Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) treatment program affect individual change through empowerment, by providing mutual support, and by providing accountability. In the first step of the AA program participants must first confront their powerlessness over alcohol. They must admit that they are addicts and that they have no control over their use of alcohol. As a result persons who are taking their first step towards recovery through the program are at their lowest in terms of self-esteem and self-efficacy. Further it is likely that the persons who voluntarily seek treatment in the program have already hit rock bottom in their lives and are now experiencing a sense of helplessness. This important step ensures that all the participants begin at the same …show more content…
Most of the members appeared to be middle-aged, with the youngest 24 or 25 years old. I had pictured a small group of about ten to twelve middle-aged men (at that time in the morning) standing around in a circle holding each hands ranting and admitting their drinking problems and giving each other support in their efforts to stay sober. I was surprised by the number of people who attended. There were more people than the number of chairs available. I sat in the back so that I could keep count and observe each person and I counted roughly thirty-five attendees the first day which was on a Thursday and roughly forty-two on Friday. I was also surprised that the group was evenly split between men and woman. I don’t know why but I was not expecting that many women to be there. The age seemed to range from mid-twenties to early eighties. Given that this meeting was in the suburbs I was not surprised that the majority of the attendees were white. There were only two African American females (including myself) and two males - ’one middle aged and one young …show more content…
Some had problems related to relationships issues, career troubles, and business dilemmas, family breakups, custody issues, and broken relationships with their child(ren). I believe these observations support the idea that relation of life experiences is so critical to the group experience. Group members at different age levels or life stages may have more trouble connecting, which is why bridging the gaps between members is an important aspect to facilitating satisfaction and retention. During the meeting members are praised by their peers when they share stories of overcoming the urge to break sobriety and there is an absence of praise when they are not able to resist the temptation. This type of operant conditioning reinforces the desired behavior to remain sober. Further, by observation, other members of the group will replicate the same behavior. The first day I made no attempt to speak or introduce myself since I was not required to do so. However on my second visit I waited until the meeting was closing to disclose myself and my purpose. Some members seemed bothered while others were ok and very supportive. I was very anxious at both meeting. Near to the end of the meeting a basket was passed around for donations. This is reminded me of being in church. After the closing prayer was said I quickly
When the term alcohol anonymous is said most of us think of a group of drunks that can’t seem to get themselves together and stay clean. For the student nurse this is the view that she had going into her first alcohol anonymous meeting. As bad as it sounds, it is kind of hard to imagine what goes through the minds and lives of people who deal with this struggle on a daily basis. Innervison was the eye opener that the student nurse needed to clear all the stereotypes, and negative thoughts about people that just seemed to want to drink and never get their lives together. Innervision is a non-profit organization that specializes in help with recovery patients, helping consumers find employment, education, and provides resources for patients with psychiatric disabilities.
Before I attended an AA meeting, I did not realize the significance of AA and the twelve-step program. Now I understand how these group meetings were designed to influence an individual to remain sober, but also it was meant to use your voice and ask for help when needed. I was glad that I had the opportunity to attend an AA meeting because I was able to see first hand an alcoholic’s point of view. It helped me understand that the negative stereotype of an alcoholic is not true and that because of their disease, they are living in a world that they cannot mentally comprehend because of their inability to refrain from drinking.
Alcoholism has been a fixture in our society since the first introduction of alcohol. Despite it being an equal opportunity disease, a large majority of not only the treatment, but also the research, has been about men. This lack of consideration of the different needs for men and women has led to many women going through recovery systems that do not address their experiences, and therefore do not allow them to take full advantage of that recovery system. This paper will attempt to look at the different experiences that men and women have in their journey through a substance addiction (particularly alcohol), from addiction through recovery. The main recovery method that will be discussed here is Alcoholics Anonymous. As an observation addition to this assignment, I sat in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Kerrville, TX. The meeting was on Thanksgiving Day at noon. I took detailed notes of the meeting, while keeping a watchful eye for any gendered interactions during the flow of the meeting.
Alcoholism is as prevalent in my family, as blood is in our veins. When previously asked to observe 12-step groups, I ritualistically flocked to Alcoholics Anonymous, without consideration of the possibility that other groups had any potential to make an impact on me. I always pride myself in my ability to identify as an individual that is not ensnared in alcoholism, but unfortunately am an individual that was highly tormented by alcoholism. Through observation of the group and how it processed, as well as identifying how I felt as a new attendee, I was able to understand why self-help, support groups are so vital for individuals in recovery. I finally realized, I too am in recovery.
individuals and their families, and provide information about effective community-based interventions such as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
I attended the Alcohol Anonymous (AA) twelve step meeting on Friday December fourth at 8:00 p.m. at the community center at Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. The people were middle aged men and women of different ethnic backgrounds. The meeting started in an arranged fashion. I sat in the back and was addressed by an elderly man who wanted to know who I was to and I replied that I was a student writing a paper for school. He was fine with my answer and departed. The meeting started with people presenting themselves. First, there was an open conversation that started was with the storytelling of one member’s endeavors with alcoholism. After this heartwarming account, other people in the group provided how the
A major question that has been asked ever since the creation of AA, people have questioned Bill Wilson’s theory on Alcoholism; whether it’s a disease or a spiritual problem. In addition to the question of the origins of alcoholism another question is if the “Big Book” and 12 step program about alcohol or about finding God. This paper is about Alcoholics Anonymous and how the organization treats alcoholism as a disease that it impossible to cure unless the individual finds God. I believe that AA operates in a fashion similar to that of a cult because of what the book teaches and the message that AA members are instructed to carry out.
The phrase “early A.A.” refers to the early fellowships and meetings held in Akron, Ohio. These meetings took place between 1935 and 1939 when Alcoholics Anonymous was an integral part of “A First Century Christian Fellowship” (Pitman 56). A.A. was the outcome of a meeting between Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon. Both had been hopeless alcoholics (Fingarette 14).
On February 27, 2014, I visited an Alcohol Anonymous (A.A) therapeutic group meeting called Another Chance. Another Chance is an intergroup meeting located inside the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, at 833 Gardner C. Taylor Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11216. Another Chance has been in operation for over thirty years, and holds open discussion meetings on alcohol use and prevention, every Thursday from six in the evening until seven o’clock. This group interaction with alcohol substance use and abuse focuses on helping all members regardless of race, ethnicity or culture, to abstain from drinking one day at a time; and encourages them to maintain healthy thoughts and emotions through the use of the “Twelve Steps and Traditions” of recovery and intervention approaches.
I have never experienced what it would be like to be a part of an AA meeting. The only time I have had seen or heard someone mention meetings for alcoholics has been TV shows and movies, which would portray these meeting as a circle of strangers just deliberating stories of their life and how this disease has changed them forever. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect. I felt intimidated and had a sense of nervousness, so I decided I would not go alone and brought a friend. My expectation upon entering this meeting was to see beat up people with bad hygiene and a homeless appearance. As a matter of fact, the expectations I had upon walking towards this place was that I was going to get hit on and even get kidnapped. As crazy as it sounds, all these thoughts came through my mind particularly because of the type of environment I expected it to be. For the most part, I was wrong. I was actually surprised at what I witnessed and I came to realize that I was over-reacting. Upon arrival, there were people spread out; some talking together and some sitting alone. The room was nothing like I imagined. It wasn't an auditorium or a gym like they showed on TV. This place which I had imagined to be a dreadful enclosed surface with maniacal individuals turned out to be a small room with sofas and tables to make guests feel welcomed, with regular looking men and women appearing to be middle-aged. I thought "There has to be something wrong, I can’t be convinced that all these people who seem normal to me have an addiction problem with alcoholism". My friend and I took a seat by the door just in case we wanted to make a quick exit.
My assignment was to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting and write my observations and thoughts on the meeting, its structure and philosophical beliefs. I was extremely uncomfortable about attending such a personal meeting. Would individuals welcome me or feel as if I would judge? Even though I was uncomfortable, I am glad I attended the meeting as it was a very enlightening experience for me.
One thing I admired about each of the individuals at the meeting was that all of them held their selves accountable to fight their addiction. Each one of these people could have been consumed with something else on that Wednesday night, but instead, they all choose to come together to become a better version of themselves. They stated that if they didn’t attend the meeting that night they would all feel more likely to fall back into their addictions. Many of them reported attending a meeting multiple times a week. Thus, I was impressed when learning how frequent NA meetings are held. One of the members had informed me that some groups will run every night of the week. Therefore, making it hard for someone to come up with an excuse to miss a
The AA meeting I attended took place at a church. The church that holds the meeting has a beginner AA meeting that meets Monday nights at 7 pm. However, I decided to go to the regularly meeting which takes place an hour later at 8 pm. I felt as though I would get more out of the regular meetings and get a sense of what regular AA members talk about. Before arriving at the meeting, I was a little anxious because I felt like as though I would be out of place, and I would be intruding on the members who come to the meetings for support. Also before attending, for some unknown reason, I imagined the meeting would to be similar to AA meeting featured in movies. Contrary to what I thought, the meeting was completely different. When I arrived at
At the meeting it was clear that there was a specific agenda to follow from the second you walked in the door to the second you left. The meeting took place in the basement of the church. When arriving, a women stood welcoming everyone who walked into the door. The individuals knew immediately that I was a college student there to write a paper and instantly brought it to everyone’s attention by asking jokingly to not talk bad about them. Looking back I am a little bothered by them immediately assuming this. Although I was a college student there to write a paper, what if I was actually there to participate in the AA meeting? It made me wonder what happens to younger individuals looking for help and if they are turned off from meetings because of situations like this. They were still very welcoming but that initial impression...
To me, learning is like a bee pollinating. I am the bee, and learning is the pollen which gets picked up from a flower and then gets dropped off to another flower. I used to think that everyone would learn in a different way than how I learned. I have always had trouble learning; lessons and anything that anybody told me, would somehow not stay inside my brain. I believe that one of the very first ways that we begin to learn is in a section that Temple Grandin discusses in her article. Doing community service was an experience that has shaped my outlook on life. Anything that I do has taken time a lot of effort, but it has paid off with the knowledge that I gained.