Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous

Introduction

For this first reaction paper I decided to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.  I was most nervous about this meeting because being a college student, I am someone who drinks regularly and sometimes in excess during social outings so I knew that I would feel uncomfortable being around people who struggle with something I often indulge in.  The meeting I picked was one in my hometown of Greenville, North Carolina.  It took place in the AA hut of a church near our local Salvation Army in what I would probably describe as the “rougher” part of Greenville.  I chose this meeting because it happened to fit my schedule and was listed as an open meeting for newcomers.  The meeting was at 8pm on a Monday and was held by the Pitt County Group.  The meeting consisted of about 12 people, most of whom were significantly older than me.  The majority of the group was African American males but there were a few White males as well.  There was one other female, an African American woman who appeared to be in her 60-70’s.  Most of the people at the meeting were dressed casually and appeared to be from a lower social class.  

Meeting Description

When I first arrived the man who was running the group greeted me and asked me to put on a nametag.  The room was set up with a bunch of chairs facing the front and a side table with water bottles on it.  Since the meeting had not started yet I took this opportunity to explain to the group leader why I was there and ask him a few questions.  About 10 minutes after 8 he made an announcement for everyone to grab a chair as he stood at the front and welcomed us all.  He explained that since this was a meeting for newcomers he had waited a little after 8 because he has noticed in the past that people tend to come late to their first meeting often due to hesitations.  He also explained that this meeting would not be a full hour because that can intimidate people who had never been to a meeting.  Next, a speaker came out and gave a brief personal account of how Alcoholics Anonymous meetings had helped him to stay sober for the past 15 years.

After the speaker was done, the leader asked us all to grab a chair and form a circle so that we could get started.  We each went around and introduced ourselves and explained why we had decided to attend this meeting.  The older woman I had noticed earlier explained that she was there with her son because he had not wanted to come alone.  I felt comforted by the fact I could relate to her being the only other woman and being there as support for someone and not because of her own addiction.  After everyone introduced themselves the man leading the group asked if anyone wanted to share anything.  A few people shared that they were there because their family members had encouraged them to get help.  One man in particular shared a story that really touched me because it was not something I expected someone to share at their first meeting.  He explained that he had decided to get help because two days prior he had driven drunk to the ABC store with his 8 year old daughter in the car so that he could get more alcohol since he knew they were about to close and would be closed on Sunday and he needed more to get him through the weekend.  He said that when he got home his girlfriend, who was also the mother of his child, had gotten back from work and was horrified and worried when she discovered they were gone.  His girlfriend told him that she and his daughter would be staying with her mom until she felt she could trust him again and so he decided this was the first step he was taking to ensure that he can have both of them back in his life again.  When he was done sharing a few more people explained briefly about the turning points in their lives that led them to come to the meeting.