There are definitely some pied pipers throughout the rooms of recovery from addiction. What are they you may be wondering? Simply put, they are the people who lure others to follow their lead, but who don’t have the purest of intentions, and who often guide people into nothing but darkness.
For those who may not remember the children’s fable about the pied piper, it’s about a man that’s hired by a mayor to lure all the rats that have overrun a town. The mayor in turn promises to pay a fee for their removal. With the aid of his magic flute, the piper entices all the rats away as promised. But when the town refuses to pay for his service, he then uses his magic flute to lead all the children away to their demise.
So how does this grim fairy tale relate to recovery?
While there may not specifically be magic flutes being utilized by anyone in the rooms I’ve ever attended, the magic itself generally comes within the words some people use when speaking. Quoting lines off the top of one’s head directly from the recovery books such as the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous or the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions can seem pretty impressive. Just like it can be as impressive when someone speaks quite eloquently with copious amounts of self-knowledge during a recovery meeting. But many of those who appear to have such an incredibly strong program of recovery and who are so alluring in their words aren’t really what they appear to be, no different from the pied piper of that grim fairy tale.
What I mean by this is how they’re living their life outside the rooms. Many have gotten newcomers to follow them, while their underlying intention was only sexual in nature (13th Stepping). Then there are those who have gotten newcomers to follow them, while their lives have been rampant with other addictions and their negative behaviors that’s just as toxic for either, such as codependency, watching porn, promiscuity, or overspending to name a few. And lastly, there are plenty who have gotten newcomers to follow them, where their character defects are still flourishing like gossiping, judging, and character assassinating. Most of these pied pipers also “shine” in various other ways by offering their house up as a place for those who are homeless, or by providing things such as free meals, clothes, and various other gifts for those who might need them. Except all of these are part of that “magic song” the pied piper plays to lure these individuals to follow them. And sadly, the unfortunate result for any of them who do is the demise of their own recovery and spirituality. I should know as I’ve experienced both.
I once was a pied piper myself, able to lure people to follow my program through my own majestic speaking and generosity, yet each who fell into my trance were unaware of my dark intentions and behaviors that plagued my entire life. Many ended up relapsing because of it, while others only grew more and more sick in the process.
I once was also lured into the “music” of several other pied pipers in recovery, only to end up being used myself for their sexual exploits, their need to not be alone, or their financial gain. With each, my level of depression and anxiety increased until I became so toxic I had to be hospitalized.
So you see, there really are those pied pipers and the innocent children they prey upon in the rooms of recovery from addiction. While the pied pipers may be able to play wonderfully melodic music through their stirring words or acts of kindness that beckons one to follow them, be forewarned that only darkness and destruction to one’s spirituality and recovery awaits on this path. Instead, seek one’s own Higher Guidance to find those who are living, breathing, and walking examples, both inside and outside the meeting rooms, of spiritually healthy individuals in recovery. I thank God for finally being able to say I’m now one of them…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson