Recovering Alcoholics Find Support at the Pathfinders Club of Manchester, CT
Alcoholism is an issue that cuts across all age, gender, race and religious groups. Virtually, everyone’s lives have been touched in some way by an alcoholic. That alcoholic person could be your spouse, parent, sibling, friend or co- worker. The repercussive actions of active alcoholics often affect other people as much as the drinkers themselves.
When a problem drinker finally admits that he or she needs help, and truly makes an effort to stop, it is not an easy endeavour. One of the primary factors affecting the recovering alcoholic’s potential sobriety, is the prescence of a support network. Often, due to a host of factors, the person new in recovery lacks a strong support network and finds him or herself gravitating toward old ways. In Manchester Ct, there is a place for recovering alcoholics in all stages of sobriety to gather for meetings, fellowship and sometimes, food.
The Pathfinders Club, at 102 Norman Street, Manchester, Ct has been providing a free meeting space for recovering alcoholics since the mid- 1940’s. The building itself is a bare- bones, wooden clubhouse, much like something You would see at the Seashore or at an old day- camp.
Seven days a week, the Pathfinders Club holds Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. At 7:00 a.m. each morning, there is an ‘early bird’ meeting. Throughout the day and early evening, various types of A A meetings are held at Pathfinders Club, Manchester, Ct. Some meetings are open discussion, while others are step- groups and speaker- led discussions. Pathfinders Club also holds meetings just for women and just for men. Many Alcoholism experts suggest isolating the sexes at meetings during early recovery, providing less potential distraction. For people in early sobriety, the Pathfinders Club is like a refuge, of sorts. One of the main points emphasized in modern Alcohol Recovery is ” People, Places and Things “. It is strongly recommended by experts to change all three. It is very important for the person in early sobriety to see that there are other people like themselves, facing the same issues and obstacles. Everybody is friendly at Pathfinders Club, Manchester, Ct. The common bond that everybody who goes there shares, is, attempting to stay sober, one day at a time. There are no dues or membership required to attend the Pathfinders Club. It is open to the public. While some people stop in occasionally, or sporadically, many others are ‘regulars’, who attend certain meetings each week.
One of the most popular meetings every week is the Wednesday night Men’s Group. The meeting technically starts at 6:00 p.m., but, the kitchen opens at 5:00 p.m. Pathfinders Club, Manchester, Ct has a fully- equipped, old restaurant- style kitchen which members of the men’s group take over every Wednesday to produce a hot meal, which is usually quite good. There is no set price for a meal at the Wednesday night Men’s Group, just a suggested donation of a couple of dollars. Many people come to Pathfinders Club fresh out of Rehab, and have little or no money. That is not a problem at this meeting. The friendly guys manning the stoves will make sure that if somebody is hungry, they eat. Especially the “Newbies”.
Pathfinders Club, Manchester, Ct also plays an important role in a yearly event called the ” Alka- thon”. The Alka- thon is a series of 24 – hour, ‘ round the clock’, non- stop A A meetings held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which are traditionally rough days for some recovering alcoholics, because of the prescence of much Holiday drinking. The Alka- thon is held at the Pathfinders Clubhouse and is attended by many people. For anyone in the Greater Hartford area seeking new A A meetings to attend, or for someone new to sobriety who would like to meet other sober people, the Pathfinders Club, Manchester, Ct is a great place to go.
