Reflection On Alcoholic Anonymous

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For my clinical experience I visited the Gratitude Alcoholic Anonymous group at Living Hope church. What I found to be most clinically and professionally meaningful in attending this meeting was the safe zone it created for individuals who are struggling with substance abuse. An Alcoholic Anonymous group is a meeting I could send my patients to get the social support and care they need to recover from substance abuse. The most assuring aspect of the meeting that I believe is the most beneficial to my future patients is being surrounded by a community of individuals who are going through the same struggles and have the same goals. If I ever recommend a patient go to Alcoholic Anonymous, I can confidently say that they will be encouraged by …show more content…

Unfortunately, our society labels alcoholics as rough individuals who can only blame themselves for the situations they find themselves in. Admitting to be an alcoholic in our society is like swearing in a church, shocking and distasteful. My family has a rocky history of drug abuse that has made me fearful of drug addicts most of my life. My grandpa was an alcoholic and a heroin user. The stories my mother and grandmother have told me about him are not flattering and I have, as a result, developed negative connotations towards substance abusers because of it. However, walking into that little church I was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming the members were. They were regular people that take time out of their busy lives to meet briefly to talk about their history of alcohol abuse and the consequences it has had on their lives. One man in particularly was extremely glad that we were there and encouraged us to take advantage of the experience. He told me how important this meeting was to him and how it has helped many people overcome their addiction. Meeting this man and hearing other members’ stories reviled to me the true enemy of addiction, it is not the individual struggling, but the addiction itself. These people come to ever meeting to improve themselves. I have gained a new found respect for these individuals that will help strengthen the relationships I have with my substance abuse

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