Back To Basics Aa Meeting Reflection

Twelve steps meetings are thought to be a vital part of recovery for those battling addiction. While it has been proven to help those with addiction maintain sobriety, there are skeptics who feel that they aren’t as productive as advertised. Research on the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is controversial and is subject to widely divergent interpretations (Kaskutas, 2009). I was able to see firsthand how a meeting is conducted by attending the Back to Basics AA meeting in Columbus, GA. My paper will address some of my thoughts and feelings about the meeting, my overall experience, and how it has informed my practice as a counselor.
The first thing that surprised me about the AA meeting was the attitudes and the amount of participation. Despite the benefit that can be derived from attending meetings and engaging in 12-Step activities, many individuals with SUDs are reluctant

to do so (Donovan, Ingalsbe, Benbow, & Daley, 2013). So seeing so many individuals of different races, ages, and genders in my opinion showed me that the group had it strong points. I honestly believed that I would have walked into a room full of defeated individuals who were negative and came to drown their sorrows amongst other recovering addicts. The depiction that is often showed on television was nothing like the in person experience, and I was definitely deceived by my thoughts or preconceived notions regarding appearance. Most of the individuals were well kempt, job having, healthy individuals, who didn’t look at all how I thought they would. The atmosphere was really welcoming and uplifting, and although some of these people claimed to know each other for ten or more years, their interactions made it seem as if they just met. A major factor appears to be the “fellowship” associated with 12-Step groups (Donovan, Ingalsbe, Benbow, & Daley, 2013). The meeting was open to the public, and the one thing I noticed as I sat in back of the room was that no one questioned why I was there, which automatically made me feel as if it was a judgment free zone. Although I knew I was there to observe, the fact that I wasn’t hounded or approached made me feel comfortable sitting among people I didn’t know. When you were ready and if you wanted to you were able to introduce yourself, which I thought was a plus. I thought it would have been classroom style seating with an individual in the front talking while others listened, but this was not the case. The group seating was circular in arrangement with extra chairs for those who came late, and I found this to be important when it came to the organization of the meeting. The style of seating helped you stay engaged and in a way held you accountable to the group.
I realized that the meeting wasn’t a free for all where people were just talking about their addiction or recovery, and that structure and respect was very important to the success of the meeting. They opened the group with such enthusiasm as they stated the name of the group “Back to Basics”. It was weird at first because as I stated earlier some of these individuals have been attending this group for ten or more years. I wondered to myself how they could be so enthusiastic, but I understood after a while that some of these individuals wouldn’t be here without the group. What I liked is that the group had a different leader each meeting, which was preplanned. This was also a way of keeping members accountable and keeps things organized, but more than that the variety keeps interest. The leader explained that although it was AA meeting, members were free to discuss substance abuse in general, which allowed for all to be involved. Note however that in keeping with 12-step principles, these fellowships promote abstinence from all mind altering substances including alcohol, not solely from the specific substance that is their primary focus (Laudet, 2008). The only thing I felt was lacking in the organization department was the timeliness. The meeting started at 730, but there were individuals showing up at 7:45 even 8:00, which I felt disrupted the flow of the meeting at times.
The religious aspect of the group was heavily emphasized, which I thought was positive. The group started and ended with the serenity prayer, and whoever was chosen to do the prayer was also allowed to freestyle a prayer as well. It was good to see that the religious aspect was not just something that occurred only in the group, but that a lot of the individuals there had religious practices outside of the meeting, and they weren’t afraid to let that be known. One thing that worried me though was the fact that the religious principles that they followed seemed to be only Christian based, and it didn’t take into consideration individuals who don’t follow Christianity. Everything, especially the 12 steps, seemed to be based around god, but how do you tailor these meetings to those who may not believe in god. However, after hearing the 12 steps, I did appreciate the fact that self-awareness and taking responsibility for ones actions were a focal point.
As I listened to the stories from different individuals in the group I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I was saddened because of how addiction affected some individuals, but I was also happy because a lot the members discussed how they overcame adversity sobered up and stayed sober. They weren’t ashamed nor did they fabricate their stories, and a lot of their stories were very similar, which was surprising because some of them did more than one drug. I was even more surprised at the level of catharsis in the room because instead of making people shy away from sharing it brought on a higher level of comfort in the group. I found myself intrigued mostly by the reasons people used not by what they used. It was important to hear how a coping mechanism or trying it once with a friend, turned into addiction. Also, hearing about the risky behavior done to obtain drugs made me cringe because some of these individuals put their lives on the line daily just for a high. It made me realize that it could happen to anyone and that not everyone who starts using thinks it will lead to addiction.
My overall experience at the Back to Basics AA meeting was a good one.

I got to do away with some of my judgment about those with addiction, and I also picked up some valuable information. What I think was most important for me to witness was the camaraderie and the high levels of support among the members, which seemed to be part of the foundation of the group. For that reason, I believe that this will be a resource I use with clients because the good outweighs the bad, and if you work the group it yields positive results. Study participants mentioned several qualities of the AA fellowship and the AA program as helpful, such as identifying with other alcoholics, sharing, talking, and telling stories; having a sponsor, and working the steps (Krentzman, Robinson, Moore, Kelly, Laudet, White, Strobbe, 2010). My only skepticism would come in the religion department. Referring a client with a different religious belief or no belief at all would be difficult because the group is based around it. However, this resource is vital part of follow-up care, and should be utilized when

possible.