My First Meeting : Alcohol Anonymous

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.

Lastly, the chairperson recounted her own personal story with addiction. I was surprised how the group handled her story in a positive way. I noticed at times members laughed and even smiled and others making brief supporting comments. Rather than judge the events of her life, the group members seemed to connect in a personal way. I liked how the meeting was honest and open. Afterwards different members of the meeting read brief AA literature, "How it Works," the "Twelve Traditions" and "The Promises." I listened to each of them very closely

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

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the largest and most commonly known self-help group in the world. Since the creation of AA in 1935, there have been many programs modeled after it, which are also based on the 12-Step Program. Some of these include Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Chemically Dependent Anonymous, as well as programs for specific drugs, such as Cocaine Anonymous (CA) and Crystal Meth Anonymous (NIDA, 2012). Attendance and participation for self-help groups are open for anyone to attend and free of cost for all members, with meetings typically held in locations such as churches and public buildings. “Metropolitan areas usually have specialized groups, based on such member characteristics as gender, length of time in recovery,

I attended an AA meeting held at the St. Stephens Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. I was a little apprehensive at first because I have never attended a meeting such as this and didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I went to the office to ask for directions. The woman sitting at the desk walked me over to the meeting room where I was greeted by an older gentleman. He welcomed me in and offered me some coffee and a snack, as I walked in I noticed that there were three other older gentlemen sitting at a table talking. I began to feel uncomfortable and wondered if there would be any women attending the group. I was invited to sit down and was handed a small book, which looked like a bible, and a coin. The man explained that the book of Alcoholics Anonymous which is commonly known as the “Big Book” provides information about Alcoholics Anonymous, how it works, the story of how it came into being, information about alcoholism, a listing of phone numbers to groups in other states and

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 objective of this study is to write a reaction on a 12-step meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous with the focus of the meeting being attitude modification. The meeting attended was the Stairway Group meeting in Decatur, Alabama. The members who attended this group meeting were of all ages, of both the female and male gender and were white, black, and Hispanic individuals. The majority of the attendees were males.

Experiencing an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting was something quite unlike any of my previous experiences. Before I had entered the small room packed with people from wall to wall, my thoughts were soaring. They drifted from “this is most likely going to be extremely scary” to “how am I supposed to face these people who are suffering so badly, as if it’s no big deal.” I expected the stereotypical scene: small gathered circle, people crying, a table of pastries to the side of the room, and most importantly an extremely tense atmosphere. I expected the people in this meeting to look down at me, as I looked so much younger than they were. I projected the room to be filled with a sadness and intensity like no other. Before entering, I felt nervous, scared, and also excited for what I was about to encounter. Most of my expectations, however, did not occur.

To my surprise they introduced themselves by their first name and proclaimed that they were an alcoholic. After they shared the other people in the group would thank them for their courage. Honestly, I thought that that was only ever like this in a movie and not in a real AA meeting. After a while I realised that it was almost like an encouragement and reward for sharing to have the whole group listen and thank you for your strength to share and for what you brought to the group. Many had had similar experiences than the main speaker, especially in the beginning when they had thought that they would only be in AA for a short while and then continue on with their lives as previously. Many of the also mentioned the Big Book and how they needed time to understand the things that are written in it. Most disliked the book when first reading

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.

On Friday afternoon, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting at the Daily Drinkers Club. The people that ran this meeting were very helpful and once alcoholics, so they were open to answering any questions that I had. The meeting started promptly at 3:00 pm and the mediator Tony introduced himself. First, the preamble was read and two chapters (chapter 3 and a portion of chapter 5) out of the Alcoholics Anonymous book were read by the people who came to the meeting. One very important action that occurred was the collection of money for the meeting space. Since this rely heavily on donations to for have these meetings every day, they need at least $30.00/ daily to run sufficiently. The main discussion themes that were shared by the participants were their solutions to how they dealt with addiction and how taking ownership was their key to success. Promptly at 3:58 pm an AA participant read the “Vision for you” and the meeting was dismissed.

The meeting began with the discussion leader reading a passage from a book called Living Sober. The chapter was titled, “Be good to yourself.” After reading the passage, the discussion leader talked about his sobriety and offered some words of wisdom to the group as a whole. He then opened the floor for each person to say whatever he/she wants about his/her journey to recovery. The meeting then was passed from person to person. This part of the hour-long meeting went on for 45/50 minutes. Each person began their statement/story with “I’m __________, and I am an alcoholic.” The others then responded, “Hey/Hi ___________.” Some people talked about how they are several years sober. Others were obviously very new to the process. Most of the individuals

The meeting began with a prayer and a reading of the twelve steps, which I did, and preceded into a 25-minute meditation session. Following the meditation session, the floor was opened up for persons to reflect on their meditation. It was quiet for sometime, but eventually persons began to talk. Each person that spoke introduced himself or herself as, “Hi I am XXXX and I am an alcoholic” in which the rest of us responded with a hello. The discussion each person brought to the circle often revolved around what they had been experiencing in the last week, and ended with a positive-spin that reflected back on their journey with sobriety. One gentleman talked about his spring break on Orca Island with his kids, another discussed a speaker he was arranging to have visit Spokane, and another woman talked about an “essay reading party” she went to in which wine was being drank by the majority of participants. The meeting ended with the serenity prayer, something the girls at Daybreak say before lunch, and simple discussion between some of the participants. During this time I talked with the woman who had told me where to find the AA meeting. She talked with me about the need to find the proper AA meeting for myself, encouraging me to explore multiple

The main one was that I did not know what to expect. I was not sure of who was going to be there, and I felt I was going to invade the privacy of those in present. When I entered the meeting, I was very extremely uncomfortable for two reasons, the dark room and the age difference. After listening to their personal stories, I realized I was wrong. I was amazed at some of the meekness shown by the people, and was also moved to hear that many were misguide by their parents. I think the meeting was helpful for them because, they have one purpose they pursue every day and many are been encouraged with other people's experiences. My initial thought was that the meeting would be very depressing, and full of a bunch of drunks sitting around and telling stories about how alcohol has ruined their lives, but it was totally a different atmosphere. The people cared not only about themselves, but each other as well. They all shared their addiction to alcohol. The overall mood of the meeting though was very sad as they were all sharing their personal stories. Many were sad about the changes they had to make and how life has been very sober for them. At the end of the meeting, everyone stood up in a circle and held hands to say the Lord's Prayer. It was indeed encouraging to hear them pray together, knowing well that they cannot help themselves without the help of God. In spite of their dissimilarity,

The room was located in the multipurpose room of the church. There were no windows, just an assortment of chairs positioned in a circle for easy discussion. While waiting for the others to trickle in, I was educated that the weekly sessions were formed for addicts to discuss their journey of addiction, and to provide and receive support for their decision to remain sober.