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Alcoholics Annonyms Meeting Experience

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Alcoholics Annonyms Meeting Experience
This week, on Tuesday, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meeting. The group of people who went to it was very diverse, of various ages, backgrounds, levels of recovery, experiences, but with one goal in common: to get sober for life (live a life alcohol-free) by realizing that there is something greater than themselves and they are not in control of themselves. Truly, the program seems to be a complex one that requires time (to go from step to step) and guidance from a sponsor that each attendee should have so that they can be listened to and advised right at any time.
Going to this meeting I learned that alcoholism cannot be cured but instead, when sobriety is achieved, the alcoholic is still an alcoholic (he will always be one), yet now a recovering alcoholic. During the meeting it was also mentioned that alcoholism is often called a “disease” that is somehow a “family problem” rather than an individual problem. A few people shared their experiences and constant battle with their addiction to alcohol, they taught me that it is possible to overcome anything and everything that we want by believing in a God or a higher power and surrendering to it. Being self-centered, angry, depressed, among others, are some of the characteristics of the personality of an alcoholic, and surprisingly enough they change during recovery. I learned that recovering from addictions is highly important because it affects everyone around you (directly or indirectly).
I believe no one is exempt from developing an addiction, and I admire the ones that have overcome their own emotions by stepping into the paths of recovery. Truly learning that there is such an organization such as A.A. that supports this group of people, and is open to everyone that voluntarily wants to attend impressed me. That is not to mention this group also provides confidentiality and an organized program to help not only the alcoholic but also the alcoholic’s family (through another program linked to A.A. for relatives of alcoholics to learn how to be supportive and how to cope with the alcoholism of a loved one).

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