termine the difference between right and wrong or good and evil. AFTEROnce the meeting ended, I felt as though I had left a church service. The sense of camaraderie and the openness of the group made me feel enriched both in mind and in spirit. Listening to the members, I was half correct in that a member had to believe in that higher Power. However, I was incorrect in that someone had to completely accept God. Marshall was a perfect example of the prior statement. It just shows you that even an atheist can be "saved". Prior to the meeting I had an open mind about Alcoholics Anonymous, but I was not completely understanding of their cause. Maybe it was because of the negative stigma that alcoholics receive or it could have been my maturity level and how some people my age react to serious problems such as alcohol. However, after listening to the members' stories, I now support Alcoholics Anonymous one hundred percent. The occupational levels of the group cleared up my misconception of who can be an alcoholic. Some of the occupations of the group included a high school coach, a college professor, a USAA executive and several retirees. My initial impression was that only people from the ghetto or unemployed people were alcoholics. Since I was just a visitor, I did not ask how alcoholism affected their families, but it was definitely a question I wanted to ask of these people. Obviously, the correct impression is that alcoholism, like most negative aspects of our society, does not discriminate its people.Personally, I learned some things that I can pass on to a family member of mine who is currently incarcerated. The saying "Patience is a virtue" definitely applies to Alcoholics Anonymous. In my opinion, patience is the most important factor of AA. Without patience, there is no way that a member can even begin step two because many members have never practiced any type of organized religion in their adult lives. Of cour...
