Aa Reaction Paper
Courtney Wendelewski
Alcoholics Anonymous Reaction Paper
NUR 435
3/21/11
In the weeks prior to attending to the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, I was very hesitant to go. I had attended a few AA meetings many years ago with my Aunt. However, I was too young to understand the purpose and significance of the meetings. After being exposed to AA at such young age, I have since been very resentful to its mission and how it transformed my Aunt’s identity, for better or for worse. The strong emotions that I feel towards AA have made me bias to anything of a positive nature that would come out of the program. On the other hand, in order to help and understand those who suffer from alcoholism, I need to first address my values and beliefs by giving an open AA meeting a chance. Therefore, as I walked through the doors of my local church at the 8 o’clock meeting on Monday, anxiety and fear rushed throughout my body. I began to wonder, “would I be expected to admit I had an alcohol problem to even step foot through the doorway?” "Was I going to be criticized because I am the outsider that does not see myself as some with alcoholism?” and “Would this experiences bring unwanted feelings from my own family’s battle with alcoholism?” But, I needed to do this! When I walked into the parish hall there were rows of chairs for people to sit and the smell of coffee and donuts filled the air. People stood amongst one another talking about not their alcohol problem, but their college basketball picks and the recent loss of a local high school basketball team who had gone to states. My nerves began to calm down a little when I overheard this conversation and proceeded to find my seat in the back of the room. As the meeting started, we began with a serenity prayer and read the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The second step was the focus of the meeting. I stared at the poster containing the step because it took me quite some time to interpret what it meant. This
Alcoholics Anonymous Reaction Paper
NUR 435
3/21/11
In the weeks prior to attending to the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, I was very hesitant to go. I had attended a few AA meetings many years ago with my Aunt. However, I was too young to understand the purpose and significance of the meetings. After being exposed to AA at such young age, I have since been very resentful to its mission and how it transformed my Aunt’s identity, for better or for worse. The strong emotions that I feel towards AA have made me bias to anything of a positive nature that would come out of the program. On the other hand, in order to help and understand those who suffer from alcoholism, I need to first address my values and beliefs by giving an open AA meeting a chance. Therefore, as I walked through the doors of my local church at the 8 o’clock meeting on Monday, anxiety and fear rushed throughout my body. I began to wonder, “would I be expected to admit I had an alcohol problem to even step foot through the doorway?” "Was I going to be criticized because I am the outsider that does not see myself as some with alcoholism?” and “Would this experiences bring unwanted feelings from my own family’s battle with alcoholism?” But, I needed to do this! When I walked into the parish hall there were rows of chairs for people to sit and the smell of coffee and donuts filled the air. People stood amongst one another talking about not their alcohol problem, but their college basketball picks and the recent loss of a local high school basketball team who had gone to states. My nerves began to calm down a little when I overheard this conversation and proceeded to find my seat in the back of the room. As the meeting started, we began with a serenity prayer and read the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The second step was the focus of the meeting. I stared at the poster containing the step because it took me quite some time to interpret what it meant. This