It's an average night at the 4021 Club. Members are sitting at round tables in the living room at 4021 Walnut St., talking about the day's events while sipping soft drinks and munching candy purchased from the "store" in the corner of the room.
But this isn't any ordinary club - these members are recovering alcoholics who have forsaken the bar scene for 4021's positive atmosphere.
For 60 years, the 4021 Club has been helping Penn students and area residents fight their addictions to alcohol. It currently has a membership of about 200.
Although the building just off campus was once a private residence, it now serves as a "clubhouse" for the 4021 Club. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are also held there, but this particular club is an independent organization.
"There is no affiliation whatsoever" with AA, according to a spokesman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association of AA. "They can hold meetings there, [but] there is no affiliation between us and the clubhouse."
Although Alcoholics Anonymous holds meetings at the club every night of the week, the 4021 Club is crowded at all hours of the day. It opens at noon most days and closes at 11 p.m.
The club is a place that people can frequent "instead of going to a bar and telling their troubles to a bartender," said the club's steward, Earl L. Like all of the members, he agreed to speak on the condition that he be identified only by his first name and last initial.
Members said they did not want to be named because, if they ever resorted to drinking again, other members would see them as bad examples.
Since the club is separate from AA, it has its own board of directors. Like other clubs, it charges its members dues - $11 per month. If someone cannot pay, Earl L. will find work for the member around the house.
Those in the club act as support for each other as they recover from alcoholism, often talking about their days and exchanging stories and advice.
"One of the basic tenets of AA is the fact that, in order for a person to get sober and to remain sober, they need the support of another alcoholic who's trying to do the same thing," said club President Eric W.
He added that he has been sober for the past 14 years. "Part of trying to stay sober is staying connected to a support group."
And, for members who may miss talking to strangers at a bar, the 4021 Club has a social scene of its own.
Alcoholic beverages are banned from the premises, but the club sells coffee, water, juice and soda, along with snacks. Most members gather in the main room on the first floor, where the club also holds dances on a regular basis.
The 4021 Club's membership transcends socioeconomic boundaries, Eric W. added.
"We got doctors, lawyers, laborers," he said. "Alcoholism is a disease that will attack a rich man just as soon as it will attack a poor man."
"This clubhouse is a community resource," he said. "Any meeting that we have here is open - all we say in the preamble [of the meeting] is that you have a desire to stop drinking."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.