Alcoholics Anonymous hold strong on campus

Portland prides itself on its brews, bars and booze, but here at Portland State there is a group of people who take alcohol, especially its effects and addictive qualities, a little more seriously.

Portland State’s Alcoholics Anonymous meets five times a week in the Smith Memorial Student Union, room 258 from noon to 1 p.m., sharing experiences and opening up a dialogue on alcohol and the disease which plagues up to 14 million Americans.

Many students aren’t even aware that the group has a presence on campus, let alone the frequency of their meetings. They group’s commitment to protecting anonymity and providing a safe and open environment certainly plays a part in this.

“I ran into somebody, they must have been foreign, that thought we were a drinking club on campus,” said Grace E.R., secretary and member of A.A. meetings on campus. “Some people don’t know we exist, and this concerned me.”

E.R. explained that having meetings every workday helps alcoholics move toward and maintain sobriety “one day at a time.”

“We have been [meeting] here for 16 years or more,” E.R. said. “Meetings are a place to come if you just want to check it out, anybody is welcome.”

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international organization that creates support networks all over the world for people seeking sobriety. The Portland support group serves any and all community members fighting addiction, and with no dues or fees, requiring only that members are truly working to become sober.

Health professionals recognize alcoholism as a disease that can run in families. Alcohol becomes a problem when it becomes a routine and large quantities are consumed to onset inebriation.

“All we want to do is let people know about A.A., just in case people need us,” E.R. said. “If there are people in your life that you want to help out with their alcoholism problem, you are welcome.”

All work done to support meetings and resources for A.A. is volunteer work.   

According to E.R., the meetings begin with new members sharing their experiences, and the returning members who have ‘been there, done that’ sharing strength as well.

“We share what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now,” she said.

People who have issues with narcotics are also welcome to attend A.A. meetings, as they primarily focus on dealing with all types of addiction, not just alcohol, E.R. explained.

More information is available on the Web at www.aa.org. Grace E.R. is also available to talk about meetings and provide more information at (503) 224-0843.