Alcoholics Anonymous

The first face-to-face meeting I attended was an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting at the United Methodist Church in Greenville, SC on a Friday night. Smoking was allowed at the meeting, which was held in a wheelchair-accessible facility. Coffee and snacks were served. I arrived ten minutes early. Several others were also there early, including the person setting up a table full of literature. The person setting out the literature smiled and said hello to me when I browsed the books, all of which were related to the Twelve Step program. Most of the books were official Alcoholics Anonymous publications, and I recognized the "Big Book" immediately as well as some of the other publications that are listed on the AA website.

As the people filled into the space, I noticed that many knew each other. They talked casually in the moments before the meeting began formally. I took...
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