12-Step Meeting

On Saturday, February 3, 2018, I attended an open speaker AA meeting at The Old Stone in Evansville, Indiana. While my grandmother is a recovered alcoholic and regularly attends her AA meetings, I have never been. When I found out that we had an assignment to attend a 12-step meeting, I figured it would be beneficial to experience a meeting firsthand, since it has been such an important part of my grandmother’s life.

            When I first arrived at the meeting, I did feel a little out of place. I felt out of my comfort zone. There were clients from a treatment center at the meeting, and it appeared that some of them did not want to be there. The role of the facilitator of the meeting was directive. There was a specific structure for how the group was led. It started with the serenity prayer/a moment of silence, and then volunteers that were predetermined read the traditions, steps, and explained how AA worked. Following this, a basket was passed around for members to contribute donations for the club, and members received their chips for how long they have been sober. The leader then invited the speaker of the night up to share his story and then the floor was open to comments. Lastly, the group gathered in a circle, held hands and recited the Lord’s Prayer.

            Since this particular meeting was not a discussion, there was not much participation from the group. However, there was a little time at the end where the facilitator asked for comments. Only two individuals made comments, and this was fine because the speaker talked for the majority of the meeting. At the beginning, the facilitator said that he had pre-determined volunteers to read the opening information, i.e. the 12 steps, traditions, and how it works.

            The environment was hospitable.  The tables were long like you would see in a cafeteria, and people sat close together.  While the members of the group realized that I was not a “regular,” they were welcoming of me and friendly. The speaker stood on a stage at a podium and gave his speech in a microphone so that everyone could hear him. There was free popcorn provided, and free coffee, which the members seemed to enjoy. I did see some distractions in the room, which may have impacted the session. Personally, I did lose my focus on the speaker because of everything that was happening around me. Many people got up during the meeting to get refills of coffee, and one member was even knitting a hat while the speaker was talking.

            I do think that the session was therapeutic. It is always helpful when you are struggling to hear someone else’s story, which has gone through the same thing. Since this was a speaker meeting, the speaker discussed his story with alcohol, his background, his relapses, and how he came to AA. He spoke encouragement into the audience, and even though I am not an alcoholic, I have an immediate family member who was affected by the disease, and it made me so thankful for this program. It is always helpful to know that you are not alone when you are affected like something like this, and I am sure that the speaker’s story provided hope to some of the treatment center clients.

            I believe that this group follows the behavioral-cognitive theory. The 12-step AA group incorporates the process of how changing one’s thinking will change their behavior. The individuals in the group have accepted their addiction, and want to work on fixing it and remaining sober. Specifically, I think that the internal locus of control comes into play in a 12-step meeting such as this.  It is about taking responsibilities for your actions, but also being willing to make a change. The group provides support and other members to hold you accountable, but it is ultimately up to the individual to make the changes. In class, we learned that this theory is a good one when people have problems with self-control and when the client’s cognition impacts their behavior.

            For me, the most significant aspect of the meeting was how God was the center of it all. Throughout the promises, traditions, how it works, and 12 steps, God is referred to. My grandmother always said that her AA meetings were her “church,” and since God is such a huge component of this program, I don’t believe she is wrong. Before attending this meeting, I had my own judgmental thoughts about what it was and what happened in a session. However, all of my assumptions were wrong. Hearing the speaker tell his story opened my eyes to just how important it is to have programs like this in place, how important it is to have people who support you, and above all, put your faith in God. Going forward, I have a greater appreciation for my grandmother for staying sober for all 46 years, and continuing to attend the weekly meetings. I think that attending this meeting will help me be able to relate to my clients better who are dealing with a disease like this.

Reference:

Lancaster & Sasse. (2018). Notes on Behavioral-Cognitive Theory. [Word Document]