The building has had many names in its different locations. In the late '80s, it was the Big Yellow House. Before that, members called it The Church Basement. But its proper name is the Capitol Hill Alano Club.
As stated on its Web site, the club was founded by Seattle's recovering gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgenered community "in 1982 to support 12-step groups in their primary purpose of carrying their messages to those seeking recovery by providing a safe and permanent meeting place." Located at 1900 E. Madison, the Alano Club hosts over 60 12-step meetings weekly in seven different recovery programs. No pictures, or last names, of members were given for this article, as all 12-step programs contain statements regarding member anonymity.
Jack O, an original Alano Club member, also served as a leader on the first board of directors when the organization took shape at the former Methodist Church 1601 E. John St. Sober since 1978, Jack said many people were involved in the beginning.
"Almost everyone back then was involved in getting (the Alano Club) started. Laura B. and Chuck W. were very involved. They hunted down the lease with the first landlord at the church," he said. "Part of the motivation to start it was that as the church went, so did the meetings. The church was very supportive, but if anything were to happen to the church the gay and lesbian recovery community would be at risk. We decided to branch out and get longevity."
The search for longevity prompted the Alano Club to find its East Madison Street location. Previously, it has been at five other sites in nearly 25 years, including a stint at the building that's now home to Lambert House on 15th. Back then, it was referred to as the Yellow House for its bright exterior color.
Jerry T., a Capitol Hill resident, went to his first meeting at the Yellow House. He has attended Alano Club meetings in different programs sporadically for 20 years. He has been clean and sober for the last two years, and is grateful to be back in 12-step meetings. Jerry had a defining moment that returned him to recovery this time.
"I caught myself in the mirror at three in the morning with a meth pipe and a martini, and it was not glamorous," he said. "Everything I had learned over the years came rushing back at me in the blink of an eye at age 40, so I knew the truth about what I was up against...addiction, the unman-ageability of my life. The delusion that I was like other people was smashed in that moment."
For him, the club is an essential gateway into meetings. Going to the Capitol Hill Alano Club allowed Jerry to get out in the world and begin living again. He attended Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) when he retuned, but now calls AA his primary program.
"Crystal Meth was secondary," he said. "If I do anything, I would drink first. Alcoholism is different than drug addiction. Crystal meth takes everything from you, and you're lucky to get clean. With alcohol, I know I can't safely use it but it's accepted socially. You don't see desserts made with crystal meth. You don't see crystal meth in your red sauce. Alcohol is more pervasive. The thinking is very different. I always relapsed on alcohol, and I used drugs so I could drink more."
Jerry now attends two meetings at the Alano Club each week.
"I absolutely recommend people attend meetings," he said. "It's been essential for me. In the beginning, I needed to go where other gay people were recovering. I wasn't comfortable in the mainstream. Had (the Alano Club) not been there I would have never gone. I'm really grateful it was there."
Jack shares Jerry's sense of gratitude. One night, instead of ending up at one of the downtown gay bars, Jack found himself in the church basement at an AA meeting.
"I would not have gotten sober if I had to go to a mainstream club," he said. "I didn't know much about AA. I saw (meetings) in the Seattle Gay News in the events section and I ended up there instead of going to Numbers or Johnny's Handlebar. The club has served as a beacon...to the community. It became a sober place to socialize. People are very aware of it. There have been thousands of people that have come through there. There is the same awareness that took me to a meeting in 1978 that is carried on today."
Annually, there are two fundraisers that support the Capitol Hill Alano Club: the Bat 'n Rouge annual softball game in June and the selling of Christmas trees later in the year. Look for the Christmas trees to go on sale later this month.
Go to www.capitolhillalan oclub.org for more information.
Freelancer writer William Freeberg lives on Capitol Hill. He can be reached at editor@capitol hilltimes.com.
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