I met John in Nashville this past Saturday night. It was almost poetic to see him standing on the sidewalk with the lights of Music City behind him as he tilted back his beer. Almost.
He told me that he moved here from another state to start over, but it wasn't working as he planned. I asked, "What are you running from?" With curiosity, he said, "What do you mean?" I replied... "Drugs, a girl, alcohol?" His smile turned to a frown as he replied, "Alcohol, these streets are going to kill me. I've tried to stop, but every penny I get goes to buy more. I can't stop."
I then asked the soft spoken 65-year old man, "Do you want to stop drinking?" He smiled, "I sure do!"
John did not have a cell phone so I knew looking for him on a sober morning would be like hunting down a needle in a haystack, but I hit the streets on Monday in Nashville in search of John. I found him.
Long story short, he did a phone interview to get into a treatment center located in North Carolina. He is now on the short list to be accepted. Hopefully, he will be on his way to the 65-day treatment program within the next three weeks.