I remember the day during our class, when I was informed about one of our quarter’s paper, which needed to attend to one of the AA meetings and reflecting my own experience. Although I already went to the AA meetings in Iran several times, I have found these meetings refreshing and very helpful for the addicted person.
However, I was born and raised in the family with long-history of addiction. The first thing that crossed my mind was my language barrier. It has become part of my life that English is my second language and I have practiced to be prepared for any reaction to my English, though I thought a lot about it and try to imagine the worst scenario before going to my first English speaking AA meeting. Although I went to the huge meeting,
…show more content…
my first reaction was to find familiar face. I went to the corner of the hall and look around to see if I would see familiar face. I was amazed how difficult it was for me to step into the meeting. I was so embarrassed; I tried to find a chair close to the door and next to a woman, which I easily found. Although most of the members had known each other, there were several people who welcome to the attendance in general. I was so afraid to even make eye contact with them; I just heard their voices and walked in. I could hear my heartbeat, which was faster than normal. I was very nervous. I believe when I feel that way, my future client would experience worse than that. The stigma is very powerful and hit you back so hard. At the beginning of the meeting I was thinking what if somebody that knows my uncle just showed up here and I have to explain myself to him or her. One of the most interesting stories that I heard in the meeting was how most of the members mentioned that they were sure that the Twelve-Step wouldn’t work with them at the beginning, and now they have been sober for more than twenty years. I believe that attitude toward the program and sharing personal experiences and changes could be very helpful to the client that I refer to these meeting. Considering this believe that there is a hope and this program has worked for many people with different status is very important for the addicted person. The person who was sharing his story even mentioned that he didn’t start his steps for the first one and half year. Normalizing the resistance to the Twelve-Step, but still attending to the meeting is another thing to be considered which helps the client to process his or her own feelings and keep in mind that others went through these feelings and has been sober for more than two decades. One of the things that I noticed which could be a turn-off to the client was about the meeting’s atmosphere.
Based on who was talking or reading from the book, the participants at the meeting went out of the hall and came back. Then majority of people came for the birthday time and left at the first break with coffee and the cake. I was sitting behind four women that two of them had birthday that night. Shortly after the break and I could hear their voice that they were talking about other people and judged their appearance and laughing together. I immediately checked myself and became so uncomfortable. When I think about the client who is addict and attends an AA meetings and hears that somebody is making fun of others and trying to label others such as handsome, not my type etc. could easily trigger him or her and be a turn-off for the person.
I think personal growth; appropriate boundaries and better relationships with the family and friends would be my measurement to be able to tell that my client is really “working a program”. Considering all these things together could help the client to accept his or her life and move on to the journey step by step.
To sum up, attending my first AA meeting was one of my exciting experiences in the United States. I have found the meeting very beneficial to my future client. As I looked at what I have felt to step in to the meeting alone, I can understand how intimidating could be for the client to attend an AA
meeting.
The center combines a safe housing environment with structured educational programs that incorporate the philosophies of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous is the original self help group founded on principles that provide support and encouragement for recovering alcoholics. New members are encouraged to work with a spon...
There are two groups of people pertinent to this project. Members of AA will provide information through sharing their experiences in interviews to those that will read and learn from the project, such as future alcoholics, new AA members, college students, and everyone in between. The members of the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are the most valuable first-hand accounts, and will be the first to supply information with this project. Though a few members may be less than cooperative to provide personal information, most are more than willing to share their experiences in order to help others in any way possible. In the first visit to the AA meeting, several o...
Coming into the substance abuse meeting the student nurse was scared and nervous. She was scared of the reaction of the consumers and feared all the stereotypes she heard about typical alcoholics. Innervison gave the student nurse a new outlook on these types of consumers. She no longer looked at them as people who were just drunks and wanted to use AA as an excuse to make it seem like they are getting help. She never really looked at alcoholism as a true addiction; it seemed like more of an excuse to escape life’s problems. Sitting in and listening to these consumers gave the student nurse a dose of reality. The student nurse now understands alcoholism better and AA helped her realize recovery is truly a process that takes one day and one step at a time.
The meeting began with a reading from the Big Book in which the first reading summarized the AA preamble. After the preamble, Sherry led the group in Serenity Prayer. After the prayer was completed, Sherry welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. Sherry asked everyone to open his or her books to Chapter 5. She explained that this chapter was titled “How it works” and asked a volunteer to read page 58. Gene, an older gentlemen volunteered to read the page. The first thing John said was hi my name is Gene and I am an alcoholic. Everyone responded back by saying hi to Gene. Gene proceeded to read the page, which basically talked about men and women who are not honest with his or her self cannot move forward in their recovery. After he finished reading the page, Gene went on to explain that he was an alcoholic for 25 years, and 3 years ago, he started attending AA meetings three times a week. He said that since he became sober 3 years ago, he has not had a drop of alcohol to drink. He said that...
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.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been around for more than 75 years. The biggest controversy about AA is if it is effective or not. Some people find AA to be an effective aid to sobriety; others find AA to be damaging and can lead to increased drinking. AA meetings are groups of people with the desire to quit drinking that help one another achieve and maintain sobriety. These meetings may include readings from the Big Book, sharing stories, discussing the traditions and 12 steps, and celebrating members’ sobriety. Because AA is anonymous, many people feel that participating in a study would be a breach
They were very nice people and opened up a lot. I also did not think that an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting would have so many smart people who would be so prepared to take part in by adding in very personal statements about their own lives and about the lives of people close to them. I always thought that alcoholics would be unsuccessful people who did not have occupations but in the meeting, a great deal of the people did have jobs and they went to work and they were kind of victorious. There are many emotional requirements faced by taking part in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting or any twelve step program. First, unhappiness loves companionship so bringing together many miserable people makes each other feel better. People with the same dilemma can feel as if they are not lonely and that can give them power to make a modification in their lives maybe. Second, speaking about one’s difficulties is a great initial measure in resolving the issue. These twelve step meetings do a very good job of getting people talking about their sensations out loud to other people who comprehend. Third, these series of programs present some people a feeling of belonging. Having somewhere to go each night and to be a
Life wasn’t always so bad, or at least that’s what they told me. From what I remember of my child hoods great memories my family speaks so highly of, if there were any at all, are all clouded in my mind by the what I can remember my life being. At times I find myself going thru old pictures of when I was a child and think to myself. Why can't I remember this day? I looked to be a happy healthy baby then my heart turns in a cold way. Growing up to a parent addicted to drugs and alcohol is no way for a child to be raised. I had to grow up at an early age and didn’t truly get to experience life the way a child should. My family tells me Marquise you were so loved by so many people and your Mom tried to do the best she
...ethnicity or culture; it happens to anyone such as, doctors, lawyers, teacher, judges, students and many more. My observation of the meeting was that every member seemed to really listen to each other’s sharing, where each member shared an experience, and others could relate to that particular experience or had similar experiences, such as struggling with promiscuous behavior or relapses in attending meetings, but they still stuck with the program because they wanted change in their lives. No one was rushed in their sharing, and everyone was opened and friendly. It was a cohesive group. I felt a sense of that openness, when I was introduced to everyone, and included at close of the meeting, where everyone one formed a circle, held hands and recited the serenity prayer. Overall, it was a new and knowledgeable experience Another Chance gave me.
They were all conversing with each other seeming to already be a cohesive group outside of group settings. A few of the members greeted me politely, however, did not engage me in further conversation. As the meeting time came closer, we were all able to enter a room where the meeting would be held. My immediate thoughts on the room were that the room was cold and with simple settings. The room was not very well lit, had a bunch of benches and folding chairs to accommodate the members, and had a table with information and pamphlets about other support groups. Perhaps I had formed an idea of an AA meeting in my head based on movies and TV shows I had seen, but I was expecting to see a table for refreshments and snacks where the members could chat around as they waited for the meeting to begin. However, there was only a water fountain at the very corner of the room, somewhat hiding from all
Attending an A.A meeting for anyone may be hard. According to, “Psychiatry and Wellness”, “Practically nobody looks forward to going to their first AA meeting.” Alcoholics or recovering addicts may feel the same way I felt when attending their first A.A meeting. Some alcoholics may feel worse than I did. Some alcoholics may feel ashamed to attend an A.A meetings. Some alcoholics may be scared or have fear to go to an A.A meeting because they do not know what to expect. The thought of attending an A.A meeting may be worse than actually attending an A.A
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
I introduced myself. I learned that the facilitator for the night is actually a member, a 30-year sober member. I was asked to enjoy refreshments and was greeted cordially by present members. The meeting was held in a church reception hall and the room was set up with 3 tables parallel from each other. I participated in this group as an observer, although, I did introduce myself at the beginning. The issue of this group was alcoholism and how to stay sober. The purpose of the group is to be a support system for those who are struggling with sobriety and those who have been successful in sobriety. The group focuses its healing around the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This support group is open and provides no limit to the attendee
As part of my community outreach makeup, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting in my hometown. It took place at the La Puente Center: 15911 Main Street, La Puente at 10:30 AM. I got to the La Puente Center and took a seat amongst the people that usually meet at this time. I introduced myself as a nursing student from Mount Saint Mary’s. I let everyone know that I was currently in a Mental Health class and as part of it I was to attend an AA meeting to see how these meetings were conducted and what their goals were. It was a group of individuals all looking to maintain their relationships, occupations, and lives in conjunction with their struggles with alcohol problems.
I’m an alcoholic and sober today thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous. Our Fellowship is called Alcoholics Anonymous that is who we are, we are alcoholics who help each other get and stay sober, one day at a time and we don’t tell anyone who we’ve met at meetings. If I tell someone outside AA that Maggie, who lives next door to them or Tam who’s in a TV programme come to meetings, I’m breaking their anonymity. That’s quite straight forward. What wasn’t clear to me for a while was that if I tell a fellow AA member that I saw someone at a meeting, I’m breaking their anonymity. Just because someone has come to a meeting doesn’t mean they want people they haven’t yet met in AA to know what there’s doing. This is of great importance, especially to the