Closing of Turns in the Meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous: Members' Methods for Closing "Sharing Experiences"

Abstract

This article studies ways in which closings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) turns contribute to the organization of sharing experiences. AA meetings are composed of extended, monological turns. This sharing format generates a task to show an acceptable completion of each turn so that the subsequent speaker can take a turn. In their closings, AA members orient both to the formal type of interaction and to its moral nature. The term rhetoric of gratitude describes speakers' efforts to achieve closings through expressions of thankfulness. Furthermore, interactional contingencies arising from the use of a time signal to mark the end of time are studied.