Alcoholic Anonymous Reaction Paper

I noticed that the participants did not look like what I perceived someone who was suffering from alcohol dependence would look like. They looked like productive law-abiding citizens. I am embarrassed to say that it never occurred to me that these individuals could live positive lives while battling alcoholism. I assumed that they would be dysfunctional and incapable to participate in the meeting. Instead many of them looked healthy and were eager to engage in the group discussion.

The other two people at the meeting declined to speak. They said they just wanted to listen. During the rest of the meeting, Andy spoke more about Step 12 and how to get to that step. Next was another prayer while everyone joined hands. The meeting ended at 1:10pm.

After the preamble, the Twelve Steps were recited by an AA member. These steps are basically what the members live by to become and remain sober. The first step is: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable. This step is the hardest because we all live in denial when it comes to admitting our wrongdoings to others. It is even harder when it is something that we like to do.

I have never experienced what it would be like to be a part of an AA meeting. The only time I have had seen or heard someone mention meetings for alcoholics has been TV shows and movies, which would portray these meeting as a circle of strangers just deliberating stories of their life and how this disease has changed them forever. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect. I felt intimidated and had a sense of nervousness, so I decided I would not go alone and brought a friend. My expectation upon entering this meeting was to see beat up people with bad hygiene and a homeless appearance. As a matter of fact, the expectations I had upon walking towards this place was that I was going to get hit on and even get kidnapped. As crazy as it

For this assignment, I observed an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting held at The Meeting Place on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. There were 15 members in attendance, 12 men and 3 women not counting myself. The group leaders were both women and sat at the front of the room. For confidentiality of the group member names will not be included. The meeting began with the group leaders reminding the attendees of the rules of AA and the process of the meeting. Several of the attendees read the declaration of AA and the documents associated with the meeting structure. After the introduction, several of the members gave their testimony regarding their own experience with drinking. Following the short declarations, a passage of the big book was

Attending a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was a humbling and informative experience. To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect going into the meeting. Right before I walked in, I felt somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed. I felt as if I was intruding on someone’s personal life with my presence, even though I knew I was welcomed since the meeting was listed as “open”. Alcohol abuse is a very sensitive topic to me, as someone quite close to me is an alcoholic: my Uncle. I know that he is a recovering alcoholic, but I never quite know what is going on with him because I don’t ask questions and he never shares what he is feeling with me. When I was younger, I remember that he was always the life of my family parties, but I know now it was because he was drunk. When I see him now, he isn’t as energetic as he used to be and often avoids situations where alcohol is involved. Although my Uncle did not personally tell me, my father has shared with me that he attends AA meetings at a church in my hometown. I never understood what AA meetings really entail and didn’t grasp how they helped alcoholics recover. Attending this local AA meeting helped shed light on what my Uncle feels, and I am more understanding to his addiction. I am thankful for this assignment because I know that my Uncle is not alone; the AA community is so supportive and the members all have the best intentions of getting

The first speaker at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was a woman who had been sober for more than 15 years. She related that when she was younger, and as the daughter of a preacher, there was a lot of pressure in her hometown to prove she was not a 'goody-two shoes'. She relates that her social drinking became pronounced following her divorce at which time she also began taking nerve pills and specifically Xanax that were not prescribed to her. All of this worsened until she had a car wreck one night causing great amount of disfigurement to her face. This woman suffered greatly for many years going through plastic surgeries in an attempt to correct her facial features. This woman discussed the subject of Attitude Modification during the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

For this paper I attended an Alcohol Anonymous meeting (AA), so that I could experience a new type of group that I have never been exposed to before. I attended the AA meeting here in Macomb, at the First Presbyterian Church on October, 1 2016 at 8:00pm. I learned about this group because a classmate informed me about it. I decided to choose this specific group because I have never been to an AA meeting before. I felt this would be a good way to get exposed to something I have never experience and to get a better understanding of an AA meeting.

The Speaker for the day was a nurse and an alcoholic. She has been an alcoholic for many years. She denied her disorder, although some of her coworkers would talk to her about getting help, she said she would tell them she had it under control until one day she realized that her job was in jeopardy because of her late night drinking and hangover. She was not able to care for the patients who were on her care. She stated that she started going to the AA meeting with the help of a friend. However a couple of years later she went back to drinking again until she lost her family and friends. Her husband had walked out on her and she had lost custody of her children because she was unable to take care of them. Further more, she had also withdrawn from her parents because they would advise her to get help. But one day her mother had confronted her about her disorder as

There are millions of people who have and who are suffering from alcoholism. For those seeking help with their addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may be the right for them. While this program is not promised to be a cure, and the authors of this program does not promise full recovery, it provides an atmosphere where members can be honest about their dependency on alcohol. Furthermore, AA provides support from other alcoholics, and rewards for meeting certain sobriety anniversary dates. This paper explores the history and major developments of AA. Furthermore, this paper explains the structure of meetings, and the roles the leader and members play during meetings. This paper also touches on AA’s definition of success and how it handles members who relapse. Additionally, this paper explains this student’s experiences of two AA meetings she attended, which include what she learned from attending the meetings, and what she learned from the people she met at the meetings.

It reminded me of reading proverbs from the bible but it was written in a more modern language and catered specifically to the transgressions that alcoholics face. I say this because each paragraph seem to bring enlightenment and truly connect with the members on a deep spiritual level. The people were friendly and cheerful yet expressed feelings of anger, resentment, and regret of how they felt in their sharings. This was a beautiful experience because it made me feel more human when hearing others openly discuss their lives in a manner that was raw and uncut. It became quickly evident whenever I looked around at the old office furniture and dull paint that I was in for a real experience. The issues discussed ranged from bad marriages, family grudges, even frustration with the outside world for its judgment on clubs. The people there shared a bond and understood the common enemy they were facing was cunning and confessed their weakness for it’s temptation. I couldn’t help but feel empathy as one by one they spoke freely and lost the masks we all wear to hide our inner thoughts from the public

Instead if a person wanted recognition: to state the name, admitted of alcoholism, and be cleaned from it then the recognition will occurred and the group will applaud for the accomplishment. The speaker came in and talked for 30-35 minutes. I learned a lot from the speaker and I looked at alcoholism differently now because of speaker. The speaker talked about how being around alcohol from a young age and used it because of parent occupation as a bartender. Instead of playing with friends and studying, the speaker choose to go the bar to watch bar fights. The speaker dropped out of the Marines because of alcoholism. It controlled the speaker’s life and it got to a point when the speaker stated: “I lost my job, apartment, and everything in 6 months because of it. The alcohol just enhanced my jerk behavior and I’m tired of it. I’m at my lowest point in life and I got to the point of being tired of blacking out and vomiting all the time. He asked God from helped and God directed him to AA Meeting”. The speaker ended the

and this may encourage them to have a long hard look at themselves. The best time to begin

In May of 2014, they meet at the Kent Branch Library in Toledo every third Wednesday of the month, from 9:15 to 11:15. Minutes are recorded and emailed to each member, and an agenda is created each month.

I know numerous people who use drugs recreationally, but I have never gotten a chance to hear first-hand from addicts. It is an eye-opening experience and it was an experience that I feel I will draw upon many times in my social work career. I also loved being able to witness such great bonds between the members and how welcoming they are to new attendees. If I was an addict, I know this is a place I would feel safe, supported, and loved throughout my journey to recovery. Honestly, it was very special and I cannot recall any situation or organization I have been involved with where I have seen such close ties within the members, no matter how long they have no each other. Sometimes, the only way to heal is by learning through those who have gone through similar situations and receiving support, which I clearly witnessed at this meeting. It helped me understand that while I may not be an addict, other people can be a great resource when going through difficult situations and this is something I will pass on to my clients in the