Alcohol And Gamblers Anonymous Meeting

I noticed that the participants did not look like what I perceived someone who was suffering from alcohol dependence would look like. They looked like productive law-abiding citizens. I am embarrassed to say that it never occurred to me that these individuals could live positive lives while battling alcoholism. I assumed that they would be dysfunctional and incapable to participate in the meeting. Instead many of them looked healthy and were eager to engage in the group discussion.

On October 3rd, I attended a meeting that completely opened my eyes on the issue of substance abuse. The meeting I attended was an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. When thinking about what sort of recovery event I wanted to experience for this experimental activity the first thing that came to mind was Alcoholics Anonymous. I have heard of AA but never had an expanded understanding of the program. The first thing I did was google “Alcoholics Anonymous University of Iowa” and the rest was a breeze. The first link that appeared was a University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics page that listed open AA meetings. So as stated earlier, on Tuesday, October 3rd from 12 pm to 1 pm in Room 5024 Boyd Tower, I gained a whole new outlook on substance abuse. As soon as I walked into the meeting I was a slightly intimidated at first. The room was small, about the size of a classroom, and had a conference table full of people of all ages and different genders. Since I was just observing I decided to sit at a separate table and take notes on the activities that went on during the meeting. There were about 10 participants taking part in the meeting from ages that ranged from 30’s to 70’s. There was plenty of diversity in the group of individuals based on personalities also, but not much diversity in ethnicities as all of the members of this meeting were white. Once the meeting went underway, I knew I was in for something very interesting.

I have never experienced what it would be like to be a part of an AA meeting. The only time I have had seen or heard someone mention meetings for alcoholics has been TV shows and movies, which would portray these meeting as a circle of strangers just deliberating stories of their life and how this disease has changed them forever. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect. I felt intimidated and had a sense of nervousness, so I decided I would not go alone and brought a friend. My expectation upon entering this meeting was to see beat up people with bad hygiene and a homeless appearance. As a matter of fact, the expectations I had upon walking towards this place was that I was going to get hit on and even get kidnapped. As crazy as it

For this assignment, I observed an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting held at The Meeting Place on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. There were 15 members in attendance, 12 men and 3 women not counting myself. The group leaders were both women and sat at the front of the room. For confidentiality of the group member names will not be included. The meeting began with the group leaders reminding the attendees of the rules of AA and the process of the meeting. Several of the attendees read the declaration of AA and the documents associated with the meeting structure. After the introduction, several of the members gave their testimony regarding their own experience with drinking. Following the short declarations, a passage of the big book was

I attended an AA meeting held at the St. Stephens Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. I was a little apprehensive at first because I have never attended a meeting such as this and didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I went to the office to ask for directions. The woman sitting at the desk walked me over to the meeting room where I was greeted by an older gentleman. He welcomed me in and offered me some coffee and a snack, as I walked in I noticed that there were three other older gentlemen sitting at a table talking. I began to feel uncomfortable and wondered if there would be any women attending the group. I was invited to sit down and was handed a small book, which looked like a bible, and a coin. The man explained that the book of Alcoholics Anonymous which is commonly known as the “Big Book” provides information about Alcoholics Anonymous, how it works, the story of how it came into being, information about alcoholism, a listing of phone numbers to groups in other states and

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

The objective of this study is to write a reaction on a 12-step meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous with the focus of the meeting being attitude modification. The meeting attended was the Stairway Group meeting in Decatur, Alabama. The members who attended this group meeting were of all ages, of both the female and male gender and were white, black, and Hispanic individuals. The majority of the attendees were males.

It is important to know if there is a link between gambling disorders and substance use because it can assist in finding treatment that works more effectively for comorbidity of these disorders. It is also important to note that it could also help figure out the neurological explanation to addiction because drugs can change the shape and processes of a brain, and gambling is a form of addiction that does not. Pathological gambling and substance abuse/ dependence have similar classifications. This paper will provide evidence to answer the question “what is relationship between gambling disorders and substance use in adults?”

Relating to the issue of subgroups, pathological gambling was originally classified as an impulse control disorder by the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), though, based on its criteria similar to substance dependence, some researchers preferred to consider it a behavioural addiction (Blanco et al., 2001; Potenza et al., 2002). Goudriaan et al. (2006) provide a similar argument, stating that pathological gambling and alcohol dependence share common EF deficits, and it has since been amended to be a behavioural addiction the in the DSM-V (APA, 2013). The divisive topic of screening and diagnosis could have serious consequences on the quality of care, or form of therapy, a pathological gambler may receive or decide to enter. Whether they legitimately

While the mechanisms of addiction are still being investigated, there is a general consensus amongst academics that abnormal prefrontal cortex activity during reward processing may be the cause of problem gambling. (Oberg, Christie & Tata, 2011) The reason for this is that the frontal cortex is responsible for informed decision making and therefore, if this area is functionally interrupted, gamblers may be unable to differentiate high from low risk in their behaviours thus making them prone to addiction (Oberg, Christie & Tata, 2011) When this distorted perception of reality is mixed with the consumption of alcohol, the result may prove to be fatal. To further complicate the issue, gambling generally happens in licenced premises such as casinos and pubs where the consumption of alcohol is not only permitted, but is encouraged. This leads to the person’s emotions to become exacerbated which could cause the gambling issue to have even more detrimental effects than if the individual was

To avoid the negative feelings associated with withdrawal, the addict continues to gamble. (+) Orford et al. (1996) found that gamblers and alcoholics both experience similar withdrawal symptoms and levels of perceived strength of addiction. (-) self-report methods (-) addicts are likely to lie (-) Potenza et al. (2003) found, from MRI scans, differences in blood flow to the brains of non-gamblers and gamblers when watching a gambling tape compared to a happy or sad film. (-) cause and effect RELAPSE Gamblers experience similar withdrawal symptoms to addicts with substance addictions, so a theory stands that gamblers relapse in order to stop the withdrawal symptoms. (-) Ciarrochi et al. (1987) found gamblers often have other addictions, such as alcoholism or shopping addictions. Cues associated with the behaviour, i.e. chips or dice, often cause a relapse of dopamine that the original gambling behaviour did. This causes prediction of a reward, which can cause a relapse. (-) Reductionism: biological approach reduces addiction, a complex phenomenon, to simple terms.

To assess risk based on gambling we will use 10 questions from the NORC DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS). Past scores of this test have been very reliable, with scores r= 0.99 and 0.98, by Gerstein et. al (1999). This test assesses 10 different categories of risk taking while gambling (preoccupation, tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control, escape, chasing, lying, illegal acts, risked relationships, and bailout). To account for the difference in the number of test questions we will use one question from each category. In accordance with the measurement will use with the original scale we will rate high risk behaviors as those that occur in three to four of the previously mentioned categories, moderate risk as those that have behaviors occurring in one to two categories, and low risk as no problem in any category. To make these scores compatible with the ones previously mentioned, we will assign high risk behaviors six points, moderate risk two points, and low risk zero

Orford, Morison, and Somers (1996) did a study which compared 16 problem drinkers and16 problem gamblers. The results of the study showed alcoholics and gamblers were equally attached to their habit. The study found gambling was maintained as a result of recurring processes involving prominent, negative feelings associated with gambling losses, shortage of money, and the need to keep gambling a secret (Orford et. al, 1996). However, the study also found alcoholics scored higher on the severity of dependence scale. These showed gamblers have lower levels of withdrawal of both physical and psychological

Gambling is identified as a simple form of entertainment that is often played by individuals or groups of friends for amusement, and for the simple chance of personal monetary gain. However, gambling can often lead to unforeseen consequences that can lead to addiction. As the Government of Ontario looks to open over twenty casinos in the Greater Toronto Area and the OLG is offering online gambling in Ontario, this allows for the gambling market to rapidly expand within Ontario. Although there are various financial

The fourth member who shared the experience of gambling addiction was a 28 years old male who had master’s degree and worked in the financial department in a bank. He just stopped for the last two years and joined the Gamblers Anonymous. He did not realize that he had a problem. He started his gambling habit by playing poker with friends and playing online in 2000. He declared that he owed six figures plus interest to the credit card companies. He did not have a concept about keeping money. Furthermore, he claimed that what he enjoyed during gambling was the impulse. El-Guebaly, Mudry, Tavares, & Potenza (2011) also supported, "pathological gambling have been described as ego-syntonic, meaning they are often preceded by feelings of pleasure,