Environmental Observations

Environmental Observations I was able to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at Calvary Lutheran Parish House in Dover, PA on a Sunday afternoon. The location was easy to find and close to my house. When I arrived, I noticed a group of people smoking near the building and walked over to them and inquired about if I had the right location of the meeting. A gentleman told me to go down the stairs and then I would be in the room that the meeting took place. I walked over to the steps and had to duck my head to keep from hitting my head while walking down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs there was a small room with rows of chairs and a few chairs around the outside of the rows of chairs. The furniture looked worn and the room seemed to have been used for AA meetings over many years. The chairs were medal with different pillows on the seats to make them more comfortable. There was a coffee machine in the back of the room by the door and a small restroom. The room was a little cold in temperature. There were about thirty people in the room and almost all the chairs were used. The environment was welcoming and rural; however the new members might be thrown off by the lack of diversity and demographics. I was worried about being in a group with someone I knew due to being in my hometown. My fears came
I did not want to appear above struggle and chose not to share that I was observing. I would have shared that I was observing if someone had asked me if I was an alcoholic. I felt like the sense of family and commonality of their struggle did make me feel like an outsider. I truly do not understand the struggles of being an alcoholic and so I appreciate the friendship and care that the members had for each other. They were seeking help to work through an addiction which is an important step in recovering from their