2010.01.04 05:59:45

Matt R

 

You might be wondering how the New Year’s Eve celebration at Trinity Lutheran Church went.

It was fabulous! The evening started with the meeting at 7:00 pm, which included a sobriety countdown and Big Book presentation. The person with the most sobriety time presented a signed Big Book to the person with the least time. This set the tone for an evening of fellowship among newcomers, old-timers and everyone in between.

About 60 people – most in recovery and some who just wanted a safe, sober place to spend New Year’s Eve – danced, talked, laughed and enjoyed snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.

The room was decorated with a snowflake theme and white lights.

The cost to get in was $5 for Atlantic Alano Club members and $10 for non-members. This included the professional DJ, food, two non-alcoholic drinks -- and free coffee and fellowship as an added bonus. That’s a good deal.

DJ Young mixed dance and hip-hop tunes. With flashing lights and a pounding beat, there was still a mood of serenity. This was a group who “normally would not mix” (OK – maybe some of us would!) – a mix of gay guys, lesbians, transgender folks and bi- and straight people, of different races and ages. But we were all there together in a safe place on New Year’s Eve, one of the biggest party nights of the year.

I noticed the serenity inside the church after stepping outside a few times, where there were carloads of drunk people driving by. At one point, a couple of obviously drunk young men in a beat-up car yelled “Faggots!” as they drove by. That’s not very nice. But we sober people on the sidewalk brushed it off -- and agreed that we were grateful to be sober and in a safe place.

The Atlantic Alano Club provides daily 12-Step meetings and sober fellowship activities and events. Long Beach has a huge gay community, and as the recovery community grows, we hope to grow along with it.

I hope to see you at the next event – which is the Atlantic Alano Club’s 25^th Anniversary Dinner, occurring in February. You can check the Web site for further details, which will be announced.