Introduction Recently I had the unique opportunity of attending three support group meetings. I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and a Nar Anon meeting. Two of the meetings were open and one was closed. Please note that an open meeting is a meeting where the general public is allowed to attend and a closed meeting is designated for a specific group of people. This paper will explore my feelings and experiences during this experience. Demographic The first meeting I attended was a closed NA meeting. It was held at a facility called the Conroe Club. This is a facility where different types of support group meetings are held throughout the day at varying times. Some of the meetings hosted at Conroe Club are NA, AA, Al Anon, and Co-Dependents Anonymous. The Club was a large trailer type building that was not in the best condition. As I walked into the building I noticed that many of the people outside smoking were much older than I was and were Caucasian. Upon entering the building I was greeted by several people who welcomed me and introduced themselves. I approached a middle aged Caucasian woman at a Dutch door who was selling snacks and drinks. I informed her that I was there to observe meetings for a school assignment. I told her what degree I was pursuing and what University I attended. She informed me that she thought it was awesome what I was doing however all of the six o’clock meetings were closed. She then instructed me to come back
Many participants engaged the group with stories of overcoming addiction or being sexually molested by family members as reasons behind their addiction. However all of their stories were compelling and empowering to the group of individuals who have seemed to endure some of the same sentiments as their fellow group mate. It appeared as if the individuals in the group even though that were court ordered appeared to be extremely engaged and very involved during the meetings. It seemed as though most who attended found peace and solice from the group during the NA meetings. As it stated by Krentzman, Robinson, Moore, et.al (2010), client’s state that their top two reasons for attending NA meetings were to promote recovery/ sobriety and to find support acceptance and friendships. One thing that I learned from the NA group that just as in AA, family support deems to be an important function on the perseverance of an addict and that the participation and involvement of family is detrimental in the treatment process for the addicts. In several of our readings many of the passages discussed the effects of family systems support as it pertains to substance abusers chemical addiction. The passages described the family system as being a detrimental part of the treatment process as well as for the treatment of the family as well. According to past studies, family involvement has aided clients in
I did not wish to interrupt the natural flow of the meeting with my presence. However, that is exactly what occurred highlighting to me a duality in why AA can be both helpful and harmful depending ton the individual. One member spoke during the open testimony about his desire to only attend meetings with people that have 20 plus years of sobriety because he finds a newcomer to be distrustful to his experience in the group. During his five-minute monologue, it became clear to myself and other group members that he did not appreciate me observing his meeting. As other members spoke after him, he became increasingly agitated in his movements. When the group paused to collect the donations, he left the meeting and did not return. That experience highlighted the negative aspects of AA because the open honesty could be damaging or discouraging to newcomers. I tried to imagine myself a newcomer to AA, seeking treatment for something that I may not fully understand myself. After hearing his dismissal of newcomers and everyone under 20 years sobriety that feeling of “otherness” in a newcomer could push them to not return. Therefore eliminating the AA support for
The power of support groups, especially when peer run can have a sign cant impact on the individual. It is vital to realize that “Compared to recent group members, longstanding group members used less medication and treatment services, had higher levels of well-being and less neurotic distress” (Solomon, 2009). Many of them also became leaders of the groups. Many times while I have personally sat in on our Hope and Recovery Group (Peer Lead), I have seen a massive shift in many of the people in our group. The socialization of each individual is profound! Many of the group members never said a word for months and now they are vibrant, full of zeal and vivaciousness. An interesting point that is brought up by Ley is the statement that “People
When I walked into the meeting, I was a little apprehensive. It was only a small group of about ten people, which was held at a local hospital. Knowing that I had to explain I was there to observe as a student studying social work, I was worried that the participants would hold back from their real behaviors in the group and that they would be cold to me. However, that assumption could not have been farther from the truth. All my apprehension flew out the window, as the members of the small group all welcomed me with open arms. Apparently, these were regulars. Most in the group attended every meeting, and continued to use the support of the group to deal with the continuous chaos and trauma of living with an addict. I was welcomed to sit and observe the behavior of the individual members of the group express their grief, fear, and
Lastly, the chairperson recounted her own personal story with addiction. I was surprised how the group handled her story in a positive way. I noticed at times members laughed and even smiled and others making brief supporting comments. Rather than judge the events of her life, the group members seemed to connect in a personal way. I liked how the meeting was honest and open. Afterwards different members of the meeting read brief AA literature, "How it Works," the "Twelve Traditions" and "The Promises." I listened to each of them very closely
So I attended the AA (alcoholic anonymous) meeting of a group called Choices Group from the KCB club on November 13th, 2015 at 2:30 PM. This AA meeting was held at the location of 5715 W. Alexander Rd.//Leon Ave. Although they meet everyday, this was the best day for my schedule. What I liked is that right away, I got in touch with the meeting organizer named Laura and she was more then willing to let me sit in in one of the meetings. Even over the phone I could feel that she was a nice person and when I met her I was not wrong. She has purple hair and such a bubbly personality. For starters, I always thought everyone would sit around in a circle but that was not the case in this meeting. There were tables where people can sit as well as some back chairs with no tables. When I arrived, Laura told me to sit in the back and when we go over people’s names to say that I was a visitor, that unfortunately never happened. It was around 2:27 PM and there was roughly 10 people there. As it got closer to 2:30 PM a bus showed up and that is when the rest of the people showed up. Roughly 45 people were there and the meeting started.
Description: The group I have chosen to write about is, Nar-Anon. Nar-Anon, is a group designed to help the individual’s family, cope with having a loved one, addicted to drugs or alcohol. The goal is to help them find a way to become free from the entrapment of the loved ones addiction. When an individual is addicted to drugs or alcohol they are not alone. They bring their family along for the ride. No, they may not be physically taking the drugs, but they are dealing with seeing their loved one loosing quality of life, jobs, cars, homes, children, and always on guard in fear of what they may do, to get the drugs or money they need to purchase them. Anyone, that wishes to join, may do so. The groups are open to the public. These groups are held weekly on Monday evenings at 6:30. The location of the meeting is at St. Marks Church 325 Walnut St. Hazard, Kentucky 41701. This is a very inviting group with a light
Attending a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was a humbling and informative experience. To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect going into the meeting. Right before I walked in, I felt somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed. I felt as if I was intruding on someone’s personal life with my presence, even though I knew I was welcomed since the meeting was listed as “open”. Alcohol abuse is a very sensitive topic to me, as someone quite close to me is an alcoholic: my Uncle. I know that he is a recovering alcoholic, but I never quite know what is going on with him because I don’t ask questions and he never shares what he is feeling with me. When I was younger, I remember that he was always the life of my family parties, but I know now it was because he was drunk. When I see him now, he isn’t as energetic as he used to be and often avoids situations where alcohol is involved. Although my Uncle did not personally tell me, my father has shared with me that he attends AA meetings at a church in my hometown. I never understood what AA meetings really entail and didn’t grasp how they helped alcoholics recover. Attending this local AA meeting helped shed light on what my Uncle feels, and I am more understanding to his addiction. I am thankful for this assignment because I know that my Uncle is not alone; the AA community is so supportive and the members all have the best intentions of getting
Self-help groups are made up of individuals who have use, consumer, or abused alcohol or substance. Individuals within a self-help group are not therapist, or counselors, but plan old regular people who share common problems. The members benefit through “reciprocal helping” that is, they help other understand and deal with substance or alcohol issues and the person that help then becomes the person receiving the help (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2012). Alcoholics Anonymous has been recognized as one of the most popular or well-known self-help groups to date and has helped countless individuals (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2012). As part of this class program, I will make a couple of visits to gain a better understanding of what people go through in order to remain substance
We began the meeting by introducing those who are new to AA or those who were visiting from a different group. If a person did not want to introduce themselves, they were not made to do so. The meetings were very calm and were conducted in an orderly fashion. In a support group, the leader should create a safe environment where members can share (Jacobs et al., 2012 p. 43). I felt very comfortable being there and even though I was there as an observer, the group leader always encouraged me to ask questions or comments. Regardless of the topics that were discussed, no one was judgmental. I believe the positive energy I felt while in the group was because everyone truly cared about each other’s sobriety.
Each person said their first name. The chair of the meeting read the guidelines for the meeting. Individuals were welcome to share their experience. The open topic for the first half of the meetings focused on how Al-Anon has helped the individual in their daily lives. One person shared that they have implemented the Serenity Prayer and teaching from Al-Anon into their work lives as well as to relationships with family and friends. Another person shared that they have learned how to set boundaries and adhere to them. Learning how to make sure that they held themselves responsible if they allowed someone to cross the boundary. As with Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon also has a Twelve Step structure and several people commented on the steps that they are currently on and what the steps have meant to them. No problems or issues were discussed. Individuals talked about how they are connecting with themselves, not trying to change or control the person/persons in their lives who have the addiction. The comments made were ones of encouragement. At several times in the meeting a sponsor sign in sheet was passed around. At a half way point in the meeting, new comers were invited to go to another room to meet with a member to get additional information and ask any questions that they may have. In the second half of the meeting, the group was encouraged to share whatever they wanted to talk about. One person spoke about the guilt they felt when they decided to end their marriage from the spouse with the addiction. How their child at the time blamed them for the break-up and how it took almost three years for that adult child to even communicate with them. Others talked about being lost, and having feelings of misery and hopelessness. They could not “fix” the person with the
Approaching the corner space of the strip mall, I could tell I was in the right place for a meeting with several people gathered outside engaged in meaningful communication. Some were smoking, some were drinking coffee but all of them looked bright eyed and full of energy at 10:00 AM Sunday morning. Walking towards the doors that read “Spirit of Studio 12”, I was met with smiles and what appeared to be a welcoming atmosphere. As I crossed the threshold a young man greeted me with a warm smile saying “welcome, the coffee and donuts are over there”, pointing to a small room, “help yourself”. He also told me where the meeting was taking place and to sit wherever I would like, accept for the head of a table stationed at one side of the room facing the chairs around it. My first impression of this Narcotics Anonymous meeting was that of a friendly and supportive environment, what I imagine is essential to someone seeking help for their addiction for the first time.
There are millions of people who have and who are suffering from alcoholism. For those seeking help with their addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may be the right for them. While this program is not promised to be a cure, and the authors of this program does not promise full recovery, it provides an atmosphere where members can be honest about their dependency on alcohol. Furthermore, AA provides support from other alcoholics, and rewards for meeting certain sobriety anniversary dates. This paper explores the history and major developments of AA. Furthermore, this paper explains the structure of meetings, and the roles the leader and members play during meetings. This paper also touches on AA’s definition of success and how it handles members who relapse. Additionally, this paper explains this student’s experiences of two AA meetings she attended, which include what she learned from attending the meetings, and what she learned from the people she met at the meetings.
The purpose of this research paper was to attend two support group meetings and share my experiences. The meetings that were to be attended were an Alcoholics Anonymous
Next the client discusses the environment of the session and the community it serves. “I prefer to go to closed meetings because you begin to feel more like a family. Anyone can go to an open meeting and talk about whatever they choose, but you may not feel as much of a connection or bond. In a closed session, it is more empathetic and a person HAS to admit and identify themselves as an alcoholic. In these sessions, you can understand their feelings and experiences. Most of the sessions I attend, the group is typically the same people and it is a smaller group. You begin to become friends, a support system that you can rely on. I like that it feels more