Recently, I was in contact with a young man I had met years ago at a drug treatment center. We both enjoyed seeing each other, and I was excited when he told me he had been sober since our first meeting. “How long has it been?” I asked. He answered, “It’s been over nine years ago. In fact, my last drink was on April Fool’s Day in 2002.” He smiled as he said, “That was the last time I acted as a fool.”

I reminded him of what the Bible says in Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whoever is deceived by it is not wise.” That’s God’s nice way of saying when a person abuses alcohol, he is a fool.

All this took place at the funeral home. His father had passed away, and I wanted to pay my respects to his family. His father and mother divorced when he and his siblings were very young. The divorce caused a lot of emotional wounds. His mother remarried, and her husband was a dedicated, loving husband and a great father to the children.

I asked my friend how the relationship between him and his biological father was. He said it was never good until he became sick. He shared that they had reconciled, and a day or two before his death, God allowed him the opportunity to pray with his dad. “As we ended, I wiped a tear from his eye,” he said.

I then asked if his siblings had an opportunity to reconcile. He said, “Yes, they were at peace with their dad.”

As I was leaving, I thanked him for sharing about the healing that took place in his family before his dad died.

On the drive home, I was reminded of what I’ve heard many times at recovering alcoholics’ support groups: Good things happen to drunks who quit drinking.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.