My clinical group was told to sit in on any form of substance abuse meeting. We chose to sit in on a narcotics anonymous meeting. The following defines narcotics, addiction, and talks about the overall meeting and my views of the meeting. Narcotics are drugs that can depress the central nervous system. Legally they may be used to relieve pain, cause sedation, or induce sleep. Illegally they are used for recreational purposes of getting a high feeling. Narcotics anonymous (NA) is a support group for men and women whom drugs have become a major problem. Narcotics anonymous use a traditional 12-step model that has been expanded and developed for people with varied substance abuse issues. The 12-steps of narcotic anonymous are as follows: “1. We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable; 2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity; 3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him; 4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves; 5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs; 6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character; 7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings; 8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all; 9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others; 10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it; 11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His ... ... middle of paper ... ...ave been discussed in that meeting. Instead she should have redirected them to focus on more appropriate topics pertaining to the meeting. She should have also redirected them when they we talking about other issues pertaining to CIAA events rather than substance/narcotics abuse. In my opinion, she should have been more assertive while leading this group and maybe it would have been a better experience for me. Works Cited Addiction. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/addiction Narcotic. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcotic Twelve steps of narcotics anonymous. (1998). Retrieved from http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/handbooks/IGG.pdf Videbeck, S. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing. (6th ed., pp. 57-58). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Narcotics Anonymous is a group that has taught me many values. They have twelve values, twelve traditions, and twelve steps. As a group we learn to accept all of the above for mentioned beliefs. There is what you call a home group. That is your main meeting session with your sponsor, (if you choose to have one which is recommended), sharing time, to talk about whatever you choose i.e. your day, if there was a relapse, a stressful day, and just trying to talk to others who understand every struggle we have on a daily basis to stay clean.
...e or social group for being an addict if it is not fully understood that they are trying to recover from their addiction (Methadone Cons).
...meeting was one of awe and some relief. This meeting made me realize that I should really appreciate the things that I have in life because there are others out there who are way off worse. What I learned from the meeting is that the problem is not how much you drink; it’s what happens when you drink. Getting clean and sober is for those who want it, not those who need it. The key step for addicts is to maintain a motivated way of thinking once you start feeling good about yourself from making amends. I believe 12-step sober support groups can be extremely beneficial to the person attempting abstinence. The premise is that one addict can best help another and that by helping another you actually help yourself. AA is a fundamental example of how groups support sobriety in individuals as long as they are willing to follow a program and commit to changing their habits.
...t strides are carried out to restore group dynamics if a certain member discloses a statement that jeopardizes the atmosphere of recovery. In addition, what can Narcotics Anonymous do in order to safeguard the well-being of each group member in terms of feeling supported? With regard to how I can apply what I learned from this group to my learning in the course, I can transfer the importance of making group members feel validated, respected, and supported and clearly communicating acceptance and respect through both nonverbal and verbal behaviors to Group Counseling. The most important lesson that I took away from this experience was that it is okay to acknowledge and admit that you feel powerless or find a situation difficult to handle because openly acknowledging mistakes can demonstrate that you are not only human but are making an effort to correct them.
One thing I admired about each of the individuals at the meeting was that all of them held their selves accountable to fight their addiction. Each one of these people could have been consumed with something else on that Wednesday night, but instead, they all choose to come together to become a better version of themselves. They stated that if they didn’t attend the meeting that night they would all feel more likely to fall back into their addictions. Many of them reported attending a meeting multiple times a week. Thus, I was impressed when learning how frequent NA meetings are held. One of the members had informed me that some groups will run every night of the week. Therefore, making it hard for someone to come up with an excuse to miss a
Almost two years ago I was that suffering junkie and was in a treatment facility where I was then introduced to the program of Narcotics Anonymous. By working this program I have been able to stay clean for almost a year and a half now. I support this organization because I believe in what it stands for, anyone can stop using and find a new way to live. They don’t treat the dirty, homeless, junkie like a hopeless lost cause. They see that junkie as a man or women in pain who needs help. I come from a long line of addicts and have seen family and friends lost to the disease of addiction. They’ve ended up dead by overdose or taking a gun to their head. It’s tragic but these losses remind me that I could be next. Narcotics Anonymous taught me that I never have to use again, even if I want to. I am no longer ashamed of my past and the decisions of the people around me because this fellowship gave me the courage and support I needed to change. I can't change what I did while I was using, but I am responsible for my recovery and what I do
According to the oxford dictionary the term drug is defined as “A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body” .Broadly speaking drugs can be classified into two group’s pharmacological drugs and recreational drugs. Pharmacological drugs are usually prescribed by doctors or pharmacist and recreational drugs are usually legal or illegal drugs. Pharmacological drugs are chemical substance used to cure or prevent diseases or to enhance the physical and mental well-being of a person. Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system which are generally used to have a good time or for enjoyment purposes because these help in forgetting unhappy memories for a time being and create pleasure. Unfortunately both the pharmacological and recreational drugs have created problems in the Canadian society. A UN report said, "The global drug trade generated an estimated US $321.6 billion in 2003”, and Canadians are among the top participants on illegal drug.
However, I knew someone who is currently a member of AA. His name is "PB". "PB" is the husband of my supervisor and he was more than willing to take me to a meeting and show me what Alcoholics Anonymous was all about. Before leaving for the meeting, I asked "PB" several questions. They ranged from the length of the meeting to specific problems some of the members. He told me not to be surprised if there were some members who were admitted alcoholics and narcotic addicts. As I questioned him further, he said that many of the people in that predicament were also former criminals. One person in particular was so involved with both drugs and alcohol that he nearly died at the emergency room from an alcohol overdose. Now that my questions were answered, I felt much more at ease and ready to go to the meeting.
I attended an AA meeting at the 5th street fellowship on October 6, 2015. I looked forward to attending this meeting since the beginning of the clinical rotation. The meeting exceeded my expectations. It was an eye-opener and a life changing experience. The meeting at the 5th Street Fellowship consisted of a leader and two members. Even though there was only a smaller group gather, I could see the positive impact AA has had on each of the members personally, regardless of years of sobriety. The chairman of the group discussed the influence his sponsor, AA, and the 12-step program has had on his life and how he lives a happier, healthier, and a spiritual life due to his sobriety. I learned that all three components - sponsor, AA, and the 12-steps – are important in aiding in the sobriety of an
This expirience has definitely enhance my learning in nursing. After visiting this NA meeting I feel I understand a lot more how they work and especially how they can be of a great help to some struggling with addiction. As Nurses we can work in substance abuse clinics where we will encounter many patients with this problem and in order for us to help any patient in their recovery; we need to be informed first of the different resources available to them in the community. With what I have learned from this experience I will most definitely encourage any of my patients to join any of these self-help groups in their journey to recovery. I will also recommend their relatives or friends to joint a group as well, such as Al-Anon, which is a similar
Addicts suffering from alcoholism should make the effort to join an AA meeting. I believe meetings can truly help addicts become successful in their recovery. As evidenced by the members of the group I observed, meeting with fellow addicts who understand and has lived through the struggles of addiction, AA meeting is a great resource. Not too long ago, I had a hard time deciding my feelings of people with substance abuse. I strongly felt that this was a choice, however, at the same time, a small part of myself understood that this was a disease. As I have been learning more about substance use, I have been more on the side that substance abuse is a disease. After attending the AA meeting, it was confirmed for me that addiction is a disease. Although it may start out as a poor choice, it ultimately is a disease that affects that brain. Listening to the speakers, I felt really bad about my negative activities towards substance use. I know longer believe that addicts have the choice to completely stop their addiction. They need help from others to overcome the disease. Programs such as AA provides the fellowship that addicts need in recovering from
Nagle, Jeanne. Everything You Need to Know About Drug Addiction. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2012.
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
The use of illegal drugs in the United States and other countries around the world is one of the biggest problems in today community. Illegal drugs are drugs that are restricted by the government. Moreover, some medical drugs have chemicals that can help people with pain and stress. But when people are under the influence of illicit drugs, they can experience many side effects such as: liver cancer, heart, and brain disease. Illegal drugs are being used by many types of people around the world; they cost a large amount of money and negatively affect people both psychologically and physically.
Drug addiction is a very big problem in today’s society. Many people have had their lives ruined due to drug addiction. The people that use the drugs don’t even realize that they have an addiction. They continue to use the drug not even realizing that their whole world is crashing down around them. Drug addicts normally lose their family and friends due to drug addiction.