Time for me to start living for me...

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group session. As I was searching for different group sessions to attend, this one stood out the most due to the location (midtown), topic (AA), and setting (local church). This was my first time in this particular setting and in attendance for a 12-step meeting. Prior to the meeting, I had little knowledge about an AA meeting and what to expect, but I decided to go into the session open minded and make the most of the experience! Because of this mindset, I learned so much about myself, others, and how I can enhance my skillsets as a future occupational therapy practitioner. I realized how important mental health is and the large effect it can have on your participation in occupations. This first hand experience made everything I learned in my mental health and group therapy courses make complete sense. Learning how this disease can impact relationships, function, health, self-care, and etc. clarified the importance of OT's role in this area of our profession.

All the members at the group session welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at ease. I learned that AA members all have the same goal “to stop drinking.” The role of the facilitator is facilitative. The group is led by a group member at each session (it is rotated out among members) and the leader makes sure that the meeting is following the official organization protocol.  The structure of the meeting was very organized and it followed structure order. Since the meeting is led by group members instead of nonprofessionals, I feel like everyone was able to connect with one another. The facilitator encouraged everyone to participate by asking everyone to read different parts of the AA meeting outline (preamble, 12-steps, etc.) and to share during the sharing session of the meeting. The facilitator shared their story first.  

I feel like the environment that the meeting was in greatly impacted the session. The meeting was held at a church. Not all members who were at the meeting associated themselves with a higher power. When different members were sharing, some often made references to God while others made it clear that they were not associated and did not attend church. In addition, during the session, some members would apologize for language that they were using because they were in a church setting and would often hold back from what they were really trying to say.

I believe that this AA meeting was a very therapeutic session. It allowed individuals with the same goal to come together to work towards achieving their goal. I enjoyed the session and I learned so much about myself being there. I was completely blown away from all the positive advice that I received from group members. The courage that was shown among members inspired me to face fears and acknowledge my own deficits. What stuck out the most to me was when a member shared “At 50 years old, I decided it was time for me to start living for me. I no longer wanted to be controlled my alcohol and drugs. I lost so much, everything, over the years and I have nothing to show for it.” Another member then followed but stating, “I love coming here and being around people who I love. I love everyone in this group. We have gotten so close.” The support shown amount members showed how beneficial the sessions are.

I believe that this group follows the behavior-cognitive theory. The AA group 12-steps involve reframing the way individuals think about themselves and their impairments to change behaviors. Members are changing the way they think in order to practice self-control and self-management. Based on shared stories, internal locus of control is used by members of this group. These members believe that they have great control in shaping his/her own future.