Alcoholics Anonymous is a controlled, welcoming and non-judgmental environment for people who are battling an addiction to alcohol. There are meetings spread throughout the country to assist those fighting. I attended a meeting on September 24, at Saint John’s Baptist Church, from 7:30 to 8:30. There were many members that came and told their stories. The majority of the participants were males above 40 years old. There were also about three females, one as young as early 30’s. There were only a few roles that were assigned throughout the meeting. A leader ran the meeting, a secretary that spoke about upcoming events that the church was holding, and also two other people were chosen at random to read. One person read prayer—that is read each week—to begin the meeting and an addition person read a two page script that set the tone for the meeting reminding the members about what Alcoholics Anonymous is all about. The environment was therapeutic in the ways that it was set up.
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The meeting was held in a room at the church. There were banners hanging from the head table and also on the wall that included encouraging sayings such as, “little by little” and many others. There were coffee and cookies that the members could enjoy while the meeting was taking place. The environment was welcoming and comfortable for those who were there as Alcoholics. I was an observer, however, the environment was not very welcoming to me. The members didn’t allow a chance to introduce myself and explain that I was an observer. I did not participate in meeting because it was stated that only alcoholics speak. Although I was uncomfortable, the participants felt as though they could share their stories with the group. The gentleman that ran the meeting had an interesting story to tell about his time as an alcoholic and how he has recovered. He started drinking when he was about 14 years old. He said that was his way of proving himself to all the different cliques in high school and even in college. He believed that was the best way to make friends and that it was socially acceptable in that stage of life. Time went on and he continued drinking as work grew more difficult and life was more stressful. He married a woman who also liked to drink, so it was okay when he partied and got carried away. His wife stopped drinking and this man drank even more “to make up for what she was not drinking” He and his wife had a daughter together, however he continued to drink. He found himself pushing off work and …show more content…
The members follow a 12 step program that is designed to lead them to recovery. This 12 step program is the philosophy of these meetings. There were many religious moments during the time period. The meeting opened with a prayer and ended with a prayer. The end prayer was “Our father” in which we all stood in a circle and held hands as we recited the prayer—which brought everyone together and gave everyone the strength they needed until the next meeting they attended. There was also a banner that was hung next to the Alcoholics Anonymous banner that read “But for the grace of God” which reminds everyone that they are who they are because of
The meeting was held in a room at the church. There were banners hanging from the head table and also on the wall that included encouraging sayings such as, “little by little” and many others. There were coffee and cookies that the members could enjoy while the meeting was taking place. The environment was welcoming and comfortable for those who were there as Alcoholics. I was an observer, however, the environment was not very welcoming to me. The members didn’t allow a chance to introduce myself and explain that I was an observer. I did not participate in meeting because it was stated that only alcoholics speak. Although I was uncomfortable, the participants felt as though they could share their stories with the group. The gentleman that ran the meeting had an interesting story to tell about his time as an alcoholic and how he has recovered. He started drinking when he was about 14 years old. He said that was his way of proving himself to all the different cliques in high school and even in college. He believed that was the best way to make friends and that it was socially acceptable in that stage of life. Time went on and he continued drinking as work grew more difficult and life was more stressful. He married a woman who also liked to drink, so it was okay when he partied and got carried away. His wife stopped drinking and this man drank even more “to make up for what she was not drinking” He and his wife had a daughter together, however he continued to drink. He found himself pushing off work and …show more content…
The members follow a 12 step program that is designed to lead them to recovery. This 12 step program is the philosophy of these meetings. There were many religious moments during the time period. The meeting opened with a prayer and ended with a prayer. The end prayer was “Our father” in which we all stood in a circle and held hands as we recited the prayer—which brought everyone together and gave everyone the strength they needed until the next meeting they attended. There was also a banner that was hung next to the Alcoholics Anonymous banner that read “But for the grace of God” which reminds everyone that they are who they are because of