Alcoholics Anonymous Support Group - Essay Example

Introduction

I attended the anonymous alcoholic group meeting which consisted of people from all walks of life coming together for the same objective of finding amicable solutions for alcoholism and its control. Members of this team comprised of people of various diversity without regard to particular religion and races. The entrance to the meeting was free of charge and there was no need for payment hence, it was open to people who were interested and had great desire and are passionate about seeking remedies to the alcoholism situation. Active involvement has played a vital role in improving persons long-term recovery process and hence the whole being. In this meeting, more than 40,000 people across the US attended the anonymous alcoholism group.

Content and Process

Alcoholics anonymous refers to a fellowship of men and women internationally, who were once victims of alcohol, and are seeking help to recover fully from such addictions. It is a self-supporting group and available across varied states of America. For one to join Alcoholic anonymous, qualification is purely based on desire to get involved in aiding alcoholism and not educational level or career. It takes a lot of personal courage and effort to avoid the habit of alcohol and to seek solutions in order to overcome the addiction. The topic was presented in twelve steps with each steps having precise and comprehensive ways of satisfying life without necessarily having alcohol. On the first step, there was an open speaker meeting both to alcoholics and the non-alcoholics. During the speaker meeting, all the anonymous alcoholic groups’ members shared their experience concerning alcoholism, how they found themselves as members of the alcoholic anonymous group. Furthermore, they also shared how their lives had changed since they attended the anonymous alcoholic group. In the meeting, there was an open discussion where one member was allowed to briefly give his experience on his drinking experience after which a leading debate then preceded. In the prominent argument, anyone with the drinking-related problem was ushered in to offer his experience and how the intervention process was achieved temporarily.

A close discussion of the meeting was usually conducted the way the open debate was carried out, but this time, it was only for the alcoholics or the alcoholic perspective alone. Additionally, members took the conference into discussion on preferences and the correctional, and treatment tools. In this event, members were asked to gather information about alcoholic anonymous such as driving while intoxicated and other alcoholic safety action projects. According to Jacobs, Schimmel, Masson & Harvill (2016), the various intervention was to help the victims overcome the problem of alcoholism. The first method was to investigate the relationship between an exposure and the outcome, where the alcoholic anonymous and that abstinence were not convincing of causality as strong ones. The other approached employed was the consistency of association matters where the group did an investigation on the healthy relationship between numbers of alcoholic anonymous who attended and then compared it with the achieved rates of abstinence. Furthermore, the drug trials that were administered by considering the coherence with the existing foundation of knowledge, was carried out to identify the causation leading to prevalence. For instance, in this case, the group administered the Neurontin drugs to the alcoholic victim that functioned by reducing electrical activity in the brain hence stopping the seizures (Jacobs et al., 2016).

Self-help groups, in this sense the alcoholic anonymous showed to be of great importance as it not only emphasizes on maintaining sobriety but also tended to discuss challenges and to provide victims with information and an ideal place to get help (Jacobs et al., 2016). This group also stressed on connecting people to links of where they can obtain firsthand information which helps them in reducing the feelings of loneliness, fear, and isolation. The objective of alcoholic anonymous is to help victims be motivated and offered advice on the significant impact especially when one is going through tough times in life.

Groups are beneficial because they try to maintain sobriety in finding a safe place to get help and discuss challenges and finding alternative solutions. Connecting with others who have experienced the feelings of isolation, fear, and hopelessness is a vital process through the journey of quitting alcoholism. Staying motivated and confident is appropriate to get through tough times (Forsyth, 2015). Additionally, group work had lots of advantages and as such, it was more efficient and more economical in meeting the victim’s needs.

Group Dynamics and Participants

Membership of the group is pulled across time, geographic location, profession, religion, and life aspiration. The common denominator among members is the need to abstain from alcohol and trace back the route to being drug free citizens. Age is not a matter, the extent of drench into alcoholism is not a matter to consider and yet all who desire to shape the society in a better way are allowed to form the group. Appreciation of the need to enjoin other corporate institution, societies who seek to add quality of value to life are invited to join. Prejudices is a common problem which lead to stigmatization when the victims seek for embrace from other non-alcoholic members of the society. Yes, it is an open group.

The group adopted the twelve steps which is used in many churches and other recovery ministries. The meetings allowed the people to participate by following the model’s used in many churches for Christian disciplines such as confession, offering testimonies and prayers in the very humble way and within a confidential environment. The fete opened the means by merely welcoming new members and participants who wish to join the anonymous alcoholic group. Often, the 12 steps adopted the use of written script read by various participants from different groups who are chosen by each leader for each meeting. Many individual find it hard to use scripts during the session with some claiming that the script is insulting while others posit that the text is canning. However, the leaders enlighten the participants that the script do play essential functions, for incidence which de-emphasizes the role of leaders within a group. Through the use of script, the leader are able to find it easier to prepare or create questions in advance as well as arranging the group activities in advance. Furthermore, the use of script makes it easier for the participant to solve their issues not necessarily received from other group participants or group leaders (Forsyth, 2015).

Different philosophies and ministries governed the group’s activities and orientations while the concept of gender balance within groups is highly encouraged. The leadership of the Alcoholics anonymous carries out inspection to ensure both men and women seat in a group and endeavor their discussion without prejudice. On the other hand, the varied races are openly invited. The group invites members who are white, black, Hispanics, latinos, Asians, Arabs name them. It has no regard to particular race and or class. It invites them all. A clear cut distinction of the Alcoholic anonymous is lack of professional alienation. All professionals are invited. No regard is given to doctor who a majority of people perceive to carry solutions to alcohol related problems. Inside Alcoholic anonymous, they are treated as members.

Leadership and Behavior

The group through its intervention has put up measures to help the alcoholic victims overcome their addiction nature. Among the vital elements include incorporating the professionals into the program to maintain them overcome the substance abuse and its addiction and provide an amicable solution to support them and their loved ones. Though alcohol addiction recovery is a long journey and takes all the dimensions of intervention including the private and professional personals and resources to overcome this habit (Jacobs et al., 2016). The tool provides comprehensive solutions which are a hope and real test for eradicating not only alcohol but also general drug abuse. The devices provide information concerning various vital elements in therapy and different approach for healing and address problems to do with health and mental illness.

The leadership position is elective and according to the group draft constitution, the serve for a term not exceeding two years. For that reason, office bearers have nothing more they undertake within the group than to serve and plan for yearly meetings and events across the year. The position is voluntary and one is not entitled to a paycheck. The chairperson, the secretary general and organizing secretary are the most valued position as they play host during any meetup. Centrally, democratic process of electing leaders is followed to the later as all members seek is a creative leader who shares in the mission and vision of the group. The group structure in my view is horizontal due to the fact that events are collaborative not directed from a central office. They are built through consensus and mutual consent.

During the group meeting, leaders portrayed leadership styles as they were so flexible while there was a problem arising in the group. The leaders of the teams did a lot especially when they turned their focus to the dynamics of groups. Furthermore, leaders in each group were objective they were trustworthy as well as being patient to the matters arising from the participant's point of view. During the testimony, session leaders were very caring and gave comfort to those victims of alcoholism. On the other hand, leaders should have all standards that tend to provide guidelines to social work practice, which is the meeting all leaders give a sounding reputation for that.

Leaders in the group portrayed a sense of dynamical knowledge and communication styles within the organization. They exhibited their experience in dealing with people from various diversity and multicultural dimensions towards understanding the participant’s interaction. Centrally, they showed a good sense of expertise in handling the victim as well as counseling them. Within the group, managers are entitles to educating the members on the importance of attending such meeting as it will help them in many ways to overcome the addictive nature of alcoholism.

Application and Conclusion

In conclusion, the meeting was captivating, and all the alcoholic victims found a possible remedy for their problem. Given a chance to be a leader, what I will do differently is to come up with follow up measures to ensure they completely abstain from their addiction. The anonymous alcoholic ideology usually advocates for the patient to have a mantra that they will, and they are recovering from alcoholism. Basing on the biblical doctrine and teaching, one must accept the responsibility for his or her sinful act and have the zeal to change and seek for forgiveness from God. Through my personal view and judgment, will not bargain with principles that hold religion in partnership with Alcoholic anonymous for the sake of finding of having relieved from issue to do with drunkards. Right, and thorough planning is a critical way in deciding which session to start with first and the purpose of calling individual for the meeting (Forsyth, 2015). There was a problem where individual complained of reading the script, but leaders were more comfortable to tackle such issue. Though there were experienced leaders who addressed issues with ease, many participants who were victims of alcoholism found it hard to project and confess their addiction. To solve this, leaders employed the neutralization tactics to reframe communications and guide other members from various diversity. Taking alcohol has associated negative consequence. They drive a person to act abnormally and or cause disturbance to other people. In view of that, formation of the Alcoholic anonymous was well informed.

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The first method was to investigate the relationship between an exposure and the outcome, where the alcoholic anonymous and that abstinence were not convincing of causality as strong ones. The other approached employed was the consistency of association matters where the group did an investigation on the healthy relationship between numbers of alcoholic anonymous who attended and then compared it with the achieved rates of abstinence. Furthermore, the drug trials that were administered by considering the coherence with the existing foundation of knowledge, was carried out to identify the causation leading to prevalence. For instance, in this case, the group administered the Neurontin drugs to the alcoholic victim that functioned by reducing electrical activity in the brain hence stopping the seizures (Jacobs et al., 2016).

Self-help groups, in this sense the alcoholic anonymous showed to be of great importance as it not only emphasizes on maintaining sobriety but also tended to discuss challenges and to provide victims with information and an ideal place to get help (Jacobs et al., 2016). This group also stressed on connecting people to links of where they can obtain firsthand information which helps them in reducing the feelings of loneliness, fear, and isolation. The objective of alcoholic anonymous is to help victims be motivated and offered advice on the significant impact especially when one is going through tough times in life.

Groups are beneficial because they try to maintain sobriety in finding a safe place to get help and discuss challenges and finding alternative solutions. Connecting with others who have experienced the feelings of isolation, fear, and hopelessness is a vital process through the journey of quitting alcoholism. Staying motivated and confident is appropriate to get through tough times (Forsyth, 2015). Additionally, group work had lots of advantages and as such, it was more efficient and more economical in meeting the victim’s needs.

Group Dynamics and Participants

Membership of the group is pulled across time, geographic location, profession, religion, and life aspiration. The common denominator among members is the need to abstain from alcohol and trace back the route to being drug free citizens. Age is not a matter, the extent of drench into alcoholism is not a matter to consider and yet all who desire to shape the society in a better way are allowed to form the group. Appreciation of the need to enjoin other corporate institution, societies who seek to add quality of value to life are invited to join. Prejudices is a common problem which lead to stigmatization when the victims seek for embrace from other non-alcoholic members of the society. Yes, it is an open group.

The group adopted the twelve steps which is used in many churches and other recovery ministries. The meetings allowed the people to participate by following the model’s used in many churches for Christian disciplines such as confession, offering testimonies and prayers in the very humble way and within a confidential environment. The fete opened the means by merely welcoming new members and participants who wish to join the anonymous alcoholic group. Often, the 12 steps adopted the use of written script read by various participants from different groups who are chosen by each leader for each meeting. Many individual find it hard to use scripts during the session with some claiming that the script is insulting while others posit that the text is canning. However, the leaders enlighten the participants that the script do play essential functions, for incidence which de-emphasizes the role of leaders within a group. Through the use of script, the leader are able to find it easier to prepare or create questions in advance as well as arranging the group activities in advance. Furthermore, the use of script makes it easier for the participant to solve their issues not necessarily received from other group participants or group leaders (Forsyth, 2015). Read More