Recovery and Support Groups

.docx

School

Crafton Hills College *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

100

Subject

Arts Humanities

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by cristinavargas009

Vargas 1 Recovery and Support Groups Cristina Vargas College of Humanities and Social Sciences CNL-501: Substance Use Disorders and Addiction Dr. Aura July 19, 2023

Vargas 2 Introduction Substance use is a long and difficult journey. Recovery from substance abuse can be a slippery slope for some but can be effective if it is structured and involves a strong support system. Capuzzi & Stauffer (2019) defines group counseling as a part of treatment that highlights an expression to thoughts and feelings working toward behavioral change. Group work creates a safe and relatable space for the attendees that are participating. Specifically, regarding substance use, recovery and support groups can be an effective way to support a client in their sobriety. Group Characteristics There were many options when researching for an Alcoholics Anonymous support group in my area. I eventually discovered the Alcoholics Anonymous website that provided a search engine for meetings in my area. I then was offered for a remote option that allowed me to attend a meeting on Zoom. When researching more into the remote option, I discovered that the meetings included people that lived in different parts of the United States. The recovery group that I decided to attend focused mostly on alcoholics but were open to supporting anyone with a substance issue. The title of the group was Alcoholics 101: Broken Elevator, Take the Steps. When I first arrived, I let the hosts know the reason why I was there, assuring them that I would pretend the confidentiality of the attendees. The group started in prayer, made announcements, then welcomed any newcomers. Although there were about sixty participants, they made sure to welcome new participants to humanize the experience a bit more. This recovery group was structured around a book named

Vargas 3 The Big Book written by Bill W. This book was available to download for free online, making it easy for people to have access to it and follow along during the group session. A participant would read a paragraph, comment on it, and “popcorn” on someone else to read. In between paragraphs, participants shared their thoughts, feeling, and experiences that related to the content from the book. Once the group ended, the meeting closed out in prayer, and offered extra support for those who needed to talk or was triggered. I did like this part of the meeting, because the hosts were aware that triggers and extra support are needed especially when in recovery. It did feel like a safe, non-judgmental space for the participants and made themselves available to the participants as needed. Observations During my time spent in the recovery group, I noticed a few things. According to Reif, et al. (2014) meeting the clients where they are at is crucial when addressing recovering addicts. This method allows participants to not experience shame or guilt, but to see their recovery as a positive outlook. That is what this group did from the start of the session. Firstly, the hosts were and are recovering alcoholics themselves. I think this aspect is very important when others that are recovering, are struggling to find a support system that understands the struggles of recovery. Secondly, I did hear some stories from the participants from when they were using, talking about the hardships that involved their personal relationships. O’Connell (2017) suggests that an important aspect to always be mindful of when working with recovering clients, is to attend to their recovery capital. The recovery capital identifies the quantity and quality of internal and external factors that impacts a

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help