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For this project, I attended two Alcoholics Anonymous

meetings entitled the Gresham Lunch Bunch. This group meets on Mondays at a church facility

in Gresham during the noon hour. This group seems to be well attended, with probably 25 people

each time I attended. The first thing I noticed was that it was quite orderly. Tables are set up in a

sort of box formation, and some participants sit at the perimeter edge of the tables, facing each

other, while the rest of the participants sit in rows of chairs flanking the box formation. There is

order to the meeting; first there is a prayer, then guests and visitors and first time members are

introduced, and everyone welcomes them. There is a designated speaker who gives direction to

the meeting, but many people are given the opportunity to speak during the meeting. At the end

of the meeting, everyone stands in a circle, holds hands, and says The Lord¶s Prayer.



 








 





What I gathered from

the first meeting was a sense that this group provides relationship and love for the members. The

members are supportive of each other, but it goes deeper than that. Many of those who spoke up

talked of feeling warmth of relationship, the importance of fellowship, and tearfully spoke of the

welcoming, accepting atmosphere and deep friendships that they had encountered here. So an

important key here is relationship, and with that, honesty in the relationship. But before you can

be honest with others, you must be honest with yourself. Being honest with yourself about your

addiction is an important step toward healing.

Members talked about the importance of being willing to surrender and submit, and the

importance of gratitude in one¶s life. Something I sensed, not only from the people who spoke,

but also from the design of meeting itself, is that structure and organization is something very

important to the success of this program. My feeling, as an outsider, is that the alcoholic here is
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still addicted, but they have traded (or are in the process of trading) their alcohol addiction for

another: addiction to the relationships and structure of the AA program. Indeed, many of the

people who talked spoke of their desperate need to attend AA meetings when faced with stress. I

see it as trading in an unhealthy coping mechanism for a healthy one. Bravo!!

 
 



 








  

 






 

  

 

I can honestly say that I entered into

this meeting without bias or prejudices, but rather I entered it with an open mind. I did not know

what to expect; and the aspect of order was something that surprised me. I did not realize before

how important order was to the function of the program. Because I did not know what to expect,

I did not have any preconceived ideas or expectations when entering the meeting.










 
 

 




 I think

the nurse¶s role is to educate the client, encourage them to seek healthy behaviors and coping

mechanisms, and then to support them in their attempts to make such changes in their life.





 


  

  
It helped me to see that change is

possible, and that there is hope for those who struggle with addiction. I can use this experience to

benefit others because I can say that I have seen how the AA program has worked successfully to

change people¶s lives.




!" 
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 #



 
I liked the way the group was so friendly to visitors like me.

I could really sense that this is a caring atmosphere, and the people there are genuinely open,

accepting, and caring. It is hard, as a visitor, to understand what is going on throughout the

meeting, so it would be great if they were to offer some sort of handout to visitors, so that they

could understand the meeting plan more.