Hello to all as we near the end of this year. I am still in February I have no idea where the rest of this time has gone or what has happended. As some of you know I attend a 12 step group and have for centuries to fight my disease of alcohol and am still sober some 37 years. I was at a ongoing meeting on Christmas Eve, we have what they call marathon meetings around certain holidays to add extra support, what made this special to me and has caused me to wonder if we have the stages of AD right, yes we have it starts and you die correct, but the inbetween seeems to be not so straight forward. I know I have written on my blog the stages, others have, Alz Org has, but you folks, my experience and what happended Christmas Eve tell me in my mind at least that there is no set inbetween stages actually, that we experience similiar things to a greater or lesser degree as suffers. I man shared at the meeting that his father had passed in the last week from AD and he was happy for him and said how he felt. I fortunately had the oppportunity to talk with the gentleman after the meeting, hugged him and told him I was glad his dad had been set free. We looked at each other and I know he was confused, hell I know that feeling, so I gave him my card that has my book info on it. We talked about how his dad was diagnosed about 3 years ago with it, for most of the time he was level had some problems then came the LINE CROSSING, 4 months ago when we knew no one and went downhill and died in the 4 month period from AD. He and I feel the same if we can prevent ourselves (he does not have it yet) from getting to that line to end it before. He saw the suffering of his father and the destruction on the family and does not want to go through that or put the family through it. Unfortunately his mother is at some point in the disease, where?????? Another lady joined us and told about her parents dying from AD a number of years ago and as I listened I could hear that her parents did not follow the so called stages either. Yes they had portions of them but kind of out of order. I see that in myself and think what master mind is comming up with this stuff. Maybe we need to revist how the disease really progresses, the middle part, we know that it starts and then we die. I know for me this is long, but I was very much touched and moved by these folks, I could see their suffering, but they were able to understand to a point my side. Especially when we talked of how they could get away from it and here I was at this meeting still getting support to help me not drink and I brought along old Mr. AD, i cannot get away from it not even a second.

Well I need to shut up, take care of yourselves and if I forget, Have A Very Happy New Year one and all.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!
joe