Twelve Step Program
Twelve step programs refer to groups that function by a twelve step principle geared towards the accomplishment of a set goal in fighting drug addictions, alcoholism and compulsions. They are usually set up for recovery purposes. They are both voluntary and free and have been proven to be very effective over the years. The most popular twelve step program is the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) (12 step Groups, 2015).It is the base where all other recovery programs are set and it was the first to come up and draft out the twelve steps for programs. Alcoholic’s Anonymous program provides the addict with simple ways of living, offering a spiritual guidance in its steps.. This paper offers a response to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting I attended on Thursday Feb, 4 at The visitation Church in Brick.
The Alcoholics Anonymous meeting offered by the visitation church in Brick takes place every Tuesday and Thursdays as is advertised in the church bulletin. The meeting takes place in the church hall starting from 5.00 pm all through to 7.00pm.The church allocates these hours so as to give members enough time to get off work and it only lasts for two hours ending just before dark. They allow for visitors to come to sittings however they do not allow papers, pens or any other recording materials because the meetings are strictly confidential. The church hall is dull, with minimal lighting. It is away from the normal traffic and the seats are arranged in a circular manner having all the participants facing each other.
Moreover, there are two coordinators one female in her early thirties and an elderly ex-deacon who had fought his addiction to alcohol. The coordinators sit together with the participants and when a speaker is selected they may choose to simply sit or stand up (12 step Groups, 2015). The participants are friendly and welcoming. They appeared to have a bonded relationship with each other and they were open to having new participants. Some of the participants were members of the local church as well as other people from the local community. The forum was not segregated in social classes and it was hard to tell a person’s social status as they all acted and treated each other as equals. The only participant who stood out was a homeless man in his forties who had been coming to the meeting for a month now. The members were very respectful of the speaker, they did not interrupt them and they clapped in encouragement after the speaker was through.
One of the speakers who stood out was a lady, a mother of twins and in her mid twenties. She had been coming to the meetings for three months and was positive about her recovery. She described how experimenting on different drugs in high school led to her alcoholism. She lost her first boyfriend during her final year in high school after he overdosed on ecstasy. This then prompted her to quit taking drugs. Later on in the month she found out that she was pregnant and after discussing the issue with her single mother she was kicked out of home and she fell into depression. A family friend who was an alcoholic took her in and helped her out until she cleared high school and delivered her twins.
The struggle of raising twins on her own unemployed and with a drunkard for a roommate led to her indulgence in alcohol. She did not realize she was addicted and was in constant denial and when her roommate got clean and pointed it out she would act out violently and this got her kicked out. She got a small space and got a job at a bar which only worsened her addiction. She would be broke often because she spent her money on alcohol and did little for her children. Child services were contacted and they took her children away. This was her wake up call. The child services officer recommended that she start an AA meeting. She accepted her helplessness and developed a will to change. Her growth in the meeting had helped her spiritually and she had regained custody of her children and she was in a stable job she showed denial, depression, acting out, violence and poor decision making all behaviors associated with alcoholism (Grohol, 2013).
The speaker addressed some steps in her recovery story. She admitted she was powerless over alcohol and that she needed help. She went to the church because she believed a power greater than she would help her through it. She made amends with her children praying that they may forgive her shortcomings. This program works by having men and women with the same addiction fellowship together sharing their experiences while offering support for each other throughout the recovery process (Grohol, 2013). By sharing their story participants feel that they are not alone and encourage each other, keeping tabs on each other so as to help achieve goals. The first step is about stopping use of alcohol. The other eleven are geared towards how to live life after the addiction happily.
As a future nurse attending this program gave me insight into the lives of people with addictions. The inside story helps a professional to handle patients better by understanding the battle between their addiction and will to change. Participating in the program enhanced my knowledge of the twelve step program and it has sharpened skills in identifying addicts and how to handle them. It proves that working in groups creates strength and an addict should be offered as much external support during their recovery process (12 step Groups, 2015). As an individual, I have learnt that there are many different forms of addictions and they can be in anybody regardless of profession, age or social class.
References
12 Step Groups. (2015). Retrieved February 09, 2016, from Addictions and recovery.org: http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/12-step-groups.htm
Grohol, J. M. (2013). 15 most common defense mechanisms. Psychcentral .
