I attended an open Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting on March 25, 2016. When I first arrived at the meeting, which was held at North Central Hospital in the Bronx. The group first opened with a serenity prayer. Then the guest speakers introduced themselves sharing personal stories of their struggles with alcohol abuse. The two guest speakers I will refer to them as guest one and guest two, to maintain confidentiality. Guest one started off the meeting by telling his story about his alcohol abuse. He said, “I drank so much, that I’m thankful I do not look like my story because if I did I would not be able to look in the mirror.” He explained that he knew when it got “bad” because he lost his wife, kids, and job. He stated “My world was anything…show more content… He explained to the group that his drinking stared when he was a teenager. “It started socially, I would because when I was out with friends a little drink helped me relax and be social.” He told the group as he became older his family would question how much he would drink and he said he would tell them “I can stop drinking whenever I want.” He attended Alcoholic Anonymous for a few days and quit because he believed he did not have a problem and his story was not as bad as the other members in the group. Guest 2 continued his story by telling the group that he realized a bottle of “Henny” was not enough for him anymore he needed more, but he eventually lost his job because he would call out of work so often. He tired to quit drinking on his own but it never worked. “I learned I could not do it own my own. I tried cold turkey, lite beer. I just could not.” Guest two finally decided to go to Alcoholics Anonymous because he “Stopped comparing stories and identified with his own pain”. After both speakers shared their stories the other group members began to share their stories. The group ended their meeting with a prayer. “God Grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change and courage to change the things I can. And wisdom to know the
