Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Experience

Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Experience
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Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Experience
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people brought together to solve their common drinking problem. Membership in such fellowship is open to anyone, and there are no age or educational restrictions, and non-alcoholics are welcomed as observers. AA meetings also cost nothing, are inclusive, and the primary purpose is to help alcoholics to achieve sobriety. According to the AA (AA, 2022) organization, members rely on the 12-steps to maintain sobriety, and groups use the 12 Traditions to stay unified. In Miami-Dade, an example of such a group is the Alcoholics Anonymous-Miami-Dade Intergroup. The current paper documents the experience of attending one of the group's sessions.
AA Group Description
The official name of the program is Alcoholics Anonymous-Miami-Dade Intergroup (AA-MDI). I attended the meeting as an observer on 26th June 2022, an hour session that started at 7.00 AM. The meeting was held in South Dale Room on 10965 SW 186th Street, Miami, FL. I chose this meeting because of the proximity and rarity of such meetings since the announcement that most activities have moved online. On 25th June 2022, AA announced on its website that due to Covid-19 and the inability of group members to meet in person, attendees were limited to mainly attending online meetings. Thus, this made this session special because of the determination of the attendees to attend amidst the current circumstances. According to AAC (2021), the AA program was established in 1935 by recovering alcoholic Bill Wilson. At its heart, AA calls members to surrender absolutely to God and devote themselves to daily prayer, meditation, or joining with other alcoholics in support of religious groups. The critical elements of the original AA program include abstinence from alcohol, obedience to God's will, acceptance of Jesus as the Savior, and help for other alcoholics. Despite its religious roots, it does not mean that AA is not inclusive. In this group session, both genders and most racial or ethnic groupings were represented in almost equal numbers. For instance, there were six women and four men, including 3 African Americans, 4 Mexican Americans, 1 Asian-American, and 2 Whites. The group's goal in this session was for attendees to list all the persons they harmed to embark on a journey to make amends.
Objective Impression and Personal Rationale
Due to Covid-19 and the inability of members of the AA program to meet in person, most sessions have been taken online. While online services appear to be an ideal alternative, they are also exclusive to those members who do not have the resources to attend online sessions. Thus, attending these sessions amidst each member's challenges and the AA organization's inability to support in-person meetings is a commendable effort. The inclusive nature of the meeting was highlighted not only in the diversity of demographics but also in the presence of posters indicating accommodations for people with disability or in wheelchairs. This was evident at the entrance, where a make-ship ramp for wheelchairs was temporaril...