After attending the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, it exceeded many of my expectations; however it disproved others and left me slightly astonished. In my imagination, with the help of television and movies, painted a picture in my mind of what an AA meeting would be like. It portrayed a room filled with people that obviously looked like addicts; unkempt appearances, borderline offensive hygiene, and at least one person seemingly drunk while swaying back and forth in his/her chair, balancing on the line between falling forward to the ground and staying in the seat. My imagination laughed at me as I entered the room. One look around made me realize that I was wrong. The majority of the members were clean, well kept, and looked healthier than some of my school classmates. After walking through the door and soaking it all in, I found a seat near the back where I assumed the new members usually sat. Upon finding my spot, I was immediately welcomed by an older gentleman, whom was eager to invite me in and listen to my story. I explained to him that I was a student just here to observe and he was pleasantly surprised by this and continued to ask me questions about school, counseling, and my future in counseling. However soon enough, the meeting got underway. It was an open discussion that began with the storytelling of one member’s lifelong battle. This was followed by comments from the audience about how they could relate and included a glimpse of their own story which allowed me to capture a little bit of each person in the room. They appeared strengthened by each testimony, each word of encouragement. It was almost as if every time they met they were meant to live one more day sober. I would be lying if I told you that I did not relate to the thoughts and expressions in the words that I heard. I found myself intrigued by a discussion on dealing with life events by using