Grand Valley State University’s Alcohol Campus Education and Services’ 12-Step Programs offer a place to go for those who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction or abuse.

ACES strives to help people stay sober, “which for some can be a life-long process,” said Eric Klingensmith, director of the ACES program at GVSU.

A university office with a counseling center, ACES specializes in prevention and also helps people get set up with programs, whether they must attend for legal purposes, are entering college clean and want to keep it that way, or have never had help with their problems before.

One of these programs is the 12-Step Program conducted by Alcoholics Anonymous. Space is provided by the ACES office for daily one-hour meetings to be held on campus in the Water Tower Place, accessible by the Rapid route 48, which is “a convenience for GVSU students,” Klingensmith said.

AA groups can be traced back to the Oxford Group, which was a religious movement popular in the early 20th century. Members of the group practiced admitting wrongs, making amends, and passing along the message to others. From the Oxford Group’s roots, ‘Bill W.’ began AA, after claiming to have had a spiritual experience while in the hospital for alcohol addiction.

Essentially, AA is a self-improvement system where individuals self-evaluate and change themselves with the support and help of those around them.

According to the website, “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety”.

There are many kinds of AA meetings held on GVSU’s campus. There are open meetings, closed meetings, women-only meetings, and speaker meetings. Roughly 15 people attend each meeting, and on average the student to community attendee ratio is 50-50.

During a speaker meeting, a speaker will get up and share their testimony with the group. These meetings are open to anyone and are often the first step in someone’s involvement in a program.

“Anyone who is interested can just walk in,” Klingensmith said.
Though attending an AA meeting for the first time may seem like an intimidating thing, it shouldn’t be. He said people who are tired of struggling with addiction may greatly benefit from these meetings.

“People from all walks of life attend AA meeting, which have been available to GVSU students for over ten years on campus and also to members of surrounding communities,” said Michael Gillen, a recovery coach for AA,

Though the group is anonymous, Gillen has seen a number of success stories.

“Students are able to stay at school,” Gillen said. “Some graduate on the Dean’s List and go on to graduate school. Others enter the military and serve honorably overseas. I’ve seen marriages, jobs and families saved through people working the 12 steps of AA.”
Another option for those with addictions is GVSU’s Counseling Center, where private coaches like Gillen encourage people to attend meetings and stay clean and sober.

In addition to AA meetings, Al-Anon meetings are held on Tuesday afternoons to support those who are dealing with the addiction of someone close to them.

For more information, contact Mike Gillen at [email protected] or check out the website at www.gvsu.edu/aces/.

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