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Cns 765 Assignment 6

1) The author attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to learn about substance abuse recovery as part of an abstinence project from soda and snack cakes. 2) They found the traditional AA meeting focused more on Christianity and God compared to spirituality in the Women's Serenity group. 3) Both groups were welcoming to the author and offered support to newcomers, helping the author understand recovery support options to recommend to clients.

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53 views

Cns 765 Assignment 6

1) The author attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to learn about substance abuse recovery as part of an abstinence project from soda and snack cakes. 2) They found the traditional AA meeting focused more on Christianity and God compared to spirituality in the Women's Serenity group. 3) Both groups were welcoming to the author and offered support to newcomers, helping the author understand recovery support options to recommend to clients.

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During this abstinence project, my main triggers have been internal – mostly trying to

cope with negative emotions and thoughts without a coping skill that I’m so used to. As I’ve
mentioned previously and in the triad recording, having a soda and snackcake was a reward for
getting through hard things when I was younger. It’s always been a source of comfort and
happiness. So when I have a day where my depression is really bad or I’ve just been
experiencing a lot of negative thoughts, I have those intense cravings for familiarity. However,
there have been some external triggers as well – mainly in the form of social pressure. I never
realized how few options there are in restaurants and basic stores for people not drinking soda.
It’s like you can have water or you can have tea – that’s it. It’d be easier for everyone (especially
the waiter or waitress or cashier) to just order a soda than to ask what their other options are or
where I can find those other options. And given that my family members are still purchasing the
sodas and snack cakes, it’s so tempting to want to give in and join them. For example, they’ll run
out to get pizza and will come back with a 2 liter of soda to share. Except I can’t participate and
have to resort to whatever we have in the fridge. It’s been a struggle. But with nearly seven
weeks under my belt, I don’t plan on stopping. I want to take this abstinence project as long as I
can. I’ve lost nearly 15 pounds since I stopped drinking soda and eating snack cakes. I genuinely
feel a bit better. I want to continue.
While this activity can never fully encapsulate the complexity of substance use disorders,
what it has really taught me is the grief that comes along with recovery. When I can’t participate
in little activities like stopping for a soda with my dad on the way back from running to Tractor
Supply or going to the landfill with our recycling, there’s a little twinge of grief. I miss the
familiarity and the routine. I miss the tradition. And I can only imagine the levels of grief that
must come along with recovery and stopping the use of a substance. People in recovery might
have to change friend groups, stop talking to family members, avoid certain places, avoid
specific triggers – all in addition to completely changing their routines and habits. The grief that
comes with these losses is really important to acknowledge and address.

This week I attended a traditional, open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Even though
I had been to an AA meeting before, I was still pretty nervous. It was a different group than the
Women’s Serenity one I had attended so there were definitely still some nervousness
surrounding being an outsider (without any alcohol use issues who wasn’t there to support
anyone specific). Even though the Women’s group had been very welcoming and accepting of
my presence, I wasn’t sure what my experience would be like in a new group. The second
meeting I attended was much bigger than the first group, by about a dozen people. So, I really
wasn’t noticed the way I was at the Women’s Serenity group. It was a comfortable anonymity,
but at the same time, I think I might’ve felt a little isolated if I was actually attending this group
for help with substance use. The meeting was very structured, just like the first group that I
attended. There was an introduction, the Serenity Prayer, a brief discussion of the 12-steps and
what the topic would be for that day, and then a distribution of virtual chips for sobriety
achievements. Coincidentally, the topic for this second group was actually identical to the topic
of the Women’s Serenity group – accepting a higher power to achieve recovery. However, one
major difference between the two meetings was the difference in messaging surrounding religion
versus spirituality. The Women’s Serenity group really dove into how important spirituality was
for the process of recovery and how organized religion wasn’t really a huge factor. It was more
about accepting a higher power and giving yourself over to that higher power. In the traditional
meeting that I attended, the conversation was much more centered around Christianity and God.
I’m not sure if the difference was simply because of which members were choosing to share or
some other detail, but it was interesting to note.
Just like with the Women’s Serenity group, the members of the traditional AA meeting
were very welcoming and open. There was no judgement and they were really willing to share
their stories with newcomers. They sent out contact information through the Zoom chat and
offered sponsorship. I am definitely glad I attended this meeting because it has continued to give
me knowledge to bridge the gap between these groups and clients. I feel really comfortable
encouraging clients to try out different groups – 12 step or otherwise – because they all have a
different feel and it’s about finding the right fit for them. I also appreciate, having attended a
general meeting, how many more people were there to support others than there were in the
Women’s Serenity group. This could ease stress and anxiety for clients, knowing they can bring
support and be really open with their recovery.

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