Alcoholics Anonymous

only addiction program that Annie knew about was what her brother told her about his experience with A.A. He says you start out every meeting admitting that you are an alcoholic powerless against alcohol. He says they believe alcoholism is a fatal illness without a cure. And I personally know self-proclaimed alcoholics who, rather than finding peace, fight a daily battle for sobriety. It seems miserable in our culture to be sober (p. 15, para 4). Living one day at a time;…

Upon learning about this assignment I struggled with an idea of what kind of meeting to attend. I thought about playing it safe and attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting as I have attended several of these meetings and know the basic flow of things. Not only does this go against the requirements of this paper but I feel that it would do me a disservice. I ultimately decided to attend a “Restore” meeting at my church. It is similar to A.A. but it addresses an array of addictions anywhere from…

introduced himself, read the preamble and asked if there were any new members present. I was surprised to know I wasn’t the only one as there were four more other new members. Unlike the other two groups I attended, I didn’t introduce myself as an alcoholic. This time I felt almost compelled to do so as I am become familiar with the meetings. At first it felt uncomfortable, however after everyone went around and introducing themselves and saying it, it felt natural. I didn’t feel any member…

The 12 step meeting that I attended was an over eaters anonymous. When I arrived, I was greeted openly and the people were very friendly. I had to announced who I was and the purpose of me being there. I was surprise that I was accepted as part of the group. The group had given several pamphlets and invited me to attend their weekly meetings. There was a total of eight members and two guests. I took notice that there was not a speaker at the meeting. Instead it was a group of people viewing…

The third story is about a man who was been trying to stay sober for 23 years. In the beginning it was all a joke to him, that he was not ready for change. Coming to AA meetings had become part of his life and that he was taking it day by day. He had tried to quit many other times but was unsuccessful. He then had the desire to stop and have an open mind. Last year he was sober for 8 months and then because of some things went back to drinking. This year he has been 6 months sober. He says that…

Structural Analysis of “Who are the Real Victims of Alcoholism?” The essay “Who are the Real Victims of Alcoholism?” approaches the subject of alcoholism in relation to how it affects the children; specifically those who are dependent upon a person who suffers from alcoholism. Author Meredith Newman Blanco uses examples from Molly Peacock’s poem, “Say You Love Me,” in order to make the reader understand the positions and situations these children are faced with. Highlighting the augmented and…

Reflection on Group The group I decided to attend was a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) group in my local community. I was invited to the NA meeting to celebrate a friend’s one year anniversary of sobriety. I thought this was a great opportunity to observe group members and experience an NA meeting. As I walked into the basement of the church to attend the NA meeting, I was greeted graciously with handshakes and hugs from a few group members at the door. I sat in the back of the room, in order to get…

some cookies and coffee. The meeting facilitator introduced herself, and welcomed us to the meeting. Shortly everyone began to take seats around several tables.The facilitator introduced herself, by name, and then by acknowledging that she was an alcoholic. She then gave everyone a moment for quiet prayer or meditation, followed by the group reciting the serenity prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and…

On September 11, Kayla, Taylor and I attended the Parklane Group AA meeting. This meeting was covering chapter eight in the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by Bill W. Before reading chapter eight, the leader of the AA meeting read aloud the rules and upcoming events, he then had us introduce ourselves. I was surprised to see that every time someone wanted to speak they first stated their name and referred to themselves as an alcohol addict. I thought this was only done in movies. However…

Church Broadway on 96th Street. The meeting takes place every Friday evening at 7:30 PM and it runs for one hour. The leader of the group immediately self-identified and was very personable. He started the meeting by reading the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He then welcomed the speaker of the night, a 40 something female who has been sober for the last 10 months originally from New Jersey. She was quick at sharing her past with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. She was the victim of…