Community Meeting Program Assignment
12-step meeting is a recovery program to overcome the addiction of alcohol. It is available for people who do not have their control over drinking, who are alcohol dependents, drinking level became to the point that worries them, or have trouble with drinking. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and sleep disorders are some of Axis I diagnosis from the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V and people with these diagnosis may be attending the meeting (2013).Community Meeting Program Assignment
The purpose of the meeting are to put drinking problems behind them, stay sober, learn methods to cope with negative emotions rather than rely on alcohol, able to return back to their normal lives, and pursuit a lifelong recovery. The meeting gathers people suffering from same problem. Sense of belonging gives strength, and social support with each other. Anything discussed in the meetings must be confidential. What people see, and hear should only stay in the meeting, not outside. Members can protect their anonymity by speaking generally. They should avoid using name, or name of workplace, or any information that can go against anonymity. This will not make members worry that it will later cause them embarrassment. A sponsor in AA meeting is the one who guide members through out the program. They should have the willingness, understanding, patience, and time to devote to sponsor new members. It is their responsibility to do everything to help new members get and stay sober within their personal boundaries and knowledge. They need to encourage members to attend meetings, explain about 12-step meetings, emphasize the importance, and guide and encourage members to pass on what they’ve learned. At the end of the meeting, AA chips or sobriety coins are offer to members. It is to award their achievements in sobriety and recovery. The chips come in assorted colors and each represents the time frame the person remains sober. 1 month chip is in red, 2 month chip is in gold, 3 month chip is in emerald/green, 4 month chip is in gold, and it goes up to 11 months and yearly chips. Members can get the color of chips depending on time frame they stayed sober. The chips give a pride for members by earning an achievement. It gives them the hope that they are slowly overcoming alcoholism. Withdrawal symptoms is one of the challenge alcoholics should overcome. There are different stages of withdrawal symptoms.Community Meeting Program Assignment
The first stage is a mild that begins 8 hours after the last drink and a person starts to feel anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and abdominal pain begins. After 24-27 hours after the last drink is when the stage 2 moderate begins. A person will experience high blood pressure, increased body temperature, unusual heart rate, and confusion. The last stage begins 2-4days after the last drink can become severe when a person experiences hallucination, fever, seizure, and agitation. All symptoms tend to decrease within 5-7days.
Medication is a great method to treat alcohol withdrawal. Catapres (clonidine) assists in controlling mild or non complicated alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as mood, high blood pressure, sweating, tremors, irritability, and anxiety. The Neurontin (gabapentin) is used for seizure control and also other symptoms such as tremors, anxiety, and nausea. Lioresal (baclofen) is used for muscle relaxant to reduce craving alcohol during withdrawal process. Although these medications may help with withdrawal symptoms, it all depends on person’s will to overcome the addiction. There are multiple preventions for relapse. When alcoholics have urges to use alcohols, they should call friends, family, or any supporters and tell them about urges to use. By talking to someone will distract the negative thought. It is important not to stay alone when they feel anxious, and depressed. There were some of the defense mechanisms people used at the meeting. One of the defense mechanism was a denial. He avoided listening to people around him when they started to worried about his drinking habit. He did not believe himself that he had an issue with alcohols. Although there was a day he drank all night, and missed going to work.Community Meeting Program Assignment The first thing he grabbed when he woke up was an alcohol. When he realized what he was doing, he started to think if he really had a problem with drinking. Once he started to feel something was wrong, he finally accepted that he was an alcoholic and committed to attend this meeting. There was another person who shared his experience. Whenever he had negative emotions from outside home, he brought his anger and poured to his wife by yelling. This is displacement defense mechanism. It redirects negative emotion from one person or thing to an unrelated person or thing. He attends meeting with wife and they support each other to fight the alcoholism. The discharge teaching for a substance abuser is to educate them to take the medicine as directed and maintain the dosage of medications. Make sure patients let the healthcare provider if they have side effects, or the medicines do not work. Secondly, the patients to get involve in activities such as reading, exercising, or watching movies to distract from alcohol consumption. Involving in activities they are interested and enjoys would reduce stresses as well. Lastly, make sure to return for a follow up. Keep all appointments will help to discuss if there’s any difficulties staying away from alcohol, see improvements, or ask any questions.
There are cases where a substance abuser to be committed to a treatment facility. There should be an evidence of being alcoholic such as threatened, attempted, or inflicted physical harm on himself or another person. Secondly, when a person become incapacitated to the level of not being able to provide his or her basic needs, including food, shelter, and clothing, and there is no suitable adult such as a family member or friend willing to provide for such needs. Form 2013 is used for involuntary commitment of a substance abuser in Georgia. They can be hold for 30days maximum but it vary depending on which states. There were about 20 people in the meeting. Some came by themselves, and some came with their friends and family.Community Meeting Program Assignment
This was my first time attending AA meeting and I had a perception on alcoholics that they would be lack of hygiene, not dressed properly, and talk like an drunken person. Although I was surprised and realized I was wrong. None of these members looked alcoholics. They dressed up formally and clean. They perfectly looked normal until they say they are alcoholics. The two sponsors lead the group, each member took their turn to read book about alcoholism, and each shared their stories. One thing in common they shared was how grateful they were for their sobriety and the program. The universality and installation of hope gave them the sense of belonging really was the source of the strength that helped members to fight the alcoholism. I truly saw how much this group was bonded each other and supported. I doubted about the self-group meeting and did not recognized the power of AA meeting until I heard all the stories they shared. Myself as a Christian, the higher power means to be religious, God of the Bible. It is crucial to let go of myself, admit that we are powerless and let the God to be center of you and let him control the life.
After the meeting, I realized how useful this program can be for all the alocoholic. Fighting the alcoholism is truly difficult but once joined with people who has a same problem with you, and also working together with members and family and friends they can overcome the substance use. Sharing and fighting together means so much worth it.Community Meeting Program Assignment