Gainesville's HALT Club celebrates 40 years of saving lives

Jun. 9—HALT Club

What: A meeting space for 12-step fellowships Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups in Gainesville

Where: 817 Holly Drive, on the campus of First Baptist Church of Gainesville

More info: facebook.com/GainesvilleHALTClub or 706-892-6882

In 40 years' time, an estimated 20,000 people have entered the HALT Club, simultaneously crossing the threshold toward a new way of life: sobriety.

Situated on the property of First Baptist Church of Gainesville, the HALT Club is a meeting space for 12-step fellowships Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups.

According to Randy Thompson, one of the nonprofit organization's seven directors, Gainesville's first AA meeting was held in 1957 at a local church. Small groups began cropping up here and there over time, but "there was no central location and nobody had the ability to find out where the meeting was. They had to find somebody that knew somebody that knew somebody to find a meeting."

Since its inception in 1982, the HALT Club has housed a safe, welcoming environment for individuals and families seeking help with problems of alcoholism and, when it began hosting NA meetings roughly a decade later, drug addiction.

On a given day, individuals can find one of nine groups — five AA, two NA and two Al-Anon — meeting at the HALT Club.

"There's always a meeting here," Thompson said. "That was one of the objectives when (the HALT Club) was first started 40 years ago. Today, it's become the entry level to 12-step recovery work in Gainesville. Everybody who's involved in treatment of that problem knows the HALT Club, knows where it is, and they'll send their people here."

The acronym HALT, according to Thompson, symbolizes "four things you don't want an early recovering alcoholic to get into the mindset (of): hungry, angry, lonely and tired."

"Those four things put a person who hasn't lost their compulsion to drink yet in a space where they take a drink, because they don't want to feel those things," he said.

According to Thompson, a large portion of the HALT Club's membership stems from court orders, a contrast from its earlier days when most of its members were "people who had the gift of desperation."

"They had no other place to go," Thompson said. "They'd hit rock bottom (and) found they had a desire to stay clean and sober, so they willingly came into recovery. Today, not so much."

Meetings at the HALT Club, especially NA, are luring a younger crowd, Thompson said. Often, meeting attendees — many in their 20s and some in their teens — show up with a court order as a result of recurring DUIs, drug arrests, et cetera.

"Drugs will take you out quicker than alcohol will. The people that attend those meetings, they're younger, they're still bulletproof — or they think they are," Thompson said. "Hopefully what happens — not always, but hopefully — the seed will be planted that this is where they can find a solution to the problem."

The success rate of those who come through the HALT Club is somewhat ambiguous, as the institution doesn't keep formal records and, according to Thompson, individuals in recovery are not immune to the possibility of relapse, no matter how far removed from addiction they may be.

"The success rate ... is certainly not as high as it was when (the HALT Club) first started, because we're getting people younger, we're getting people who aren't at that desperate point yet so they're not finished with their poor choices," Thompson said. "The success rate may not be what everybody would love, but I consider one out of 10 — one that gets into recovery and stays there — as a success."

Thompson has been connected to the HALT Club for 30 years, having served seven stints on the board of directors.

"I've hung around here all these years because I find it very fulfilling to watch people's lives change," Thompson said.

While Thompson has 30 years of recovery under his belt, he noted that it isn't a prerequisite for directors — local attorneys, physicians and other interested citizens who believe in the HALT Club's mission have assumed positions on the board.

As for the meetings held there, the HALT Club holds an open door for anyone who'd like to attend, whether they're drawn there by simple curiosity or a compelling desire to get their life on track.

"The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking or a desire to stop using. Anybody could come through the door," Thompson said. "All of the meetings in this building are open meetings, so that anybody can come in and see what's going on. Most people don't wake up in the morning and say, 'I don't have anything to do today, I think I'll go to an AA meeting.' But if there's some interest (from) a family member of themselves, if they're questioning their own drinking or using, it's open to anybody, however they identify."

To further commemorate its 40-year milestone, the HALT Club is hosting a celebration from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 11 at the clubhouse, located at 817 Holly Drive in Gainesville. The event will begin with an open AA meeting and continue with hamburgers and hot dogs, raffle drawings.

Guests will hear from an NA speaker at 3 p.m., an Al-Anon speaker at 5 p.m. and an AA speaker at 8 p.m.

For further information on the HALT Club and respective meeting times for its 12-step fellowships, visit facebook.com/GainesvilleHALTClub or contact 706-892-6882.

"If you have any idea that you might have a problem with drinking or your family member does, come to us and talk to us.," Thompson said. "I know it is certainly possible to come in here and change your life."