An Overview And My Experience Of Aa Meeting

Overview

What does the recovery process involve?

Recovery involves many different factors like having a good support system, a positive and supportive family or friends. Having good health, to be able to treat any health issues or get the necessary treatment that might be required. Also, having a purpose for your life and being able to have things to look forward to like having a job to have income, or participating in events. Then there is also being able to acknowledge that you have an addiction. Realizing that there is a problem, which is also affecting others in your immediate family.

How is the 12 step program useful to the members?

According to the Addiction Center, there are 12 steps that were created by the founder of AA to help members have a guide to follow through their treatment. The article goes on to state that the 12 Steps help by providing support, encouragement, and accountability for those who are willing to treat their disease (Juergens, 2019). In a different article by Scot Thomas (2019), he also mentioned the mental changes that occur while following the 12 Step program. Some mental changes that can happen are, being able to become more aware of the behavioral changes that happen when you are an addict. Being able to self-acceptance, and have compassion for other people who are struggling in the same way that they have.

Why does relapse occur?

Relapse occurs for many different reasons. Some of them might include stress which can be like not having enough money for bills, or losing a job. Triggers can also make relapse occur which can be, meeting up with an old friend who is sharing your addiction. Also sudden events like a tragic death, divorce, or a serious illness. According to Kabir (2019), relapse is a common part of the recovery process and argues that relapse can occur two through six times before finally recovering.

What does a sponsor do? Who is allowed to be a sponsor? How is a sponsor chosen?

A sponsor is someone who has the ability and, the desire to help someone else make progress in their journey to recovery. The sponsor also has experience with addiction and, they have also overcome their addiction. Sponsors also have 3 distinct jobs, sharing personal stories, provide support to their sponsee, and encouraging the 12 Steps (Staff, 2019). Becoming a sponsor doesn’t require paying for anything or, getting licensed but, it does have some requirements. One of the requirements is following the 12 Steps, and being able to change the behavior of the sponsee (Staff, 2019). Picking a sponsor is simple, and consists of simply asking an experienced member of AA, one of the rules is having a same-sex gender sponsor is recommended.

My eye-opening experience

I was able to attend an AA meeting near my home. I never realized how close all of these meetings were. The meeting I decided to attend was about ten minutes away. Even though this one was very nearby to my house I had also found other meetings that were even closer than that. I chose to attend this meeting because their schedule had a variety of times and days. I arrived at the location a couple of minutes earlier to talk to the secretary. Then I took a seat, even though I was just there to observe I still participated in the introduction. Everyone took their turn and stood up at a podium. Out of all the people that had attended the one story that stood out to me the most was about a woman who had lost her husband. She had turned to alcohol but then soon realized it was affecting her work. It then began to affect all of her relationships. Even though she admitted to this it still didn’t stop her from drinking. At the meeting she told everyone that she had drank in the middle of the day and, proceded to get behind the wheel of a car. While driving she got into a car accident, hitting another car with a mother and her child. This is when she realized she had a problem and was also court-ordered to attend the meetings.

What I got from this experience was that it can be very easy for someone to become an alcoholic. It can be a simple outlet for someone to use as an escape from reality. I also realized that it is not uncommon to know people who are suffering from this disease. Something that really impacted me was the different people that shared their stories. They were all people who had gone through a tough time and had to rely on alcohol to help them cope. Instead of reaching out for help by going to counseling they used alcohol instead. It also gives me a sense of being more empathetic towards people who are suffering from alcoholism. Before I had a concept that alcoholics were just people who get drunk because they didn’t want to have responsibilities and lazy. But they have a valid reason for their substance abuse.

References

• Juergens, J. (2019, October 14). 12 Step Programs for Addiction Recovery. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/treatment/12-step-programs/.
• Kabir, N. (2019, February 19). Understanding Relapse: Why It Happens. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://www.ashwoodrecovery.com/blog/understanding-relapse-why-it-happens-how-you-can-prevent-it/.
• Should You Become Someone's AA Sponsor? (2018, February 13). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://www.advancedrecoverysystems.com/become-someones-aa-sponsor/.
• Staff, E. (2019, July 24). Explaining the Roles of Sponsor and Sponsee. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://sunrisehouse.com/prepare-aftercare/roles-sponsor-sponsee/.
• Thomas, S. (2019, June 11). 12 Step Programs for Drug Rehab & Alcohol Treatment. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/12-step.