Personal Narrative: My Experience Of An AA Meeting

My feelings addiction prior to attending these meetings and taking this course were that people were addicts because they chose to be. I always looked at alcohol addiction as a choice rather than the disease that it really is. I think because of my view on addiction, it caused me to lack sympathy when it came to this particular population. After attending just these two meetings and hearing so many stories about alcoholics recovering from their disease, it definitely made me more empathetic because I now realize addiction is something that these people can’t control.

AA has no specific leader, it is ran by a peer who is also an alcoholic just like everyone else in the room. The “leader” at the beginning read the steps to opening the meeting and opening the floor for discussion. Other than that, everyone in the room was very involved, for example, peers read certain things such as the 12 steps, how AA works and they all prayed together. Before the floor opened for discussion they read a story on step 4 of the 12 steps and everyone basically based their stories off their 4-step experience. I thought it would be expected that all the attendees would give their full attention to those talking, but I experienced differently. Although, no one was on their phones, there was side talks and one attendee was coloring during the meeting. Attendees job is to not judge others since they have all typically been in the same situation even if they got to AA differently. I did not hear anything about relapses, but at the end of the meeting they did this chip thing where they called out certain days sober and for those who got a chip for a day or wanting to quit drinking everyone clapped and they hugged one another. I believe, this is a sign of support and they want to be there for one another and help those “newcomers” reach sobriety like they did. To close the meeting they all stood up, held hands a did a prayer together, because God is above them all and help them through

Initially when I had arrived, I was the first person to walk in, so I had some time to talk to the person in charge. At the beginning of the meeting I got a chance to speak with the wife of a guest speaker and she explained to me how the meeting was going to go. They first read two chapters from a book that was used in this program and everyone was required to have. Then, they had their guess speaker talk about their experience and how it was for him to go through the process which kept him sober for 30 years. After he was done talking, for the rest of the hour people were called on to come up and share their story. However they were asked to share a small part of their story so everyone could get a chance to talk a little and have the opportunity to feel heard. It was interesting how every story was the so different yet everyone could connect to one another.

Made a Beginning Group (MAB) of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was observed in the efforts to link course readings and class lectures to real life group work. MAB was observed on October 14, 2015, at 6:00 pm. with fourteen people in attendance. The open support group meeting was located at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando on East Robinson Street and was led by one facilitator. MAB and the facilitator showed deviations from the normal group practices discussed in the class of Group Dynamics and Process. However, some familiar therapeutic factors such as Instillation of Hope, Imitative Behavior, Universality, Group Cohesiveness, and Catharsis were evident in the group’s dynamics. The observation techniques included the point of view of an observer, a hypothetical point of view as facilitator, and the observer’s reaction. Together, these observations suggest that even though MAB does not follow standard group procedures; therapeutic and helping factors occur relatively routinely.

The meeting started out with an introduction of everyone who was present. They stated their names and said they were alcoholics and how long they had been sober. They continued to go over old business, and then proceeded to read from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, the Third Step Prayer. The prayer was about releasing one’s self of their bondage.

Group therapy has been used for many years as a therapeutic method in which members can offer support and understanding for each other. It can be defined as two or more people, who share common issues, meeting and interacting face-to-face to help one another reach an identifiable goal. There are several types of group therapy, one that I will be discussing in this paper is the self-help group. In recent years, self-help groups have increased in number and credibility. Members can speak freely about their experiences, while receiving advice and support from others, which in turn, can help them realize that they are not alone in their struggles. In this paper, I will analyze my observational experience of two self-help groups, Alcoholics Anonymous,

The one’s that did talk, which was optional, was very sincere, honest, open and willing to share their experiences or struggles with alcohol. While analyzing I noticed right off hand that this meeting was group therapy to everyone involved. The session gave people time to vent and relieve stress. To those that was listening it was also therapeutic, to hear others with those same types of problems. People are encouraged toward self-understanding and personal growth which AA is a form of humanistic therapy. Once people finished talking their stories they felt a sense of relief. In AA many of the members encorage you to work the twelve steps plan of recovery. I realized that alcohol was also a self-help group. Their saying is, “ it works if you work

Today was quite interesting and a learning experience for me.First, my group members and I was informed about what we would be doing today for clinical, which was interviewing patients on one and one base about their health history. My preceptor then told me I would be interviewing an alcoholic patient, the thought of nervousness started to kick in my head since I know alcohol is a very sensitive topic and the patient may not want to go in-depth or give out too much information about their lifestyle, so I was wondering how I should go about with the interview if the patient is like that.

To better understand individuals with addiction giving up their substance or behavior, I committed myself to running long distance three times a week. Although my experience was likely much less intense than a person with an addiction, I now have some personal insight as to how difficult it can be to change. When tasked with this assignment I contemplated few different options, and I was torn between giving up coffee or to start running. Ultimately, I decided to pick up running, as I believed it would be more of a challenge for me. I also chose running because in high school I ran everyday, and though it was not easy, it made me feel great. In those days running was cathartic for me, and a long run after a bad day always made me feel better.

I expected that at least two members would be tired or seemed drunk, but in fact all of the members were sober and energetic. I also thought the meeting was more about one-way speaking, but it was more about mutual communications with empathetic responses. I could feel the connectedness within the group. Another stereotype I used to hold was that AA group might only work for people with religious beliefs. Though there were parts about pray and Bible, I think the group meeting I attended was more about hope, support, empathy and responsibility of one’s

When I was 16 years of age, I was put into a rehab program for two weeks. I remember how angry I was that I had to go to this program. It was not me with the problem, it was all my parents fault and they should be the ones that were getting help. I had to attend group meetings all day and speak about my problems. As the week past, I began to enjoy talking in groups and enjoyed being a part of the groups that then became my friends. I was introduced technique’s, like keeping a daily journal to help me cope with the way I was feeling and learned that I am in control of my own life. I also learned that I am responsible for my actions, nobody else. That institution, as well as the counselors/helper gave me something that stuck with me my entire

I know numerous people who use drugs recreationally, but I have never gotten a chance to hear first-hand from addicts. It is an eye-opening experience and it was an experience that I feel I will draw upon many times in my social work career. I also loved being able to witness such great bonds between the members and how welcoming they are to new attendees. If I was an addict, I know this is a place I would feel safe, supported, and loved throughout my journey to recovery. Honestly, it was very special and I cannot recall any situation or organization I have been involved with where I have seen such close ties within the members, no matter how long they have no each other. Sometimes, the only way to heal is by learning through those who have gone through similar situations and receiving support, which I clearly witnessed at this meeting. It helped me understand that while I may not be an addict, other people can be a great resource when going through difficult situations and this is something I will pass on to my clients in the

D-This writer apologized for meeting with the patient late as this writer previous counseling session had started late to the previous patient arrival. This writer addressed with the patient about her opiate withdrawal review as it did not warranted an increase. The patient then says, " You see, that Asian woman was rushing me......she has no respect at all. When I was doing the test, she was rude to me Charlene. I swear to the almighty, she's rude. I just wanted to leave, but I need to go up on my dose." According to the patient, she's experiencing the following the withdrawals: cold sweats, feel like I have the flu, and chills." The patient admits to relapsing yesterday of 6 bags of heroin by inhalation. When addressing the withdrawals with regards to the longitivity, the patient says," I have been struggle for weeks, Charlene.....I tried everything.....keeping my mind occupied, but it's unbearable." Alternatives were discussed with the patient. This writer strongly advised to not wait until the last minute to address this matter regardless if this writer is with another patient as her need for a dose increase should have been addressed immediately. This writer completed the HCRC medical form.

Like any other experience I had in a clinical setting, I must say it is always short lived. I thought that I would have a difficult time in the class as well as the clinical setting. Class has been difficult for me, but clinical seem to be a great learning experience. The fact that I had a teacher that is passionate about her specialty was even better than I imagined. Sometimes its intimidating to ask questions that may come off as dumb or too simple to ask to her, but she can help you conquer your fears and weaknesses. I still wish that we could just have more time, and more learning experiences so I can get a better feel of the specialty. I know that OB isn't for me, but I did enjoy learning a in depth experience of it. I never know what

My experience about clinical this week was great because i provided care to a resident who was on parental feeding. This was an opportunity to witness some of the procedures being performed on real patients. This experience enable me to understand the rational behind most of the skills which i practiced during clinical labs.