My First AA Meeting- An Outsider Perspective
For my chemical dependency class, I had a homework assignment of attending a open alcohol anonymous meeting. I was a little scared for this assignment. I don't have any family members who have struggled with substance abuse, so my exposure to this field is very limited. The reason I took this class was because I knew this was an area of social work I needed to be exposed to.
I found a AA meeting in my local community and planned to go a meeting. I didn't know what to expect from a AA meeting. You know how some people make fun of the phrase, "Hi, I'm (insert name) and I'm a alcoholic". That is pretty much all I knew about these meetings. I was afraid that people would look at my weird for being a visitor. Would I disrupt the meeting? Would I feel like a outsider? Will they look at my as stupid for not being a consumer of alcohol? These were the majority of my thoughts before I even walked into the building.
As I was walking into the building, a group member walked up to me and shook my hand. He introduced himself and welcomed me to the group. That moment really impressed me that a group member would look for a visitor and go make contact with them first. From that moment, I felt like it was a safe group.
I sat in the back of the room and talked with some of the members before the group started. They asked for visitors to say their name and where they are from. I told them my name and that I was a social work student just learning about the group. They clapped and welcomed me to the group. It was such a warmth to know that as a visitor, I was welcome to be part of the group.
The meeting started and I listened to the 12 steps. As as active individual in my religion, I found it inspiring the role of God in the AA group. The facilitator encouraged everyone to find God or a higher power to help in the recovery process. This was a very touching moment to me that this organization would include God in their treatment. I have found that God can be a touchy subject within social work treatment plans. God has been a huge part in my personal healing and will always be the most important source for my relief. I loved that many of the group members included their relationship with God as a support for becoming sober.
They celebrated the "birthdays" or days since they have been sober for the group members. As each group member went up to claim their coin of how many days they have been sober, the group members clapped and congratulated them on their success. This positive environment was touching to watch how each group member was heard and celebrated on their individual story.
They had a focus on the new members. They wanted the new members of the group to feel welcome and come back to another meeting. They wanted these new members to realize the importance of the group as part of the recovery process. As each group member talked, they encouraged the new group members to talk to them after the meeting to find a sponsor and meet people with similar stories. I am so glad that individuals can find a safe place where they are not judged for their addiction. Oftentimes, we don't understand the individual circumstances that lead to a alcohol addiction. The fact that individuals can find a place where they don't need to explain their behavior, they just need to explain their desire to remove their addiction from their life provides hope.
The last part of the group included individual group members talking about their personal stories of alcohol, addiction and becoming sober. Every individual had a unique perspective including their family, work and personal life. They described what sober looked like to them and what they had to let go when they stopped drinking. Why did they drink? What meaning did alcohol have in their life? How did alcohol affect their life? What motivated them to come to group? What motivated them to continue attending group? How did their life change as they became sober?
It was a eye opening experience to learn about the disease of alcohol additions. It is something that takes over your life. Your free will is gone as the addiction grows. It was amazing to see the changes these group members made as they gave up their addictions. I don't know if I have ever had to give up something as hard as an addiction. I don't know if I would have the courage to follow in their footsteps.
The number one thing I learned from attending this group is the idea of hope for change. I walked away motivated that I could change and become a better person through God. I don't have an alcohol addiction but I do have my own path of personal healing. Sometimes it is hard to think that it is possible to "fix" our broken hearts, but this meeting reminded me of the power of hope. We can wake up everyday knowing we have possibility. Possibility to change the negative things in our life to become more positive. This is a gradual change as many members work hard on their recovery on a daily basis. The beautiful thing about this process is that it works. You can look back and see gradual changes and know that you are moving forward.
I would have to say that my first AA meeting was a success. This homework assignment was definitely one of my favorites since I started my graduate school program.
I found a AA meeting in my local community and planned to go a meeting. I didn't know what to expect from a AA meeting. You know how some people make fun of the phrase, "Hi, I'm (insert name) and I'm a alcoholic". That is pretty much all I knew about these meetings. I was afraid that people would look at my weird for being a visitor. Would I disrupt the meeting? Would I feel like a outsider? Will they look at my as stupid for not being a consumer of alcohol? These were the majority of my thoughts before I even walked into the building.
As I was walking into the building, a group member walked up to me and shook my hand. He introduced himself and welcomed me to the group. That moment really impressed me that a group member would look for a visitor and go make contact with them first. From that moment, I felt like it was a safe group.
I sat in the back of the room and talked with some of the members before the group started. They asked for visitors to say their name and where they are from. I told them my name and that I was a social work student just learning about the group. They clapped and welcomed me to the group. It was such a warmth to know that as a visitor, I was welcome to be part of the group.
The meeting started and I listened to the 12 steps. As as active individual in my religion, I found it inspiring the role of God in the AA group. The facilitator encouraged everyone to find God or a higher power to help in the recovery process. This was a very touching moment to me that this organization would include God in their treatment. I have found that God can be a touchy subject within social work treatment plans. God has been a huge part in my personal healing and will always be the most important source for my relief. I loved that many of the group members included their relationship with God as a support for becoming sober.
They celebrated the "birthdays" or days since they have been sober for the group members. As each group member went up to claim their coin of how many days they have been sober, the group members clapped and congratulated them on their success. This positive environment was touching to watch how each group member was heard and celebrated on their individual story.
They had a focus on the new members. They wanted the new members of the group to feel welcome and come back to another meeting. They wanted these new members to realize the importance of the group as part of the recovery process. As each group member talked, they encouraged the new group members to talk to them after the meeting to find a sponsor and meet people with similar stories. I am so glad that individuals can find a safe place where they are not judged for their addiction. Oftentimes, we don't understand the individual circumstances that lead to a alcohol addiction. The fact that individuals can find a place where they don't need to explain their behavior, they just need to explain their desire to remove their addiction from their life provides hope.
The last part of the group included individual group members talking about their personal stories of alcohol, addiction and becoming sober. Every individual had a unique perspective including their family, work and personal life. They described what sober looked like to them and what they had to let go when they stopped drinking. Why did they drink? What meaning did alcohol have in their life? How did alcohol affect their life? What motivated them to come to group? What motivated them to continue attending group? How did their life change as they became sober?
It was a eye opening experience to learn about the disease of alcohol additions. It is something that takes over your life. Your free will is gone as the addiction grows. It was amazing to see the changes these group members made as they gave up their addictions. I don't know if I have ever had to give up something as hard as an addiction. I don't know if I would have the courage to follow in their footsteps.
The number one thing I learned from attending this group is the idea of hope for change. I walked away motivated that I could change and become a better person through God. I don't have an alcohol addiction but I do have my own path of personal healing. Sometimes it is hard to think that it is possible to "fix" our broken hearts, but this meeting reminded me of the power of hope. We can wake up everyday knowing we have possibility. Possibility to change the negative things in our life to become more positive. This is a gradual change as many members work hard on their recovery on a daily basis. The beautiful thing about this process is that it works. You can look back and see gradual changes and know that you are moving forward.
I would have to say that my first AA meeting was a success. This homework assignment was definitely one of my favorites since I started my graduate school program.
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