Support Group: Alcoholics Anonymous

Support Group #3
Student Full Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Full Title
Instructor Full Name
Due Date
Support Group #3
I recently attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Miami on 9th July 2022. Alcoholics Anonymous is a global community-based fellowship dedicated to helping people struggling with alcoholism: the organization provides community-based support and healing to encourage sobriety among recovering alcoholics. I attended the support group meeting because I was interested in learning more about overcoming alcohol addiction. I wanted to understand how social support between recovering alcoholics, without any clinical interventions or treatment, helps with abstinence. Alcoholics anonymous was started in 1935 after meeting Bill Wilson, a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob Smith, an Akron surgeon (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2022). Although both men had been hopeless alcoholics, they were familiar with the Oxford Group, a nonalcoholic fellowship that stressed moral re-armament in daily living. After joining the group, Bill managed to kick his alcohol addiction, although Dr. Bob had not yet achieved sobriety.
Familiar with the tenets and practices of the group, the two men decided to apply their spiritual solutions to struggling alcoholics with remarkable success. After managing to help 100 alcoholics achieve sobriety, the founding members decided to publish the Alcoholics Anonymous textbook, which described the fellowship’s philosophy and methods. The core of the text would later be referred to as the Twelve Steps of recovery. The organization’s growth became rapid after attaining an effective formula for Alcoholics Anonymous unity and functioning. The fellowship’s way of life quickly transcended language, religion, and race barriers and spread overseas: Alcoholics Anonymous currently has its presence in nearly 180 nations worldwide (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2022). There are no specific criteria for client entrance into the program: membership is open to anyone who wishes to address their drinking problem. The demographics of the group are varied: the attendees in the support group I attended were all from different races, genders, educational backgrounds, and income levels. There was gender and racial equality in the meeting (I counted 30 members), and participants worked in different occupations, such as truck drivers, lawyers, doctors, homemakers, waitresses, teachers, and clergy members. The goal of Alcoholics Anonymous is to provide recovering alcoholics with a feeling of community, understanding, and support as they work towards achieving sobriety.
My objective impression of the support group meeting in meeting the needs of recovering alcoholics was wholly positive. The support group comprised individuals dealing with the same type of addiction, and the atmosphere throughout the meeting was one of openness, empathy, and respect. I understood that everyone was there to learn from each other: members were allowed to share their alcohol addiction concerns and successes. Those present offered a sympathetic ear, and meaningful dialogue was encouraged by asking questions and discussing common issues affecting all recovering alcoholics. This safe and open space allowed members to connect ...