If my readers want to read the kind of news that digs dirt -- I mean really good, dark, dank, rich dirt then get ready for some mouth watering material delivered from ground zero.  My eyebrow is raised, my head is cocked back in a rather ominous yet melodramatic pose.  Kevin Fine... was my lawyer!  (Dun dun daaaaaaaaah!)

Admittedly, he didn't represent me for anything recently.  I got into a brief snag back in 2001 when I was a junior in college.  At the time Mr. Fine worked for a very prestigious law firm that I will leave unmentioned considering the level of prestige involved.  I got a minor misdemeanor for a small amount of grass while attending a rather conservative university in Texas.  Back then, it was considered one of the MOST conservative universities in Texas, so a small amount of grass could cause a terrific amount of trouble regarding my eligibility to continue my education there. 

I retained Kevin Fine.  He rode motorcycles and dipped snuff tobacco.  He had a platinum voice dressed in a righteous southern drawl.  Oh, and here's the best part that really ties the whole image together:  he's a recovering cocaine addict.  C'mon!  To a college kid that just got busted for a little grass, this guy is EXACTLY the lawyer I wanted.  He manages to pull together a deferred adjudication sentence for me, which in his defense (giggle) was quite a feat considering the motion to suppress the evidence shoud have been hook, line and sinker in my favor, but the judge who signed the search warrant was the father of the officer who's affidavit the search warrant was based on.  You still with me?  Dirt folks... real good, juicy, dirty dirt.

A couple of years passed, and though I'd learned my lesson with grass, drinking and driving was still a former privilege Texans used to have before I reached the ripe old drinking age of 21.  I certainly hate to be left out, and to me that privilege was like a party that I needed to crash (these puns are a source of joy for me right now).  Who's my go-to guy?  Kevin Fine, of course.  Kevin voices concern there may be a pattern involving intoxicating substances causing trouble in my life.  He tells me to check out some AA meetings and to listen for solutions for recovery.  So I took his advice.  Admittedly, I believe in my heart I might've dialed his number a few more times had I not listened to Kevin then.

I read about his recent arrest while drinking my coffee today, and I couldn't suppress the smile that crept slowly across my face.  Kevin Fine -- living evidence that recovery is not a cure -- it's life.  Many people say that you can't get solution and sobriety from those who aren't sober.  I disagree.  I believe there are addicts struggling so tragically that the only glimpses of recovery they watch grow come from the seeds they plant in others.