One Day At A Time

In a world filled with constant competition, stress, grievous errors, venom and pain - this is most refreshing and comforting.

In the precarious course of his recovery, Mr. Kennedy, the 39-year-old son of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, has come to rely heavily on Mr. Ramstad, 60. He has served as Patrick Kennedy’s sponsor, his primary source of advice and support in what he calls “the daily fight for my life” against addiction.

The day after the accident, Mr. Kennedy received a phone call from Mr. Ramstad, a recovering alcoholic who has been an evangelist in Congress for addiction treatment and 12-step recovery programs. The men did not know each other well.

But in battling their addictions, the two built a fast kinship that flouts the partisan divisions of Congress, their own divergent politics and the conditional nature of so many friendships in Washington. They speak daily, often several times. Mr. Ramstad visited Mr. Kennedy during his 28-day rehabilitation, driving two hours each Saturday from his Minnetonka home.

The political world could learn much from these gatherings, Mr. Ramstad says. “If we could turn Congress into one big A.A. meeting,” he said, referring to Alcoholics Anonymous, “where people would be required to say what they mean and mean what they say, it would be a lot better Congress.”

With all that separates us, we too often forget what binds us together.  A big thanks to my Congressman, Mr. Ramstad, for helping us to remember.

Comments

[unclebenjamin]

That really is wonderful to hear. On the other hand I'm not really surprised. In my experience members of AA know that they face an adversary far more dangerous than a political opponent. Kudos to them both.