Meeting At The Daily Drinkers Club

On May 8th, 2017, I attended an open Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meeting that is hosted at the main office of Consejo Counseling and Referral Services. Consejo facilities host an AA meetings for its client, individuals who attend Columbia City Church of Hope, and people from the community. The group meets at seven at night every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The participants of the AA meeting, hosted at Consejo, are from the Latino community and US born individuals with Latino background. The meetings are in Spanish. The participants that attended the day I visited identify as Christians or Catholics, but the facilitator stated that all spiritual believes are welcome. Some of the participants are undocumented. A couple of participants are involved

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

Relapsers have to be familiar with the relapse process and the best ways to manage it. Involving the family and other sponsors is a great idea. The education should strive to emphasize four main messages:  First, relapse is an ordinary and a natural process in the recovery out of the chemical dependence. One should not be ashamed of it like in the case of Jed who “gets jumpy” when he tries to stay away from drinking, feeling “closed in or like he is suffocating”. He also cannot imagine how to explain to his buddies why he is not joining them in the bars. Secondly, people are not all of a sudden taken drunk. There are gradual warning sign patterns that indicate they are slowly cropping in again. Such signs can only be recognized when one is sober. Thirdly, after they are identified, the recovering individuals

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

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

I went to a traditional 12 step AA meeting. It was a long timers group, which had individuals who have been attending AA for a while now and those who have been sober for at least 10 years or more. It was at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, located in Johnstown, Pa. The meeting was from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. They started off the meeting by reading the preamble. The preamble, which was found and quoted from the District 41- Alcoholics Anonymous, Johnstown, Pa website (2015), “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” After the preamble they had one of the attendees of the group read the 12 steps.

Following the “Guidelines” literature. It was brought back to the leader, he stated “My name is_____, and I am an alcoholic” which he followed by a topic for conversation and proceeded to speak on his encounter related to the topic he mentioned. After he was finished, the members responded with “Thanks, (name).” He then opened the meeting for discussion. At, first people were hesitant to verbalize their experiences and thoughts. One of the long-time members spoke first. I know he was a long-time member form the story he shared. Once he concluded his story, several others followed. Consequently, this section of the meeting took most of the hour allotted. When it came close to an hour; the leader started to bring the meeting to a close. He asked if anyone else would be willing to lead the next meeting. He read a statement, that explained that the meetings were self-supporting and any donations would be used to sponsor the meetings and its requirements. While he read that statement another member passed a collection basket. Once the basket had made its way back to the beginning the leader mentioned that he would now pass out the sobriety tokens. I had recognized these form a client I had worked with at my social services agency I interned at this year. The different color tokens represent the various stages of sobriety for each individual. As soon as, all the tokens were handed out the leader asked everyone to

She had only attended the meetings for one month, (not every day, only once a week) before she stopped drinking. She later stopped for one month, and then began drinking again. She stated she did not believe she was powerless to alcohol and could not relate to the religious and spiritual factors of AA. She said she was only coming to meetings “because she had to get a signature on her paperwork.” The meeting facilitator said to the group, that AA can be twelve-step process or a mutual help group. She stated a new change is the area of treatment with alcoholics by using evidenced based treatments practices and that AA has been used for several years and has helped millions of people. When I inquired about the “$1 donation,” she told me they used the funds to have snacks & coffee at the meetings, and pay the rent at the church to use the meeting room. Unfortunately, she shared that AA is unable to get government funding for these programs, maybe this is why AA is so popular, because it is free and meetings are led by those who are recovering alcoholics themselves, who donate their personal time like she

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

I attended the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting held at the Westhampton United Methodists Church, 6100 Patterson Ave, 23226, which is 3.8 miles away from my home. The meeting started at 7:30pm and was structured as an open meeting that welcomed beginners. I utilized www.aarichmond.org website to search for AA meetings in the Richmond Area. There were about 30-40 meetings offered a day within a 15-mile radius of my home zip code. I selected the RVA YPG because I assumed Y in YPG stood for youth or something related to young people. Then I researched it and found one possible meaning for the acronym was Young Planners Group. I was interested in attending the YPG meeting because I am always fascinated with the progress

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.

I have attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the past; I would attend the meetings with family or friends as their support. My earliest experience was around the age of thirteen when I attended the meeting in support of my father. To this day, I don’t forget the story the speaker told us. I listened to a man who spoke of the suffering alcohol and drugs caused his family. He told us about the day he died alone at home with his two young children. The oldest child was seven years old and was able to call for assistance. The story left me in tears, understanding how his children must feel with the death of their father an everyday threat. Walking into the AA meeting for my assignment, I never expected to feel nervous. One thing that I didn’t account for was the fact that this time I would be alone. The fear that I felt wasn’t of the people that were going to be there, it was more the fear of being an outsider. I couldn’t just state that I was there to support a loved one. I didn’t expect that I would feel as though I wouldn’t be welcomed. However, as I walked into the dated brick building, I was immediately greeted with kindness and my nerves were put at ease.

In the article “Determining the Relative Importance of the Mechanisms of Behavior Change Within Alcoholics Anonymous: A Multiple Mediator Analysis” the authors conducted research to determine what techniques used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) aid in relapse prevention. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2016) alcohol is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States that is preventable. In 2014 alone, thirty-one percent of all traffic fatalities were alcohol related (NIAAA, 2016). The study participants suffered from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and attended AA. NIAAA (2016) states the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV has integrated alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence into a single alcohol-related disorder, AUD with mild, moderate, and severe classifications. AUD is diagnosed when a client’s drinking causes themselves or others anguish or injury AA began in the 1930’s and is an informal organization of men/women who have a drinking problem (AA, 2016). AA is based upon anonymity along with twelve steps/principles and meetings for those seeking help with sobriety. Research has shown that participating in AA reduces risk of relapse and this article aims to understand the techniques that empowers those to remain sober.

The third and final stage of recovery is known as late recovery, and involves a client finding growth and meaning in life. In this stage, relapse may be less frequent as a sense of purpose is found. As this stage is found only by enduring great challenges, a client may not be as tempted by relapse and the act of back tracking in their recovery may seem tiresome and unworthy of their time. However, though a deep awareness of the consequences of substance abuse is profound, relapse is still possible if an addict forgets that he or she has a disease that is incurable and succumbs to the enticement of “just this one time can’t hurt” or has the thought that “I have been clean for so long. I am cured.” Bill W. stated in his book Alcoholics Anonymous that “This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it-this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish” (pg. 34). Complete abstinence is the only choice for those with the disease of addiction, and so many recovering addicts forget this simple realization in the late recovery stage.

To begin with, it’s important to understand substance abuse and addiction with relapse. Incidentally, addiction for an individual is almost every waking moment and questionably as to wanting to stop or cut down because of their complete loss of control with substance abuse. Not to mention, the chain of addiction begins with triggers or craving, thoughts of the mind, cravings, and use. Second, substance abuse disorders (SUD's) and the health status of a person drug use contemplates patterns of dependent or abusive drug use. To clarify, substance dependency is a patterns of substance use leading to a clinically significant impairment for the individual.