AA Meeting Report free essay sample

The meeting that I attended was called â€Å"The Way of Life Group†. It took place at Palos Methodist Church, 12101 S Harlem Ave on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 7:00 PM. There were about twenty to thirty people at the meeting. They were all very friendly and welcoming to me as an observer. There were new members and older members and everyone was very open about their situation and dependence on alcohol. Overall, the participants were of all ages, ethnicities, and there was an even amount of men and women. The biggest thing that I noticed about the participants that were at the meeting was that they did not look like my perception of someone who was suffering from alcohol dependence. They were like average people that I would meet during everyday life or someone that I could even see as a friend. It never occurred to me that these individuals would be normal everyday people. I assumed that they would be dysfunctional and unable to participate in the meeting, but many of them looked healthy and were happy to participate and talk at the meeting. Testimonial There was an individual who gave a testimonial. This individuals name was Maurine and her sobriety date was September 28, 2005, at the age of 50. She has completed her recovery, but continues to return to help others with her story and because she believes it helps her to be a stronger person. She grew up on the South side. Her father was also an alcoholic, but he was not an everyday drinker. Maurine stated that she believe that her father being an alcoholic had caused a lot of problems in her later years. She caused a lot of problems for herself that caused her daughter to stop speaking to her for five years. She is a social worker and has been ever since she graduated college. However, her drinking problem had gotten so bad that one day she was in the hospital and had to be visited by a social worker, or as she stated â€Å"a social worker to see the social worker†. This was the turning point when Maurine realized that she was suffering from alcohol dependence. When she got out the hospital, she called the number of A. A. and she went to her first meeting at a church. The only reason that she stayed and went through A. A. was the fact that there was someone who waited for her at the end of the meeting. He invited her to another meeting and stated that he would be there. She did not believe in the A. A. process, but she still went to the meeting and she was surprised at the fact that there was someone willing to support her. She stated that they told her to take her recovery one day at a time, but she was happy if she could just make it fifteen minutes at a time. Maurine said that now she is embarrassed by her past and that it was hard and scary for her to get through the process. Nevertheless, she listened to the people at the meetings and felt that she could connect to the people who would speak at the meetings. She got divorced because of the fact that the person she was with would not stop drinking and she believed that it would be problematic to her recovery. The biggest thing that she believed helped her through her recovery was the fact that people in A. A. would actually did the things that they said they would and that she enjoy the time with the people she meet at A. A. The people she spent time with now did not require the type of excitement that she needed when she was drinking, but at the same time they could have fun together. After her life of alcohol and â€Å"excitement†, she finally was able to trust people and moreover she was able to trust herself. She does not dwell on her problems as much anymore and she believe that she is not the same person that she was before. Maurine believe that the only reason she was so successful was because of the fact that she kept coming to the A. A. meetings. She stated that she will keep coming back as long as she can to help other and because she does not want to become someone who falls back on their dependency of alcohol. Issues Addressed The issues that were addressed during this meeting all revolved around the twelve steps and traditions. The individuals at the meeting worked hard to promote these steps and traditions so that all the newcomers were aware of them and understand them. However, I think that the biggest issues that were addressed at this meeting were encouraging the newcomers that there is something greater than them that will help them with their alcoholism and the fact that the group always be there for those willing to make a change for the better with their dependence on alcohol. I think that both of these issues are extremely important. I believe without a strong spirituality an individual will have a hard time in life and will turn to other outlets like alcohol to find a way to cope. Also I believe that having a support group to help you through your hard times will give an individual a better chance at success and being able to overcome their dependence on whatever drug they may use, like alcohol. Both of these issues seemed like important things and I was glad to see that they were addressed during the A. A. meeting that I attended. Role of a Sponsor The sponsor helps the individual through their journey in A. A. They are supposed to guide them through AA with the twelve steps and help them to become more connected to the program. They help encourage the patient to attend meetings and help them have a positive attitude throughout the process. They should not make the individuals dependent on them. Instead, they should help the individual to understand for themselves how to use the twelve step program to be successful in their journey and then be able to help others do the same. They help to promote a better life for the person they have sponsored so that they will not have any need or desire to drink again. The sponsor should be there to answer question for the individual, but at the same time the sponsor does not have all the answers. The sponsor acts as a friend and a mentor for the newcomer in A. A. (Whelan, 2009). The â€Å"Big Book† In the A. A. meeting, there were a lot of times where the â€Å"Big Book† was brought up by the people attending the meeting. The full name of this book is Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism. It is currently on its fourth edition and the first edition was written by William Wilson and Bob Smith. This book contains the twelve steps and twelve traditions in the beginning part of the book. It contains stories of men and women who have recovered from alcoholism. This book acts as a guideline for individuals who are in A. A. and helps them to see others who have been successful in overcoming the problem. This is important because it helps the individual suffering with alcohol dependence and let them know they are not alone in this journey and there were many before them who were successful. (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. , 2014) 12 Steps and 12 traditions During the A. A. meeting, the twelve steps and twelve traditions were explained. To begin, the twelve steps included: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Having has a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Next the twelve traditions were discussed in the A. A. meeting as well. These twelve traditions included: 1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A. A. unity. 2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. 3. The only requirement for A. A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. 4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A. A. as a whole. 5. Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. 6. An A. A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A. A. name to an related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. 7. Every A. A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. 8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers. 9. A. A. , as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. 10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A. A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy. 11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. 12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. Response to Experience I thought this experience was extremely helpful. It taught me not to stereotype individuals. I was surprised by how friendly everyone was to me and how open they were to each other. This experience has taught me never to judge someone before I know their background and to try to be more understanding of others. I felt almost ashamed because I had unknowingly judged these individuals before I even meet them. However, overall I believe that this A. A.  meeting experience was positive and allowed me to see a new world that I might never see elsewhere. The things that I will take into my nursing practice with me from this experience are to be less judgmental and let the patient tell me their story before I decide how I feel about them. I think that this idea can be applied to any patient, not just patients that suffer from alcohol dependence. I believe that the best way for me to be a good and caring nurse is to put this idea into practice right away and to make sure that if I do have judgment towards a patient when I care for them. Other Treatments Some other treatments that are available for individuals who suffer from alcoholism include pharmacological, biological and social therapy. These treatments follow two goals. The first goal is providing a safe way to detox the individual and the second is encouraging the individual to want to recovery from their illness. The treatment usually depends on the patient and what they are going through because not all patient need to deal with withdrawal management. Drugs like Librium, Valium, Serax, Ativan and many other drugs can help the withdrawal symptoms, but overall the health of patient should be reviewed no matter what treatment is given. (Varcarolis Halter, 2009) There are many other types of treatments that are available for patients. Some of these therapies include avoiding individuals and places that cause you to drink, join a group like A. A, look for help from family and friends, look for new hobbies to help or join a church, and exercise can also be helpful to the patient (Edmundson, 2013). These are just some ways to help individuals who are having trouble with alcohol dependence. If the patient is experiencing alcohol withdrawal, they should be treated with some kind of medication. No matter what the treatment is, it should be specific to the patient and their needs. Conclusion Overall, A. A. meetings are an excellent idea because they provide support and leadership to individuals that are in need of help with their dependency issues. The experience was very helpful to me and allowed me to how A. A. members help people with a similar problem to get their life together and get rid of their addiction. I would defiantly recommend A. A. to anyone who is suffering with an alcohol addiction.