When I saw the Alcoholics Anonymous assignment on our syllabus earlier this semester I thought, "Oh my god, I have to go to some stupid AA meeting." In the weeks prior to attending the meeting, I was very nervous about attending it because I did not know what to expect. Some of the questions going through my mind were: "Was everyone expected to talk at the meeting?" and "Was I going to be criticized as the outsider wanting to know what AA was all about?" Those were my two main concerns. However, I knew someone who is currently a member of AA. His name is "PB". "PB" is the husband of my supervisor and he was more than willing to take me to a meeting and show me what Alcoholics Anonymous was all about. Before leaving for the meeting, I asked "PB" several questions. They ranged from the length of the meeting to specific problems some of the members. He told me not to be surprised if there were some members who were admitted alcoholics and narcotic addicts. As I questioned him further, he said that many of the people in that predicament were also former criminals. One person in particular was so involved with both drugs and alcohol that he nearly died at the emergency room from an alcohol overdose. Now that my questions were answered, I felt much more at ease and ready to go to the meeting.The building where the meeting took place is located in an office park near The Colonnade. The meeting room is perfect for Alcoholics Anonymous. The room is surrounded by numerous oak trees with a small pond in the center of the complex. Having this view in front of the group could only help a person feel at ease with themselves. When "PB" and I arrived, he introduced me to all of the members who made me feel welcome. As I surveyed the participants, I could notice that they were from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. One section I found interesting is the differing occupations of the people in the room. Some of them were very...
