I attended the “11th Step” meeting at the Newman Congregational Church. The 11th Step uses meditation as a form of recovery. This was an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that takes place every Tuesday night. It was very difficult to find a meeting that was convenient for my schedule. They frequently took place at night when I had class, or on weekend mornings when I had to work. I originally sought help from a previous professor in finding a support group, however, Courtney and I ended up finding this particular one on our own through searching the internet. Although it was difficult for me to find a group that was convenient, I believe this particular time is the most accessible to those who had attended this meeting. The experience was overall very positive even though I was hesitant to attend at first, I did not realize how influential AA was to a recovering alcoholic before attending this meeting. 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 …show more content…
The disease is not specific to one person and can affect everyone in different way. Self-Help Groups are an important piece of recovery. It does not matter what type of recovery someone is looking for. When someone is in crisis they look to the people who are most likely to understand them and connect with them for support. I believe self-help groups are the most important part of the healing/recovery process. Not only for the person who needs help in the present. It also shows the others in the group why they sought out help in the first place. This group showed how important self-help groups are to the healing and recovery process, I would recommend self-help meetings to anyone looking for
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.
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 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
AA’s founder Bill Wilson asserted that alcoholism is a spiritual disease with only one cure., AA believes that the one and only cure is by following, and living by the 12 step program. Alcohol Anonymous 12-step program derived from this type of thinking and from the very beginning, new members are taught that they are absolutely powerless to alcohol, and that the only way for you to be cured is for “a power greater than yourself could restore you to sanity”. AA members separate themselves from the rest of society, and attribute their drinking problems to every other aspect of their lives. There is a list of contributing factors to an individual’s disease, published by Bill Wilson. The list is roughly 25 aspects of every alcoholic’s life but Alcohol is never listed because in Mr. Wilson’s eyes it’s not the alcohol that is the problem. Instead it is the individual that has become a victim to the alcohol.
Something that stood out to me during the meeting was that some attendees lived in fear for years after being sober. They wouldn’t come outside of their homes for the reasons being that they would use again or run into old friends that used to drink with them. Also, I found it interesting that every year group members come together to celebrate their years in sobriety. The celebration consists of a speaker, food, and fun. Overall, I really enjoyed sitting in on an AA meeting. As an aspiring social worker, this meeting helped me to understand that it is not easy to get over an addiction. Also, if I decide to work with substance abusers, there may be times where they may relapse. I would have to learn how to be patient and keep in mind that excessive use of substances can alter your brain and control your life.
Both men immediately set to work with alcoholics at Akron’s City Hospital, where one patient quickly achieved complete sobriety (Pitman 69). In the fall of 1935, a second group of alcoholics slowly took shape in New York. A third appeared at Cleveland in 1939. It had taken over four years to produce 100 sober alcoholics in the three founding groups. That same year, the Fellowship published it’s basic textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous. The text, written by Bill, explained A.A.’s philosophy and methods, the core of which was the now well-known Twelve Steps to Recovery (Pitman 75 & 76). The book was reinforced by case histories of around thirty recovered members. From this point on, A.A’s development was rapidly growing (Wekesser 36).
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 do not regret it because it was an experience that taught me something. After attending the A.A meeting I realized/learned that everyone was there for the same reason. Everyone was on a road to recovery, everyone had a desire to stop drinking and everyone was trying to stay sober. I learned the stories of those who had an alcohol dependence problems. Some stories where sadder than others. I learned the stories of why the people chose to get sober. Some stories consisted of trauma that occurred, some stories consisted of children and some stories simply consisted of change. I learned that it is important to share and express your feelings at A.A meetings. Most importantly, I learned that the people at the A.A meeting were not judgmental and they are very accepting to others. Attending an A.A meeting gave me an inside feel of how an alcoholic or recovering addict may feel when attending their first meeting.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting I attended. The stories told by the members took courage and strength. Alcoholics Anonymous appears to be an effective form of treatment for alcohol addiction. This group, and I would image most groups, showed love, caring, and concern for each person. They all expressed their love for God and a determination to stay sober. Yoko reminded me that addiction is not subjective. It can affect any one at any age. One gentleman, James, is coming up on his three-month anniversary of sobriety after being an alcoholic for 45 years! God Bless him and all the members of the Olive Branch Alcoholic Anonymous Group. I learned a great deal.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, alcoholism is defined as "the compulsive consumption of and psychophysiological dependence on alcoholic beverages." It is a problem that can tear apart marriages and families, cause someone to lose his job, and many more negative results. In order to recover from this dependency a person must lose his desire for and dependence upon alcohol, continue to remain sober, and resolve all conflicts caused by the alcohol abuse. There are several alternatives an alcoholic has to rehabilitate himself. The best solution is a combination of individual therapy and a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous.
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
I have been fortunate enough to be placed on units wherein students are allowed to attend group therapy, as long as the patients are comfortable with it. I have attended numerous but was not asked for my input on many of them, except one. I thought that this social worker really helped the patients understand that we, as nursing students, are also here for the patients and not just there to fulfill hours. I felt that in previous sessions, the patients felt that we were observing them as if they were circus animals and even had a patient scoff when I had a therapist say we were there to observe. When a fellow student and myself were allowed to participate and provide input, I felt that therapy as a whole was much more productive and the patients