Aa Meeting Reflection

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The Alcoholics Anonymous meeting I attended started at 8 PM on Saturday, April 8th and the Narcotics Anonymous meeting I attended started at 7 PM on Sunday, April 9th. The AA meeting was very small, and consisted of more college students than people in recovery. The meetings lasted approximately an hour. The NA meeting had more people in recovery, than college students. The atmospheres of each meeting were comfortable and welcoming. In the AA meeting I was greeting with smiling faces and people who made me feel very comfortable. For the NA meeting I was greeted with hugs and provided with the Narcotics Anonymous Big Book, so I could read along during the meeting. There were many similarities between the meetings. We were greeted warmly and …show more content…

It was very helpful to get their perspective on what would be the most beneficial when counseling a client who is struggling with an addiction to alcohol, and how we might be able to approach this dilemma and refer them to AA. It was also helpful to hear how AA has benefitted the members and what types of defense mechanisms they all faced during their recovery. I did not feel like anything about the meeting was unhelpful, besides that the location was a little difficult to find. For the NA meeting it was very helpful to hear the members own experiences of what it was like to work Step through 5. It was helpful for the members to read through the chapter and allow others to share what they thought or the difficulties they faced. It was also helpful to learn how important it was to have a sponsor who had been through the recovery process themselves. They explained how having a sponsor was much more helpful than talking to a therapist or a partner about their addiction. After this meeting, I realize how important it would be, as a counselor, to understand that going to an anonymous meeting might be much more beneficial for the client, rather than only utilizing counseling as a form of therapy. I would most likely refer clients to 12 step programs, because it seems like an incredibly therapeutic option. One member shared that these programs work so well because the meetings are designed for addicts, by

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