Alcoholics Anonymous Support Groups

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Al-Anon groups have helped a lot of people become sober, and to deal with an alcoholic family member. It takes a lot for a person to first admit to having a drinking problem, and then share their experiences with a room full of people. If they want help, that is what they have to do. Research on two AA meetings provided a lot of knowledge and understanding.

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

Everyday, more and more people are being claimed by alcoholism. The most important message AA makes is that there is help available, and there are people who want to help you, just as other helped them. Louis, a 79 year old AA member reciprocates his AA experience by “try[ing] to help the younger people find sobriety and happiness the way I have. I tell them, “If I can do it, so can you” (AA pamphlet). This is just one of many stories AA members have to offer an observer.

Drinking is social and part of our customs - as Americans we pride ourselves in our beers, not knowing that approximately 17.6 million people or one in every 12 adults suffer from alcoholism in this country (Wilcox, n.d.). Considering that science is so widely used to help those who suffer from addiction, we have not been able to show empirical evidence on the impact of AA treatment. AA treatment itself is not a science based treatment but more of a faith based one. There have been many who have criticized the treatment and no one really seems to know conclusively what is best for the client. As comprehensive empirical-based care does not seem to exist, many people don’t rely on doctor’s but support groups and counselors who in most

Terra, M. B., Tannhauser Barros, H. M., Stein, A. T., Figueira, I., Palermo, L. H., Athayde,

A. R. Krentzman et al. (2011) stated that individuals who attend 12-step groups benefit from others’ experiences, and gain a source of support. I observed that every group member can learn from someone’s personal story, because no one is there to judge, or criticize about their experiences. I also learned that the 12-step programs helps build smaller social support networks among the group. Group members can provide outside resources to other programs, companionship, and emotional help with one another. When I left the meeting, I felt that I build trust among the group, allowing me to seek more help if

Support groups can play an essential role in coping with stressful events in life. Organising and maintaining an active support group does take time and effort. Support groups can be distinguished from others teams due to the strategies of the primary goals. This kind of group is characterised for emphasises on helping members to share collective experiences. the purpose of our human service organisation is to meet the needs and contribute to the wellbeing our customers. These are the key elements to be addressed in the development our support group.

This group faces psychological hazards at this developmental phase of their life. According to Ashford & LeCroy (2013), men are more likely to be dependent on alcohol than women and are not as likely to seek treatment due to stereotypes. According to Zastro (2015) psycho-educational groups aid in the recovery process through skill building, psychosocial rehabilitation and increasing natural supports. The strengths of this approach enables clients to learn to self-manage problems that exist within their lives and environment (Zastrow, 2015). The limitations of the group approach include the limited scope of what can be feasibly covered in the sessions. Group members will inevitably be at different stages of recovery,

“A support group is a gathering of people who share a common health concern or interest.” (Healthy Lifestyle: Stress Management, 2015) Support groups are created to help individuals with various mental, medical, and personal histories understand that they are not alone in what they are going through, creating an environment of open dialogue and non-judgement. Professional group therapy can make people feel uncomfortable in sharing the floor with others; in a support group, it is a place to share advice, troubles, and experiences.

The group setting that was chosen in regards to this paper is known as a support group or self-help group. The support groups that I have chosen to attend are completely anonymous to ensure the protection of each of their members. The groups will often share a common goal and purpose in life. While they are not considered therapy, the groups are often therapeutic and educational in nature which keeps members motivated to attend each meeting (Gladding, 2016).

According to Lachs (2004), support groups or in a group therapy, the victim will be linked with a group victims that experienced similar abuse and by interacting with each other the will regain the feeling of not being alone. Often time’s victims feel as if they are going through their struggles alone this can be magnified in the elderly because of the lack of support from family and friends. By attending group therapy or a support group the victims find themselves with other victims and have the potential to build relationships and form a stronger support community amongst themselves.

Lewin’s law of change explains that, it is easier to change individuals formed in groups than to change them separately (Kamininski, 2011). Group support can promote change in individuals and individuals join groups to enhance this change. When a person is experiencing grief, they don’t seek professional advice but would voluntarily seek out a support group. Persons join these voluntary groups where members share their common problem for the purpose of exchanging social support (Forsyth, 2010, p.483). The characteristics of a support group are that they focus on specific problems, encourage members

Locating a self-help group for the completion of this assignment included completing research on self-help groups such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Alcoholism is a debilitating disease that causes unmanageable alcohol usage and alcohol addicts would prefer the abolishment of alcohol abuse, but differential circumstances cause many issues when individuals attempt to gain sobriety (O’Tousa & Grahame, 2014). Alcoholics Anonymous has developed into the alcohol treatment methodology of choice for individuals seeking recovery from multiple addictions including but not limited to alcohol, sex, food, gambling (Medina, 2014). Individuals that attend AA are twice as likely to

This spans from not only licensed care providers, but also 12-Step recovery support groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Being in a rural area, the client population within the 2 licensed centers is overwhelmingly White, as well as the practitioners. Gamble and O’Lawrence (2016) cited a study that found there was a strong response to a 12-step-based, group therapy approach, in 76% of participants, however the study could not be generalized due to the homogeneity of the population (overwhelmingly White). Clark (2014) found the impact of narrative group therapy techniques, such as narrative novels, to have beneficial effects on clients. However, and which is often the case in my current geographic location, the group only includes one individual from a marginalized group, it may be difficult for the individual to find commonality from a differing worldview. While this approach may benefit some of the individuals who are similar, it may cause this individual to only feel further marginalized. Another challenge to group therapy is policy, group norms, and gray areas. Van Wormer and Davis (2018) discussed the idea of harm reduction groups, and the idea of letting individuals who are under the influence stay. This is a real gray area; on one hand, the individual is better served in the group and in a safe place. On the other

The addiction to alcohol is one of the lots of forms of habit that can happen to every age, as of adolescent to adults. Curing for alcoholics has been developed through numerous doctors and psychiatrists to assist these people defeat their habit to alcohol. Group psychotherapy is a type of psychotherapy inside which individual or more therapists care for a small amount of clients collectively as a group. The phrase can legally refer to any shape of psychotherapy while delivered within a group format, counting Cognitive behavioral treatment or else Interpersonal therapy. Therapy of Interpersonal one is typically applied to psychodynamic therapy wherever the group perspective along with group procedure