Recovery Group Meeting

Recovery Group Meeting

This week I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting that took place in a Methodist Church. From people discussing their experiences with the 12 step meetings in class, I expected the group to be varied. While they did seem to vary in age and race, there were no women present. The number of alcoholics that were at the meeting was around 10. Some were there from the beginning but a few arrived late. Although it was clear that a majority of the members were religious in some way, none of them specifically mentioned their ties to that specific church. My best guess would be that there was a mixture of both church members and community members attending the meeting.

The meeting was led by an alcoholic from the area who has been attending those meetings for a few years. It was a newcomers meeting so there were a couple of people that have never been there before, or at least not very many times. However, a majority of the participants seemed to be familiar with the meetings held there and knew one another from past meetings. They started by giving everyone a chance to introduce themselves if they desired and then left the floor open to anyone who had an AA related announcement to make. From there the leader chose a topic, “Just for Today,” and the attendees took turns sharing their thoughts and experiences and how they related to the topic of the night. Most of the people spoke but not everyone.

Everybody at the meeting seemed to be relatively relaxed. When someone was telling their story everyone paid attention and was very supportive. There was coffee in the back of the room being offered to everyone which made the meeting seem even more relaxed since everyone could get up and move around as they pleased. They were all very open with me and the other students observing and were happy to share their stories with us. One man shared his story with the specific purpose of helping us understand that it could happen to anyone. I was very grateful that they were so open with me.

The leader and other members of the meeting gave us the option of reading the 12 steps in the beginning but I chose not to. When the participants were sharing their stories I gave them my undivided attention. At the end of the meeting they stood in a circle and said a prayer which I took part in. Afterwards a few of them stuck around to talk to us some more about their stories and to encourage us to stay clean and in school. They were very interested to hear what we thought of the meeting. I was happy to tell them that I found it very powerful and meaningful. I can now see why those programs are so helpful to those involved and I am glad that they that opportunity.

Each participant that shared had a very different story; however, they did have a few things in common. Almost all of them spoke of a higher power, and many of them mentioned how grateful they are to have the AA meetings and how helpful they have been to them in there process of recovery. They were happy to be there, one felt as though he was being drawn to that specific meeting even though he already attended one that morning. It was very clear that the AA meetings were helpful to each of the members.

I recognized a lot of what we have discussed and learned being put into action at the AA meeting I attended. Many of them spoke about relapse and their stories related back to the cycle we discussed in class. They also focused on a higher power, as well as living in the present. From listening to the stories, I heard firsthand the effects that we read about and discussed in class. Some of them couldn't hold on to relationships that were important to them, others couldn't hold on to dreams. One man also mentioned a rehab facility he went to before attending these meetings.

I found the meeting to be very insightful and full of positive energy. Everyone laughed and smiled and was 100% supportive. I think this is very important for people recovering from an addiction because knowing that there will always be a group of people who have shared your pain and went through your struggle can be very encouraging.

Solution-Focused Approach

Solution-Focused

The solution-focused approach to the strengths-based perspective is a very interesting form of therapy. This approach was founded by Milton Erickson. It stresses the future rather than the past, working towards a goal instead of looking for the cause of the problem (Van Wormer 104). With this approach the client is seen as the expert. They have it within themselves to make a goal and reach it (Carol Vivyan).  This form of therapy relies on 3 types of questions that lead the client to create a solution on their own: These are miracle questions, coping questions, and scaling questions. “The miracle question” is the base of the therapy and it changes depending on the therapist.

• “Erickson's original version of the question involved asking his client to look into the future and see themselves as they wanted to be, problems solved, and then to explain what had happened to cause this change to come about. He might also ask clients to think of a date in the future, then worked backwards, asking them what had happened at various points on the way.”

(Carol Vivyan)

Coping questions are meant to help the client understand how to handle struggles that come with addiction. For example, they might be asked:

•          “How do you cope with these difficulties?
•          Who is your greatest support?”

(Carol Vivyan)

Scaling questions are used to make the client aware of where they are in the recovery process. It shows them how far they have come and how far they still have to go in order to reach their goals. Examples of these questions are:

•          “On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is the worst it's ever been and 10 is after the miracle has happened, where are you now?
•          What would be the first sign that you had moved on one point further?”

(Carol Vivyan)

The Addiction Cycle

The addiction cycle is the routine that addicts go through. Addicts use the substance or do the behavior in order to make themselves feel good and it usually works- any bad feelings go away. Then they have negative consequences from using that can include problems with family and friends, or financial difficulty. Because of these consequences they feel guilty and then become depressed. To raise their spirits they use the substance or do the behavior again and the cycle starts all over (Van Wormer).

The solution-focused intervention would most likely beat the cycle by avoiding feelings of shame and guilt. If this therapy’s focus is the future and not the past then the intent would be to forget about the consequences and focus on reaching a goal. Having an objective could give the addict positive feelings which might help prevent relapse.

I think this approach is very helpful for people struggling with an addiction. By making them the expert they are being given the power to help themselves. This is important because if they get through recovery by using this technique then they know that they can do it on their own. In the future if they get into a bad situation that could potentially rehash their desire, they will have the knowledge and the confidence to help themselves avoid relapse. I also think it is helpful because it gives them a sense of independence. After recovering, someone struggling with an addiction will need to get back out into the real world. After years of misuse and abuse this will be hard to do. Having a partially independent recovery could give them the confidence they need to start over.

References

Vivyan, Carol. Solution Focused Therapy.  http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/sft.htm

Van Wormer, Katherine & Davis, Diane. Addiction Treatment; a strengths perspective.

Gambling Addiction

Gambling

 

Compulsive gambling is seen as both an impulse-control disorder as well as an addiction. Gambling can be considered an addiction if it is done regardless of the consequences and if there are cravings or urges to gamble beforehand. Compulsive gambling then differs from a bad habit because the impulse to gamble cannot be controlled. This differs slightly from a problem gambling in the sense that a problem gambler does not have a loss of total control. A problem gambler does not need to gamble on a daily basis or even frequently for that matter. If problems arise from gambling, whether socially or economically, then it is considered a problem gambling (Help Guide).

To get the idea of what it takes to be considered a gambling addict take the self-administered diagnostic quiz:  http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/survey/survey.cfm?id=6

               

Depression, stress, and anxiety are just a few negative feelings that could lead to gambling addiction. As with many substances that are abused, gambling can be seen as a way to have a good time and forget about real world troubles. Compulsive gamblers often hide what they are doing, and they usually deny that there is any problem at all (Help Guide).

                The first step towards treating the addiction is admitting to the compulsive or problem gambling. Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step recovery program, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. One very important part of this program is having a sponsor. Upon entering the program a sponsor must be chosen. This is someone who has succeeded in recovering from gambling addiction and they are present as support. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is often used in many cases. This therapy is used to help gamblers find new ways to spend their time, and to help them to fight any urges to gamble (Help Guide).

                Some suggestions for maintaining recovery are letting someone else control your finances to keep you in check. Surrounding yourself with loved ones often helps because it gives you a responsibility and a reason to stay strong. Another, more obvious, tip is to just stay clear of any tempting environments. Maintaining the recovery is the hardest part but it is doable (Help Guide).

                When diagnosing someone as a pathological gambler there are 10 criteria that must be considered. If the person meets at least five then they are believed to have an addiction (George Warren Brown School of Social Work).  About 1% (2million) of U.S. adults (18 and older) are believed to be pathological gamblers. Another 2-3% (4-6 million) are believed to be problem gamblers. A study shows that about 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lifetime, and 60% of those have gambled at some point in the past year. The only two states in the U.S. that don’t allow any form of legal gambling are Hawaii and Utah (NCPG).

                For detailed information of the history of gambling in the U.S. dating back to the original colonies visit: http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/03/Chapt2.html

References

National Council on Problem Gambling. http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3315#widespread

Researchers assess rates and risks of gambling. (2006, Dec.). http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/newsroom/PressRelease/Pages/120605.aspx

Saisan, J., Segal, J., Smith, M., & Robinson, L. (2012, Dec.). Gambling Adiction and Problem Gambling.  http://www.helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.php