I attended an AA meeting back home in St. Louis during spring break. It was an “open” meeting, required by the course. The meeting wasn’t like I expected. I was under the impression that the room was going to be full of alcoholics, standing up and saying, “Hi, I’m (blank), and I’m an Alcoholic.” Like something I’ve seen on TV, portrayed in sitcoms, or comedy skits. A. A. is a support group, I know that, but the support comes from all over. I saw family members sitting with the subject, ranging from the children to grandmas. Well, only one grandma, but still unlike something that I was imagining. The meeting had refreshments, pamphlets, and other paraphernalia.The group leader passed around a collection plate, to defray cost of the food, and meeting place. One of the first people to speak , was a middle aged guy that had problems drinking with business associates. (Blank) described the weekly ritual of the office crew going to a local bar to unwind from the week before. This was all and good except that he started to drink on the weekend out on the golf course, then back in the club house. Then it got to the point of where the drinking was happening during the week after work. The drinking spiraled downward, to where he was in the drunk tank charged with a DUI. This occurred over a period of two years. This experience shows the trend that an alcoholic goes through.
Some (blanks) said that their family drank, or they started small and worked their way up in intensity as well as frequency. The main point of AA is that people are there for support, but the (blank) is ultimately responsible. Slip-ups do occur and are expected, but the will to want to quit is the overriding factor that keeps recovering Alcoholics sober for the next 24 hours.
