Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Report

On Wednesday April 6th at 8:00pm, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the Salem United Church of Christ located on Marietta Avenue (2312 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster pa). I intentionally arrived a few minutes early in order to find a seat with my friend while we waited for the meeting to begin. The meeting took place in a large multipurpose room with circle tables available to sit at. Refreshments were offered to all who attended supplied by one of the group members.
At the start of the meeting, the member who led the discussion introduced herself and asked if there were any AA events members would like to share. One by one, a few individuals introduced themselves, stated they were an alcoholic, and proceeded to announce available

Through my research I have found that open meetings are “open to everyone” including alcoholics, family, friends, and students, or anyone else who is interested in the program. The only difference I could find between an open meeting and a closed meeting is that closed meetings are specifically for individuals who admit they have a drinking problem, and that is the only requirement. Additionally, I have found that attending a meeting is not accepting a commitment of any kind. Individuals are not obligated to process a membership file, verify attendance, or are expected to share if they do not want to. Lastly, I have found in my research that AA meeting take several forms with the overall purpose to allow alcoholics to discuss what drinking did to their lives, how if affected their actions and personalities, steps they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today. To my understanding, AA is a fellowship composed of men and woman seeking a common goal to combat alcoholism through abstinence and the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.
A recent study conducted by ________sought to discover what AA has to offer individuals with Alcoholism and how they perceive this twelve step program. Participants for this study included 187 respondents (36 females and 63 males) out of 500 invited to conduct an online survey. Invitations

These phrases summarize the principles associated with AA. Participants for this study were asked to interpret several of these phrases including “First things First”, “Live and let live”, “Fake it till you make it”, “Play it through”, and “One day at a time”. Many respondents indicated that “first things first” means prioritizing sobriety and only doing only one thing at a time. Next, many interpret “Live and let live” to mean that one should focus on themselves and accept others as they are. These phrases were exemplified throughout the meeting I went to because many members insinuated that sobriety is their number one priority. Additionally, a gentleman shared his realization that his friends and family members should not change their ways in order to accommodate him. Moving forward, participants indicated that “fake it until you make it” means they should follow the principles of AA until they become genuine. Lastly, “think it through” means consider the possible consequences of your actions and “One day at a time” means do not get hung-up on the future more so than the present day. These phrases may be interrupted differently between members but overall they are meant to compliment the 12 steps of AA. Analysis of results along with previous research relating to the 12 steps indicates that the steps of AA involve overcoming denial, trusting a self-defined spirituality, learning