Essay My Experience Attending an Aa Meeting - 866 Words

My first experience at an alcoholics anonymous meeting was very interesting and in a way uplifting. At All Saints Lutheran Church the home group called â€Å"The Young People’s Group† there were people who had come from all walks of life. The group meeting that I thought would have been rather small slowly became larger and larger over the course of the night. I was unaware that the AA meetings had been setup with a set of codes or rules for those who struggle every day to fight this addiction. They allowed people who were new or if it was their first meeting to introduce themselves and tell their story to the fight of addiction related to alcohol. I was really impressed with the fact that the AA groups have an awards system for reaching†¦show more content†¦He was an older man in his 60’s and also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Keith struggled with sobriety and still does however; his stories were geared around the military. He said that the military in a way helped him become an alcoholic. The military by no means persuaded him but it aided him by the governmental money he received for being a member of the Marines. He told us that all he would do is make the money for his services then he would blow it on alcohol and fun times in the bar. Keith was very blunt about his experiences and even called himself an asshole. He thought of himself as a good guy but then he said he would vomit in the bathrooms and clean off his face just so that he could still party with the people in the bar. He called himself an asshole because he said he was a funny drunk but when people looked at him they just got really mad. Keith said that obviously he got into a lot of fights and he wasn’t scared of anyone. After his experience with alcohol in this manner he came to the conclusion that being sober was going to be the right thing for him even though he knew it was going to be a struggle everyday of his life. One im portant thing he said that I thought was the highlight of the meeting was about being sober. He said, â€Å"Its true what they say about being sober; it stands for son of a bitch everything’s real.† This really hit me because evenShow MoreRelatedAttending A Local Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesTaylor O’Sullivan SDS3481: 12 Step Meeting Paper November 16th, 2016 Attending a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was a humbling and informative experience. To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect going into the meeting. Right before I walked in, I felt somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed. I felt as if I was intruding on someone’s personal life with my presence, even though I knew I was welcomed since the meeting was listed as â€Å"open†. Alcohol abuse is a very sensitive topicRead MoreGroup Experience : Alcoholics Anonymous1441 Words   |  6 PagesSupport Group Experience Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous is a group composed of men and women who want to stop drinking and help each other stay on the path towards sobriety. They are not affiliated with any other organization, denomination, or institution and the only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking (Fisher Harrison, 2013). They meet at least once a week, if not more to support one another and to share their experiences, struggles, and successes. I attendedRead MoreThe Importance Of Attending An Aa Meeting1177 Words   |  5 PagesAttending an AA meeting was a very different experience for myself, I had herd of these meetings through family but had never gone so it was a little scary for me to attend. I was not sure on what to really expect when going or what I would get of out attending the meeting, but I was ready. 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Attending a 12 step meeting was not easy because of my own misconceptions about the AA organization. I do not know anybody personally that has or had attended an AA meeting. However, I have never believed that AA meetings really work because of its organizational structure. Having a fellow recovering alcoholic member leading the groups does not sound like it would lead to something life changing. I have to say that I was wrong in my beliefsRead MoreMeeting : Buckeye Easy Dose It1112 Words   |  5 Pages12-Step Meeting: Buckeye Easy Dose It Alcoholics Anonymous can help individuals struggling with substance abuse. Low self-esteem in a person has been implicated in the development of alcohol use disorder, and relapse (Donovan, Ingalsbe, Benbow, Daley, 2013). In this report, I will discuss her experience of visiting an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting at Buckeye Easy Does It (BEDI). I will also present the topic of the meeting, her reaction to the topic, how 12-step can help. The barriers oneRead MoreAa Meetings Essay 2991 Words   |  4 Pages I first attended AA meetings as a requirement while I was in outpatient treatment in 2002. So when I learned that I had to go for a class assignment, I thought I would be comfortable attending a meeting. I was going with the intent on just sitting in the back and listening. The meetings that I had gone to in the past were held at the treatment center where I was seeking help. For this assignment, I went to a group meeting at a prominent church in south Charlotte. OnceRead MoreThe Importance Of A Counseling Student Studying Chemical Dependency957 Words   |  4 Pagesdependency, I was assigned to attend two 12-step meetings to better understand the 12-step process. I attended two Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings at the Episcopal Church in Starkville; MS. AA is a worldwide fellowship of alcoholic men and women who are banded together to solve their common problems and to help fellow sufferers in recovery from alcoholism. These particular Alcoholics Anonymous meeting opened with a serenity prayer, a reading of the AA preamble, a daily reflection, and various otherRead MoreAttending An Alcohol Anonymous Meeting Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesAnonymous meeting (AA), so that I could experience a new type of group that I have never been exposed to before. I attended the AA meeting here in Macomb, at the First Presbyterian Church on October, 1 2016 at 8:00pm. I learned about this group because a classmate informed me about it. I decided to choose this specific group because I have never been to an AA meeting before. I felt this would be a good way to get exposed to something I have never experience and to get a better understanding of an AA meetingRead MoreAlcoholics Anonymous : A Anonymous1442 Words   |  6 Pagesweek, if not more to support one another and to share their experiences, struggles, and successes. I attended an AA meeting held at the St. Stephens Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. I was a little apprehensive at first because I have never attended a meeting such as this and didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I went to the office to ask for directions. The woman sitting at the desk walked me over to the meeting room where I was greeted by an older gentleman. He welcomed