Alcoholics Anonymous

One of our assignments to understand substance abuse and rehabilitation was to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. It was a worthwhile assignment. I wouldn't normally go to a meeting, but I didn't mind attending. The demographics were interesting; it was an open meeting of about 30 alcoholics, mostly men. The men sat apart from each other; the women sat with someone else. I was curious to find out that there were so many ritual-like components of the meeting. Whenever someone would introduce himself, there would be this autonomic "Hi, my name is ____. I'm an alcoholic." When people recited the 12 steps or quoted different parts of the handbook, it really seemed like they were all indoctrinated into this secret society with a code and handshake. There was a Lord's Prayer at the end of the meeting. All of this made AA seem like a religious institution whose first step of induction requires acknowledging a Higher Power. Kind of fascinating, though I admit this was my only experience so it may be skewed. AA gives attendees a sense of community; many seemed to be regulars. They struck up a pretty good debate about how to stay sober. One guy shared his life story. And I learned something.