The comfort zone is the living, working, and social environment in which people feel comfortable because it contains an area of ​​thought that it's just easy. To get out of the comfort zone, a person must get involved and open their mind to a new experience. For my comfort zone experience, I attended an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. On February 11, 2016, I attended the “No One Left Behind” meeting at the Veteran's Hospital. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before attending the meeting, I really had no idea what to expect. Therefore, I went into the meeting with a completely open mind and heart. When I arrived, I told the small group that I was a student and that I was here to listen to their stories. Even though I felt uncomfortable at first, everyone made an effort to make me feel comfortable and wanted to share their personal experiences with me. In the hour I spent with people affected by this horrible disease, I learned so much about how they are perceived in society and how society influences their alcoholism. After the meeting, I stayed for a while and talked to some people. They were so open and wanted me to learn a lesson from this experience, to show that there are other parts of college than alcohol. Even though I went into the meeting feeling very uncomfortable and out of place, they accepted me as a listener and allowed me to hear very personal stories, and in the end I felt comfortable asking questions and learning from the 12 people suffering from alcoholism .This experience influenced my perception of vulnerable populations by opening my eyes to how people with alcoholism deal with having to live with an illness in today's society. It is very easy to overlook the fact that an “alcoholic” is actually a person, someone with real thoughts and feelings. People suffering from alcoholism are part of the vulnerable population because they are usually in a constant state of mental alteration and are not in control of their lives. Attending Alcoholics Anonymous has made me realize that there is more to someone's story than just alcohol addiction, and that I can become an ally simply by showing them that I want to be there for them and that I don't judge them for their dependence. I am a white college student who grew up with a strong family structure and has had opportunities that many people will not have simply because of certain characteristics. I have privilege in my life, and while it is not something I can control, it is something I can use to help other populations who do not have the same privilege. That being said, I don't have privilege in any part of my life. I grew up in a family plagued by alcoholism, and it's also a part of who I am and my thought process. Both of these social identities are part of my intersectionality, which has had a huge impact on my experience. I was able to look at this situation from two perspectives; one where I realized that my privilege has somewhat protected me from being vulnerable to alcoholism and the other where I see that privilege does not completely protect someone from drug or alcohol addiction. I am privileged to not be addicted to alcohol and this affected my experience because I was the only one in the room who was not in a state of alcoholism. This privilege has put a barrier between us, and while I can listen and learn from their stories, I will never know exactly how they feel. People with alcoholism have to face their illness every day of the day.