Addiction Reaction Paper

4 Pages 982 Words

I attended a 12 step Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at St. Georges Episcopal Church in Maplewood. When I pulled along side the curb and stepped into the winter air, I felt a nervous twitch in my stomach. I had never been to a meeting before, or known anyone who had, so I did not know what to expect. The meeting was also in my community, so I was somewhat apprehensive as to who might be in attendance.
I walked through the church doors, whose intimidating height and dark paint made me nervous enough, into a blindingly bright church hall, with bulletins stuck on every wall in the corridor, and about 10 or so middle aged people pacing back and forth, on cellular phones, making small talk, or reading the church bulletin. I found the sign with the bright, red arrow pointing downward, proclaiming “AA TONIGHT” in big, bold letters.
I walked down the stairs and into a basement of a church, into a room of about 3 people, including the man who later introduced himself as the group leader. I explained to him that I had to do an assignment for school that required me to sit in a 12-step program. He then told me that I was lucky that tonight he had a more mature crowd who doesn’t seem to clam up when new people arrive. He also said that he had gotten about 4 new people in the past week, which was much more than he had gotten in the past 4 months. As people started to file in, he introduced me to them as they came in, and no one seemed uncomfortable.
Before the session actually started, I looked around to take inventory. I was actually shocked to see the amount of people in attendance that seemed to me to look as if they were some of the most pious people in the community. One of the stereotypes of the physical characteristics of an alcoholic is supposed to be an untidy appearance; red, bloodshot eyes, or an overpowering, lingering scent of liquor on their breath and body. These people did not fit that stereotype; in fact, every member...