Never Alone

By Luke O’Brien

GALWAY, Ireland — There is a man sitting in the corner of the room by himself, his hair matted and greasy, his teeth stained from tobacco. His demeanor is calm and his eyes are welcoming.

He notices an American accent, and he introduces himself.

His name is “Beds,” and he is a 36-year-old from Wales who has been living in Galway for the past 6 years. He is unemployed, and he suffers from chronic back pain which he claims is the result of picking up his 2-year-old son.

He is also 18 months sober.

“Beds” is a friendly, outgoing yet soft spoken person who has an indescribable familiar quality. The invitation to coffee was extended and graciously accepted. He reminisced about  his youth, growing up in a small village in Wales where there was no “social” scene and where he spent most of his time drinking and chatting on the internet. This is how he met an American girl in New York City and eventually moved there to be with her.

It didn’t work out; his drinking caused their relationship to dissolve.

He proceeded to move to Galway where his drinking only escalated. This caused his subsequent incarceration and his treatment but it was still not enough for him to quit drinking.

It was not until the birth of his son, Sean, that he decided to seek help. Even though Sean could not understand the words his father was saying, “Beds” remembers the promise he made to his infant son almost 2 years ago. A promise he holds sacred.

He acknowledges the difficulty of sober life in a community that is centered around drinking and assured me that “if you can stay sober in Ireland you can stay sober anywhere.”  His sobriety has not only allowed him to be a better father but also gave him the opportunity to go back to school to get his degree in addiction counseling.

His quality of life has greatly improved over the past few months and his genuine gratitude for it was refreshing. Listening to him was more like talking to an old friend rather than a new acquaintance.

Later, this man from Wales and his new American friend departed. Shaking hands with the American, “Beds” said, “No worries; when your with God you are never alone.”