Thank you, I could really relate to that article.  When I first walked into AA, the first thing that made me scared was that everyone smiled at me.  Looking back, I think my thinking went something like, if they knew me, they certainly would not be smiling!!!

Oh Well, it does take what it takes to get in here, ane the misconceptions that I drew in the beginning, were chizzled away, by my own decent into the the Disease.

When you feel bad enough, hopeless enough, and desperate enough, even a smile will not bother you.

Toni

It reminds me of a line from a Richard Braugtegen poem:  "Desperation IS the only thing that can cut through anything!"