SOC 393 12 Step Meeting Reaction Paper

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Psychology

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SOC 393

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Analytical Review

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SOC393 – Child Abuse

12 Step Meeting – Reaction Paper

Name of the Meeting: Corona Serenity Club

Location: 1307 W. Sixth St., Corona, CA 92883

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Date: 01/22/2020

I had the fortune of not growing up with any kind of abuse around me (drugs, alcohol,

domestic violence, etc), but I unfortunately grew up next to someone who went through a lot of

pain, and I was physically present to witness everything in front row; I’m talking about my best

friend and forever sister at heart, Carolina. Us human beings take things for granted that we

really should be thankful for everyday like the warmth of a home, the closure of a family, and

even more important, health; I took all of this for granted until I met Carolina when she moved

into the building I lived in back in Colombia, our friendship was instant and from that precise

moment her pain and suffering began to be mine as well.

When this paper was assigned I had mixed feelings, seeing the struggle that kids who

grow with an alcoholic parent, or close relative, go through first hand has always been a topic I

tried to erase and evade completely from my mind, but when I became a court interpreter and

submerged myself into the legal field I just had to grow thick skin and leave it behind; until

today when I attended an AA meeting for the first time in my life and experienced the other side

of alcoholism; the verdict of sobriety, or at least from people who are trying their best to be sober

for the rest of their lives. Due to my tight weekday schedule (the days I am not in school I am

working), I only had today to attend the meeting, and I somehow believe it was meant to be that

way. There were about 15 people in the meeting including the secretary and the two meeting

leaders who were inside the group; Having seen alcoholism from a paternal figure through my

entire child I had almost set a stereotype for these people: shaking extremities, very profound and

dark circles around their eyes, reddish-tone skin and lots of dryness due to the lack of hydration

that alcohol causes, and a lost gaze; My god was I so wrong, not even if I wanted to I could have

never fit everybody in that room into one sole stereotype, truth is alcoholism has MANY faces,

and I was able to see that for myself in this meeting. Chuck, a member that had been sober for

thirty years said the following words that really marked myself: “You will always be an

alcoholic, it’s a disease that really has no cure, but it can be controlled”…not in a million years I

would’ve even realized that having a drinking problem could be seen that way (and I personally

believe not even a doctor would have given me that perspective when talking about alcoholism).

Cathy, who was sitting next to me and had been sober for 16 years had replaced her addiction

with caffeine, I noticed that due to the fact in the hour and a half the meeting lasted she had taken

almost 9 cups of coffee, compared to the rest of the people in the room who had only taken 2 or 3

during the time we were in the meeting. Priscilla, who had been sober for two days straight,

talked about how hard it was to ignore her group chat when her friends were saying she was the

life of the party and how come she was not intending to make any fun plans for the weekend, and

that’s when Larry popped in and said another clever phrase that stuck inside my head “Yes, you

are the life of the party, but nobody really notices that inside that life is slowly dying.”

I had to hold back the tears for the whole hour and a half, it was one of the hardest things

I’ve done in my entire life; not even when taking my interpreter exam and having to translate

how a father broke 22 of his 6-months-old baby bones was this hard; I could feel Carolina’s

father talking through each and every voice of the members who spoke during this meeting,

specially David who was seating behind me and talked about how he had to be strong for his 16-

year-old daughter, his wife had left him because of his addiction and he went through it and

made it through for his daughter, for who he played mother and father, I left the room after he

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SOC393 – Child Abuse 12 Step Meeting – Reaction Paper Name of the Meeting: Corona Serenity Club Location: 1307 W. Sixth St., Corona, CA 92883 Time: 12:00 p.m. Date: 01/22/2020 I had the fortune of not growing up with any kind of abuse around me (drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, etc), but I unfortunately grew up next to someone who went through a lot of pain, and I was physically present to witness everything in front row; I’m talking about my best friend and forever sister at heart, Carolina. Us human beings take things for granted that we really should be thankful for everyday like the warmth of a home, the closure of a family, and even more important, health; I took all of this for granted until I met Carolina when she moved into the building I lived in back in Colombia, our friendship was instant and from that precise moment her pain and suffering began to be mine as well. Whe ...
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Tags: alcoholic parent AA meeting verdict of sobriety alcohol and drugs drug addiction alcoholism