For my group experiential activity, I chose to attend an open self-help group, Narcotics Anonymous, which is a support group that focuses on the healing and recovery process of people with addiction. The Narcotics Anonymous group was a very informal, open group in which members could come and go at their own free will and were not coerced to disclose any information that he or she did not feel comfortable sharing with the larger group. In addition, new members were welcome to attend. The group was comprised of approximately 19 group members and one group leader. I found it interesting that there were also children of recovering addicts present at the meeting because I was not aware that children could attend these meetings. Nonetheless, I found it very compelling to witness so many families present with their families because it showed that there was still a sense of social support present despite turmoil that the addiction may have caused. The purpose of the group was to engage in the recovery process with other group members but also to adhere to the group’s mission of providing an environment of recovery to those individuals who are still suffering with his or her addiction. The purpose of the group was clearly stated by the group leader during his introductory speech about welcoming new members who would like to share in the recovery process with other group members. Just from observing, there appeared to be a group leader, referred to as the “chairperson,” who provided a brief overview of the group and voluntarily asked members to participate with the reading of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of the Narcotics Anonymous program. In addition, the group leader facilitated the flow of the group members’ conversations and ... ... middle of paper ... ...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.
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.
Alcoholism is as prevalent in my family, as blood is in our veins. When previously asked to observe 12-step groups, I ritualistically flocked to Alcoholics Anonymous, without consideration of the possibility that other groups had any potential to make an impact on me. I always pride myself in my ability to identify as an individual that is not ensnared in alcoholism, but unfortunately am an individual that was highly tormented by alcoholism. Through observation of the group and how it processed, as well as identifying how I felt as a new attendee, I was able to understand why self-help, support groups are so vital for individuals in recovery. I finally realized, I too am in recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a 12-step recovery program that has helped many people with alcohol problem. The meeting was very quiet and a chairperson started the meeting by introducing himself. He started by saying “ I am ___, an alcoholic.” He reads the AA preamble and asked a member to read how the meeting works from the “Alcoholic Anonymous” book, “12 Traditions”, and AA/support group guidelines was reviewed because there was a new member of the group. Every meeting is confidential what you see and hear cannot be shared to anyone,
The Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was an open discussion meeting. There were people from different backgrounds but everyone was respectful and friendly to one another. We started the meeting with a word of prayer. As a group, we held hands and recited the Lord’s Prayer. After the prayer the group recited a chant and swung their hands back-and-forth. After the prayer, we sat in a circle and the facilitator passed around an offering basket. Once offering was completed, I was asked by the facilitator to introduce myself. During my introduction, I politely stated my name, the name of my school, and major. The other attendees introduced themselves by stating “Hello, my name is John Doe and I am an alcoholic.” They then proceeded to share their personal experiences with alcoholism and express their gratitude for the 12-step meeting. While speaking, each attendee shared the moments in their lives that made them decided to seek treatment and how many years they have been sober. Each member of the group was very supportive of their group mates. They showered each other with love and gave advice for staying on track.
It's also important to note how important group settings can be on the outside. Many people in recovery make significant process by going to 12-Step meetings. Again, these meetings offer much more than a forum for having coffee and discussing problems. These meetings offer people a chance to make new friends and develop lasting relationships. That's a very important attribute because most people in recovery have to say goodbye to the old friends they had while living life with an
Similarly, inferiority feelings may be challenged to offset the negative concepts and values that form the roots of social and emotional issues. Group therapy can facilitate the social context in which the participants may develop the sense of belonging and community. Some of the beneficial dynamics of the group are the identification between group members’ behavior, participants can benefit from others group members’ feedback, ability to help other and receive support from others members. The group enables the possibility of trying new behaviors and encourages the other students to take action over their lives. There are four stages in group therapy that correspond to four goals in counseling: first establishing and maintaining interconnected relationships with another student of the group; the therapy is based on the idea of equality between members, mutual respect, and identical involvement. The introduction of self-rule bases from the counselor, who is the mediator, is important. Both, students and counselor work together in the process to explore and look for positive change during the sessions (Corey,
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
“My name is Michael and I’m an alcoholic.” “Hi, Michael.” The 60 years old man’s life story was very crazy and amazing that my heart was ached and wrenched. Listening to Michael, I was sure that he had to believe in the higher Power. He ended his story with “No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, just show up to this meeting. You just show up! That’s all you need to do.” I agree with what Michael said. It was all about you show up and being available. This is very simple yet, very hard commitment. After Michael’s life sharing, it was followed by comments from the audience about how they could relate and include into their own story. The members shared their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. I heard several people said, “I came here and know that I’m not alone.” I learned that AA meeting does not promise to solve his or her alcohol problem but the member can teach and support each other how to spend the day without alcohol. AA meeting is not about a healing or a bandage to cover the pain of being an alcoholic. It helps people to recognize who they are and what they have done and how to overcome that. AA meeting is a team support that proves the power of the group is greater than the individual alone. After listening to the members’ stories, I support Alcoholics Anonymous one hundred percent. Throughout the meeting, I felt that AA
I attended an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in my neighborhood; officially called the Olive Branch Meeting. The meeting was offered as having a speaker and discussion, it lasted ninety minutes. The Big Book was referenced but it appeared that the speaker was the only one in possession of the Book. To my surprise a fellow Liberty University Student was there in the same capacity as I was, however she was enrolled in a different course. We sat together.
My assignment was to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting and write my observations and thoughts on the meeting, its structure and philosophical beliefs. I was extremely uncomfortable about attending such a personal meeting. Would individuals welcome me or feel as if I would judge? Even though I was uncomfortable, I am glad I attended the meeting as it was a very enlightening experience for me.
The first meeting was large with approximately 12 members, including the facilitator. My initial emotion internalized was amazement in the structure of the group. The structure of the group provides structure for the members which is crucial for those struggling with alcoholism. The initial sharing was from a young member of 26 who was struggling with sobriety and shared that he recently lost a child through miscarriage. I immediately became overwhelmed in the rawness of his visible emotions (crying). As I observed other members while he was sharing his story, they were intently listening to him. When the sharer finished, the group acknowledged him and another sharer started with his name and “I am an alcoholic”. I appreciated the structure of this transition. The emotion seemed to fill the room and it impacted how everyone addressed their next sharing. The following members shared in the direction of the first sharer and related to the difficulties and provided advise. During the exchange of emotion between members, I continued to be overwhelmed with the emotions internally. The second meeting that I attended was smaller but still provided that set structure and “family” feel of group members. Emotion and exchange of emotion was present as well. I chose to attend this meeting twice because I was impressed and overwhelmed by the first meeting, I had to attend again to gain more
My experience with the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that I went to was an interesting one. I felt a couple different feelings while I was attending the meeting. The first thing that I felt was that I didn’t belong there, because I’ve never been in the situation that these other individuals had been in. The second thing that I felt was awkwardness. I felt awkward because nobody really socialized with me, other than the occasional hello. The third feeling that I felt was of empathy for these people because recovering from alcoholism isn’t easy. I didn’t feel that I belonged in the group of recovering alcoholics at the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.
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
At the meeting it was clear that there was a specific agenda to follow from the second you walked in the door to the second you left. The meeting took place in the basement of the church. When arriving, a women stood welcoming everyone who walked into the door. The individuals knew immediately that I was a college student there to write a paper and instantly brought it to everyone’s attention by asking jokingly to not talk bad about them. Looking back I am a little bothered by them immediately assuming this. Although I was a college student there to write a paper, what if I was actually there to participate in the AA meeting? It made me wonder what happens to younger individuals looking for help and if they are turned off from meetings because of situations like this. They were still very welcoming but that initial impression...