I attended an AA meeting under the Gate City Group on 12 th May at 11 a.m. I had an unusual experience in the meeting because it was unlike other meeting that I have attended. Generally, the group members and the leaders related cordially and freely shared their experiences and concerns with other during the meeting. I noticed that the group was not organized in a strict and rigid hierarchy in which the leader consolidated power and influence. On the contrary, the leader like a partner with the rest of the membership and used his knowledge and experience to dispense resourceful advice to the members. One of the outstanding merits of the group was its interactive nature. Essentially, the group provided a platform on which members shared experiences and offered advice and support to each other concerning the importance of staying sober.
I noticed that the group setting was beneficial to the members because it created an environment in which quality information could be shared. From a nursing perspective, it is widely acknowledged that lack of information about addiction remains one of the challenges that undermine the efforts of many struggling alcoholics. Crucial to helping alcoholics deal with the challenges of addiction is the provision of psychological support in an ideal environment that is unhindered by negative external influences. The strength of the group was in the numbers and individual resolve of each member. The meeting awakened me from the fact that recovering from addiction requires a combination of individual effort and group support. I noticed a genuine commitment on the behalf of the members to reclaim their lives and maintain the objective of sobriety.
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In the initial phase of the meeting, the leader expected all the members to participate candidly, raise any concerns, or offer suggestions to the various items on the agenda. Although many members participated actively throughout the meeting, others seemed passive and were content with following through the details. The assumption was that those who remained passive through the meeting needed more help because they might have been struggling with alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The leader also expected that those who had been members for longer within the group would guide and encourage new members on the strategies and insights of staying sober. His expectation was premised on the view that experience is one of the important strengths for recovering alcoholics. Another expectation was that the members would share their experiences from which others would draw insights on recovery.
The group comprised of 30 members from diverse backgrounds. In many ways, the size of the group had an important effect on the members because it provided the comfort and support that derive from numbers. Another distinguishing aspect about the group was that it had a diverse membership comprising of males and females across the demographic categories. The members were united by the shared objective of recovering from alcoholism. Therefore, the size of the group was important in fostering diversity and inclusiveness. I hold the view that the group was therapeutic because its objectives and methods were all aimed at helping the members recover from alcoholism. The members provide each other with the psychological support that was necessary for strengthening their resolve to maintain the path of recovery. Membership was voluntary, which means that those who attended the meetings had the strength of will to overcome alcohol addiction.
