Recovering alcoholics share lifesaving experiences

Note: On occasion in this space, adapted excerpts from the EndNotes blog, www.spokesman.com/blogs/endnotes, will substitute for the usual question-and-answer format for the column.

Alcoholics Anonymous hosted a community outreach lunch last week in downtown Spokane. Men and women working the 12-step program asked people from different professions to the luncheon meeting to raise awareness about AA.

The folks in recovery told their stories. Almost to a person, they said that getting sober saved their lives.

They didn’t mean it just metaphorically. They meant that stopping the booze stopped the physical decline which would have led, eventually, to a premature death.

How do you approach a co-worker, a family member or a friend you suspect is alcoholic and in physical and or emotional danger because of it?

Best bet: Say you are concerned about the person, and have materials in hand, such as an AA brochure that lists meetings. There are meetings nearly around the clock, every day of the week, and a 24-hour number: (509) 624-1442.

Don’t expect gratitude. Most people you approach will express outrage, and they may even stop talking to you.

One of the speakers, Diane M. (AA members don’t disclose last names), said she was in denial when first approached and was insulted that someone would think she had a drinking problem.

But eventually, she was ready to hear the message and get sober, which she’s been now for nearly 30 years.

Diabetic rights

While preparing for a guest lecture in a journalism diversity class, this question arose: Which groups of citizens might get organized and vocal in the next decade?

Put EndNotes on record here as predicting people with diabetes will become a strong activist group.

Last week, a former San Francisco Walgreens worker got lots of press for a lawsuit she’s filed against her employer.

She felt her blood sugar level dipping and ate a bag of potato chips. She quickly paid for the $1.39 bag but was sacked anyway. The company cited its zero-tolerance policy for employee shoplifting.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed the lawsuit on her behalf. In Web world, the outrage is against the store and for the woman.

Diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages, 8.3 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.

Diabetics marching in the street someday? Could happen.

Survival of the ugliest?

Still loving the irony of this: The Neanderthals, dissed as brutes and failed experiments on the road to humanity, appear still to dwell in our DNA.

Between 1 percent and 4 percent of the Eurasian human genome seems to come from Neanderthals, and their genetic contribution might somehow help account for the survival of humans, according to a BBC report on a European genetic study.

We’re No. 41

That’s the world ranking for the United States in newborn survival rate, according to a PLoS Medicine Journal report.

Countries better at saving their newborns include Malaysia, Cuba and Poland.

The report also included this less surprising but sad fact: “Afghan babies face the greatest risks, with one of every 19 dying in the first month of life.”

Say it with flowers

In recent EndNotes columns, we’ve mentioned flowers in two separate answers.

In one, we talked about how many obits now read “in lieu of flowers,” and in another, we talked about how flowers might not be the best gift for a person in the hospital, because their care adds another burden for sick people.

Susan Matteson, who owns Peters and Sons Flowers in Spokane with her husband, Ray, emailed with an interesting counterpoint.

She said: “We did not care for flowers being called default items and that since (flowers) needed watering, they weren’t recommended. If persons would consult with floral professionals instead of choosing pictures off the Internet, the professionals could guide them to making an appropriate purchase.

“When confined to small spaces, flowers help bring the outdoors inside and add cheer. If flowers are in vases, the vase is large enough to have a good water supply and no one needs to worry about always adding water every day.

“During our present economy, many flower shops are ‘mom and pop’ stores, struggling to survive. A derogatory comment about flowers doesn’t help. Remember that all these small little stores are what help our economy survive.”