Alcoholics Anonymous strives to create an inclusive group philosophy. Anyone who wishes to make a commitment to sobriety, is dealing with the issue of alcoholism because of a loved one is afflicted by the disease, or simply wishes to learn more about substance abuse, is welcome to attend an AA meeting. I visited an open AA meeting, which meant that the discussion must be confined to problems dealing with alcohol, but everyone was welcome, regardless of his or her substance abuse history. This also meant that the group was open to people still struggling with alcoholism. Closed meetings are limited to persons who wish to make a commitment to stop drinking. Usually, this means that they must have abstained from using alcohol for at least 24 hours.
             I was the only Hispanic male in the room. Most of the people in the group were in their early thirties to late forties, and the room was fairly evenly divided between men and women-there may have been a few more males than females. Most of the membership was Caucasian. The only 'stereotype busting' effect that I witnessed upon my own preconceived perspective was how relatively normal, and sociable the members seemed on the surface. Even though this was an open meeting, which theoretically could have included people who were ambivalent about recovering from their illness, most of the members seemed to be committed to making a change in their lives, held full-time jobs and/or were raising families, and showed concern for the effects of the addiction upon their health and lifestyles. Although I came from a different ethnic background from most of the members, I did not feel as if their struggles were that far from my own personal, daily concerns.
             I was surprised at some of the humility shown by many of the addicts. The meeting began with the Serenity Prayer. Then, there was a discussion between members of the regular group about issues that they were confronting in their li...