Suffering from addiction is an aspect of life that everyone can relate to. Typically the world will look at addiction in the forms of drugs or alcohol, and yes while these are very prominent forms of addiction, the actual range of addiction is quite interesting. I learned that people can have addictions to pornography, work, exercising, pain (such as cutting) and even food. Purely from listening to the host of the meeting describe these other addictions peaked my interests in continuing my study of addictions beyond this singular night. Yet I digress, the focus of the meeting I attended was for people who were addicted to alcohol.
As I entered into the Center a man, Thaddeus, welcomed me into the center asking if I was there to participate in the group, immediately greeted me. I informed him that I was simply there to observe and he thanked for coming and motioned for me to take a seat. I watched as other individuals showed up, a range of men and women (but mostly men) who nodded and greeted one another as they took their seats. The general atmosphere was very warm and friendly; everyone greeted each other as if they had been friends for a long time. There were roughly 4 individuals who were new to the meeting.
What I found fascinating was the new members carried themselves in an entirely different manner than those who had been coming to the center for a length of time. For the new guys, they were slouched and low key. They sat away from the group as much as they could, given the small space. They also sat with their arms crossed in front of their bodies. It was as if they were doing everything that they could to be away from the group. Conversely those members who had been attending regularly were much more poised and upright in their statures. I would assume this stemmed from both being comfortable in the group of people that they are around, but also I would imagine it extends from a sense of pride that they have in themselves.
It was slightly typical of the scenarios that you see in movies, Thaddeus introduced himself to the group and welcomed everyone as well as gave the newcomers a moment to introduce themselves, of which only two of them took the opportunity. After this, Thaddeus took some time to talk about the causes of addiction, and ways that those there can receive help if they need it beyond the emotional support offered by the group. He also made it a point to establish that nobody was judged for anything while they were there in the center. From here it became a sort of open invite for people to come up and share their stories about their addiction. A handful of members went up and there was a combination of success stories mixed with stories of what people had done that had led them to realize that their addiction was out of control.
One lady, Martha, talked about how she was staying with her children because she was so broke and desperate for money, it turns out that she had been fired from her job in a bakery because she continually showed up for work in a drunken state. Her daughter had invited her to stay with her when Martha was kicked out of her apartment and that was when things became even more desperate. Even though Martha had a place to stay, she said that she had no drive to get a job, and as she was left alone throughout the majority of the day while her daughter worked and grandchildren were in school, all she did was drink. Her daughter, who had noticed that the liquor was quickly diminishing, eventually caught her. So Martha resorted to buying her own, with money that she had stolen out of her grandchildren’s piggy banks. She said that she just hid it in her room and would go there throughout the day to take drinks as she needed them. Eventually she was caught on a nanny cam and her daughter confronted her about her addiction and told her that they would kick her out of the house if she didn’t get help. It was really just a sad story to listen to and I genuinely felt bad for Martha.
As I sat there and watched everyone, there was a sense of constant affirmation and understanding from the group. They nodded their head in agreement with comments made; some held their chests as if their hearts were hurting, like they were sharing the pain of the person talking. Thaddeus got up a few times to reaffirm that everyone was there to support each other and many people audibly added in their agreement and approval of everyone and their willingness to help.
When everyone who had something to say, said their piece, Thaddeus took the center of the room one last time to remind everyone about places that they can call if they need more help than is offered at the center. Thaddeus asked a handful of observers, including myself, if we had any questions for him or the group, or if we had any stories that we ourselves wanted to share. I confess that I was too shy to step up and share anything, but I was honestly so shocked by the stories that I had heard throughout the night. It was so neat to hear about everything that people had gone through and the lengths that they were willing to go to in order to get alcohol. Even more shocking was the sense of companionship and friendship that the group displayed for everyone. At no point was anyone ever scolded for their stories or what they did, but everyone received a round of applause for sharing and being willing to take a step in the direction of sobriety.
Addiction is an incredibly serious aspect of life. While it may stem from a personal problem or if it can be linked to a mental illness, it is something that everyone should be taking the time to notice. Beyond that, it is something that we should all embrace and understand so that we can be more open and understanding of those around us suffering from addictions and to find better ways to help those in need.
RESOURCES
Tracy, Natasha. "Types of Addiction: List of Addictions - HealthyPlace." HealthyPlace. 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. http://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/addictions-information/types-of- addiction-list-of-addictions/
