Seven self-confessed alcoholics, decided that in order to fortify themselves against the powers of alcohol, they should meet together and share their common problem. This type of thinking led to a meeting of the group on November 20, 1963, in Cavendish. They met in the Post Office which was used during the Tourist season. As this was not a regular meeting place, each individual took a chair from home and left it in the building for future use. From this humble beginning regular AA meetings were held in Cavendish every Wednesday night. These facilities soon became overcrowded, and larger had to be sought.. At the regular meeting on January 15, 1964 the eight members registered with the General Service Office in New York , under the name of Stanley Bridge AA Group. The first public meeting was held in Stanley Bridge on March 1, 1964 with an attendance of eighty-five citizens. It was on this date that the Group was given permission to use the Upper Room of the Stanley Bridge School for these meetings. They continued to use the facilities until December 22, 1965, when their new hall was ready for occupancy on land owned by the Estate of John Fyfe, on the east side of the school boundary. A cursory review of the minutes of the regular meetings, reveal that the members attendance has steadily grown from the "original eight" to an average of forty-five in this year, with the attendance at public meetings increasing from fifty-eight to one hundred and thirty-two guests. For the last number of years the public meetings have been held in Stanley Bridge Hall. The philosophy of an AA member is that when two or more persons meet, you can hold an AA meet¬ ing, especially if one person professes to be an alcoholic. The AA meetings have two forms for meetings: Open Meetings - when any member of the community, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, may attend. The only obligation of visitors is that they are asked to protect the anonymity of the members. Closed Meetings - which are limited to AA members only. At this meeting each is given an oppor¬ tunity to discuss his/her own particular problem, which can be best understood by other alcoholics. Public Meetings- are similar to open meetings, except that it receives a wide range of publicity through press, radio or television, and every one is welcome to attend. For the alcoholic a new sense of personal worth is found. Recovery may not necessarily be finan¬ cially rewarding, however their healing process results in an inner spirit of peace, renewed confi¬ dence, and the ability to make better time of the individual God-given talents for the betterment of humankind. 198