The Treatment Philosophy Of Alcoholics Anonymous Essay

Meeting attended: Alcoholics Anonymous, Serenity Group, Urban Ministries, 03/07/2016, 1200. The treatment philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is that of a 12-step program, additionally, the group caters to individuals who are recovering, or trying to recover from alcoholism. This group only focuses on alcohol abuse/misuse and not any other types of addiction. The 12-step program used by AA uses a person s spirituality to focus their attention on their higher power and how they might draw strength from it. In the meeting that I attended, the participants concentrated on the first two steps of the 12-step program. The first step, admitting that the person is/was powerless over alcohol, opened my eyes due to the fact that I always had thought that the first step was admitting you have a problem. Although, they come to the same conclusion, the word powerless struck a chord because being powerless can leave you feeling worthless and weak. The second step, believing that a power greater than yourself will restore you to sanity, I feel was the absolute focus of this meeting. T he participants read prayers and meditation passages before the meeting really got underway. I looked around at the faces in the room and I saw peace and acceptance on most faces when they were praying to their God to give them strength to abstain from alcohol for the day. After the opening prayers, dedications, meditation, and introductions (to which everyone said their first name followed by andShow MoreRelated12-Step Research Paper1506 Words   |  7 Pagesnearly all recovery programs still in use today. The program was originally called Twelve Steps for Alcoholics and is now referred to as the Twelve Step Program. The origins of the Twelve Step Program are unique. The Twelve-Step Program was the creation of a gentleman named Bill Wilson. Wilson was a stockbroker originally from New York who moved to Akron, Ohio, in 1935. Wilson was an alcoholic. After his relocation to Akron, he was extremely lonely and his drinking increased; in spite of thisRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcoholism On The Alcoholic874 Words   |  4 Pagesthe alcoholic and the people around them, but it does so in a much different way than a disease such as cancer. Instead, alcoholism is a disease of both physical and mental dependence. Most diseases are treated by surgery or medication, but the only way to fix the problem of alcohol abuse is by changing the mindset of the alcoholic. This is why Hazelden Betty Ford uses mental adjustment techniques to treat alcoholics at its centers. Their philosophy relies on the fact that the alcoholic is mentallyRead MoreAlcoholics Anonymous And The Philosophies Essay1883 Words   |  8 Pages Alcoholics Anonymous and The Philosophies in Between: Conflicting Philosophies Between the Original Twelve-Step Alcohol’s Anonymous Program and The New Counseling Profession Brandon R. McIver University of Oregon Abstract This paper concerns the notoriously well known successful treatment program, Alcoholics Anonymous twelve-step program, and contrasts it to what would be referred to as a revised version of the original program. Alcoholics Anonymous has beenRead MoreAlcoholics Anonymous An Open Meeting1188 Words   |  5 PagesAlcoholics Anonymous an Open Meeting Dominique Steinburg describes mutual aid as a process through which people develop collaborative, supportive, and trustworthy relationships; identify and use existing strengths and/or to develop new ones; and work together toward individual and/or collective psychosocial goals. (Steinburg, 2010) Alcoholics Anonymous is mutual aid group that supports individuals in their recovery from alcohol dependence. Established in the mid 1930’s, Alcoholics Anonymous wasRead MoreA Research Study On Prevention1432 Words   |  6 PagesIn my research I’ve found that prevention is the key to treatment. Here are some suggestions that I propose. Firstly, I suggest that the communities of San Juan County work together to educate the youth early and de-romanticize the drinking experience by having Al anon speakers, speak about the dangers. Real life experiences are proven to hold a greater impact on an audience rather than just some literature. There are 37 states so far to require some sort of drug and alcohol prevention in the classroomsRead MoreCounseling For Alcohol And Drug Abuse1679 Words   |  7 Pagesor actively in recovery, the clinician must take their time with introducing the 12 Steps. The individual may not be open to the 12 Step philosophies at the onset. Addiction is very complex and actively affects the person on a daily basis; therefore, it is so important to start from the beginning of counseling to create a structured program. Alcoholics Anonymous has given a wonderful platform of structure for the addicted ones to create a safe, solid, 12 Step guideline to follow, in order to maintainRead MoreAlcoholics Anonymous : A History, Its Implications And The Meeting1531 Words   |  7 PagesAlcoholics Anonymous: A History, its Implications and the Meeting Support groups, how well do support groups actually benefit individuals and how are these support groups incorporated so that the techniques can actually assist someone? In researching this particular topic of Alcoholic Anonymous the results indicated that there is a diversity of AA groups. Although they all have the same objective there are variations in methods and techniques which are implemented to be able to infiltrate theRead MoreThe Major Difference Between Religion And Science1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthere a place for religion and spirituality when it comes to dealing with addiction? If so, what role do they play? Can they be substituted for traditional methods of treatment or perhaps they can work in conjunction with one another. Should treatment specialists consider incorporating religion and spirituality into their treatment methods? Christianity Christianity is the biggest religion in the world with over 2.2 billion adherents, and it has many different branches such as Catholicism, LutheranismRead MoreWilliam Griffith Wilson: Co-Founder of Alcoholic Anonymous1390 Words   |  6 Pageseventually married on January 24, 1918 right before Bill had left for World War I. (â€Å"Bill Wilson†, 2012). Bill W. served as a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery. Bill had finally, in the military, experienced his â€Å"first drink†. According to Alcoholics Anonymous (2001), Bill stated, â€Å" I had found the elixir of life.† This first drink led to the second and all the drinks in the years to come for Bill, as he began drinking heavily and excessively. After the war, he went to live with Lois in New YorkRead MoreAlcohol Addiction Is A Never Ending Problem Essay1370 Words   |  6 Pageswith a loss of a family member, financial crisis or even homelessness. The cost of alcohol addiction and treatment in the Sta te of Wisconsin is approximately $6.8 billion and rising due to the continued abuse of alcohol (Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2014, p. 14). With the high usage of alcohol abuse, one must turn to programs within their local community for support and treatment. In the community in which I live one would have to say that it is rural. There is only one AA support group