As We See It Christian Ang | Guest Writer
| Published 12/12/03
Graphic By: Doni Neel
Driving up the steep driveway slowly hoping the pavement would not
scratch my minivan, I did not know what to expect as I headed into the
Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP). The building was built
out of bricks and shaped like an "L." I could tell which suite VASAP was
located, because there were three or four kids smoking cigarettes in
front of the entrance door.
The entrance reminded me of my local doctor or dentist's office. A five
gallon water dispenser was located near the door; the long narrow
hallway to my left caught my attention. I could feel my heart racing,
and at that moment I needed a bathroom immediately. Down the hall I
spotted the men's bathroom straight ahead, but before I could use it, I
was stopped by one of the counselors.
In a strong and intense voice, the man said, "Hey! Get in the first room
on your left. You are already late." The man did not realize I was here
to support my friend. The counselor began with an introduction and asked
everyone to stand and tell their name and how they got here.
My friend stood and said, "I drink all the time and got busted for it,
which led to me losing my license for six months." Once he told the
class this information, I became angry. It reminded me that I had to
drive him to every class once a week. Then I thought perhaps this would
give me a chance to observe what really happens at an "AA" meeting as a
person who was not obligated to be there.
Almost every person who introduced themselves was at VASAP not just for
alcohol but for possession of certain drugs. Some of the drugs they were
busted with were marijuana, acid and prescription drugs. Others were
there for distributing them. Out of the 11 people there, there was only
one female in the group.
She had puffy red hair, a big belly and very skinny legs. She looked
like she was in her early 50s, while everyone else in the class was no
older than 21. I really felt bad for, her because I thought she was
there because of trouble with alcohol, but I was wrong again. She was
there, because she got caught dealing prescription drugs.
The counselor was bald and sat at a desk facing the group of people.
Mentally I observed the counselor and soon realized he was a military
man that had a disciplinary way about him. I have to admit his long
sleeved Harley Davidson shirt with jeans and boots did intimidate me a
bit.
After the introduction and meeting everyone in the class the counselor
went over three rules of VASAP. He said, "Do not, I repeat do not, drink
any alcohol 24 hours before this class or else I will have to report
you, and your case will be reported back to the court."
Then he explained to the class that everyone must take a breathalyzer
test before each class, including myself. This bothered me, because all
I could think was, "I am not the drunk here." His other two rules were
being on time. If you missed a class, you will have to pay him $10 for a
make up class. He added that we can only miss one class, more than one
will cause you to get kicked out VASAP.
After the counselor was done explaining the rules and procedures, he
introduced himself. His name was John Glass. He worked for the
Blacksburg Police Department. Although he was a cop, he seemed to be
understanding. He told everyone he would never judge the people who came
to this class. John said, "Everyone makes mistakes that they wish never
happened, and we are not here to judge you for that, we are here to
learn something from our mistakes."
John has been doing VASAP for 10 years now. He mentioned his love for
Harley's, and he told us he was leaving Friday night to go to Myrtle
Beach for a big Harley extravaganza.
Many people, including myself, think that "AA" classes is where people
sit around and tell others about their problems. Personally, I had a
picture in my head that "AA" was like that Adam Sandler movie, "Anger
Management," where everyone is in a circle arguing about nonsense. This
class was different; John did not use the course that was given to him.
He made the group decide what they wanted to learn and hear about. He
told them he was going to focus on the Forth Amendment rights, so next
time they will not be back at VASAP again.
The Forth Amendment is: The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be
seized.
Being a cop, John told everyone how cops work and what cops can or can't
do. John taught me that cops cannot search you without a warrant or
probable cause. He told us, "A cop's greatest fear when asking you if
they can search your car or home, and you say 'No!'" When you say no to
a cop who has no probable cause, he can not continue the search without
your consent.
Once the class ended, my friend and I went over to John and shook his
hand, and I explained my reason for being there. As we got in the car to
go home, I thought that was not only going to benefit my friend. Perhaps
I could learn something from this experience as well. As I turned into
my driveway and headlights hit my face I looked in the rear view mirror
and thought that this class had given me a new perceptive of AA.
The people in my friend's AA class were normal people, doing what most
college students do. The difference between them and other college
students were they are now singled out by the law and are now paying for
the consequences. From listening to their stories of how they got there,
it could happen to anyone who drinks or who does drugs on occasion or
all the time. This observation opened my eyes and made the world around
me a larger place. I learned that I cannot judge these people for what
they done, because I could have been sitting right next to them on that
day.
___
Christian Ang is a new writer for Whim. We hope he writes more quality articles for us!
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