.

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