Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous

Introduction

As the number of people addicted to alcohol, due to the various technological, religious and personal evolution, is climbing, alcoholic counseling itself has become a profession (Valle, 1979). When mentioned the name Alcoholic Anonymous (AA), the first thing that comes to mind are therapy classes, where a councilor would be seated and provide psychotherapy to individuals who are addicted to alcohol. For some reason it felt as if it would be an individual based therapy session, where the identity of a person would be kept confidential, in other words 'anonymous.'

The meeting I attended was an open one, where everyone was welcome to observe and participate be they 'alcoholics' or not. It took place on 21st September, 2012, Friday in Daytona, Florida at 14:30 hours.

Discussion

Identification

To my surprise Alcoholic Anonymous turned out to be an international mutual aid movement for individuals who want to stop drinking alcohol as it's turning out to be damaging for them. Their primary purpose is to stay sober and helps others achieve sobriety too. I was told this by a member of the group as I arrived to the meeting. For starters there's a group not an individual based therapy. People sit and share their experiences and help each other through this phase. The element of motivation is exercised amongst every member to stay sober. The only condition I suppose one needs to follow in order become a member of Alcoholic Anonymous, is the desire to stop drinking.

Observations

The commonality I observed in each member was their closeness to reality, they knew and calmly owned up to the fact that they were alcoholics. None of the members had any delusion regarding their condition, they each did have their reasons, some were traumatized due to the loss of a loved one, some had disturbing relationships ...