The Unemployed Life

AA for Recession Victims

“Hi, my name is X, and I’ve been feeling a little bit screwed by the economy.”

“Hello, X.”

It’s not likely that such a formal introduction will take place when a support group for recession victim gathers this Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Odessa Cafe in Manhattan. But the group, a Meetup titled “WTF Now?“, does take its inspiration from other aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous, according to organizer Chrissy Rossettie.

“My boyfriend goes to AA and gets a lot out of it,” she says. “So I thought, ‘Why not have a support group for unemployed New Yorkers?’ If nothing else, I’m hoping that it will provide a forum for people to vent and blow off steam, and maybe feel a little less alone and lost.”

Rossettie herself has been among those feeling a little out of sorts because of the economy. Primarily a musician, she sold real estate on commission on the side to pay the bills, but with the recession, that income has “dropped to virtually nothing,” and a side gig, bartending, only produced one shift.

There is no specific agenda for the gathering, but there may be free drinks, according to a note left by Rossettie on the group’s Meetup site, and the plan is to meet weekly. Only two people attended the last Meetup, on February 4, but so far, 9 have RSVP’d yes and 19 are maybes for February 11. The group is open to all industries, “since I don’t know of many industries that haven’t been effected by this downturn.”

“So many people I know are out of work and depressed, and I thought it might be helpful for people to get together and talk,” says Rossettie, who grew up in New Jersey and lived in Chicago for seven years. “New Yorkers tend to be active, driven people, so being out of work can be extremely disheartening, confusing, and scary.”

Tags: New York, support groups