ADCN 605 Liberty University NA Meeting Experience Report-assign.pdf

This assignment requires one to have knowledge about AA, NA, Al-Anon meetings. Each meeting

will need to be thoroughly named and given a brief history of the organization. Attached will be AN

EXAMPLE paper of how this assignment should be written. Please do no copy and paste from the

EXAMPLE paper. I will read the entire assignment in it's entirety, check for any errors, and send

the corrections back in order for you to make them. Attached also is the instructions, rubric, and

support meeting in case you have no knowledge of any of the AA,NA, Al-Anon meetings.

Course textbook: Fetting, M. (2016). Perspectives on substance use, disorders, and addiction with

clinical cases (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN: 9781483377759T

This is the link to the textbook for the course http://sk.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/books/pe...

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 1

Experiential Paper of Support Group Meetings

Jason Talley

Liberty University

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 2

Name and Brief History of Organization

Alcoholic Anonymous, also known as AA, was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio by two

former alcoholics Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, both were hopeless alcoholics at that time.

According to Alcohol Anonymous (2020) “Bill and Dr. Bob had each been in contact with the

Oxford Group, a mostly nonalcoholic fellowship that emphasized universal spiritual values in

daily living. In that period, the Oxford Groups in America were headed by the noted Episcopal

clergyman, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker” (p. 1). The Oxford group did not help Dr. Bob achieve

sobriety. However, when Dr. Bob and Bill met, Bill’s persuasive ideas made Dr. Bill sober and

he never drank again. According to Feigenbaum and Cooke (2013) “historical research showed

that Bill and Dr. Bob Smith, the two founders and leaders of Alcoholics Anonymous, specifically

separated religion and spirituality by viewing religion as a form of worship and spirituality as a

person's belief in some phenomenon greater than oneself” (p. 234). Bill’s ideas to help Dr. Bob

are the philosophy and methods of what is now the Twelve-steps to recovery that was published

in 1939.

Today, the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program profoundly believes in using the

power of prayer and meditation for recovery and healing. This is also followed by everyone at

the end of a meeting holding hands and reciting the Lord’s prayer. Alcoholics Anonymous also

believes that the core of Alcoholics Anonymous is having the ability to put God before

everything and having the ability to accept that there is a greater power. “Spirituality and

religiousness can be important components of human experiences, allowing humankind to

organize its deepest hopes and aspirations, attracted in search for meanings, especially so when

confronted by pain and suffering” (Bluma, 2018, p. 228). Even though the premise of Alcoholics

Anonymous was formed on the principles of Christianity there are many additional religious

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 3

grounds that apply the same principles to members seeking addiction help. “The primary purpose

of A.A. is to carry its message of recovery to the alcoholic seeking help. Almost every

alcoholism treatment tries to help the alcoholic maintain sobriety. Regardless of the road we

follow, we all head for the same destination, recovery of the alcoholic person” (Alcoholics

Anonymous, 2020a).

Alcoholics Anonymous is a support and recovery group for individuals with an alcohol

addiction. When Alcoholics Anonymous first started out it did not have a therapeutic foundation.

Research shows that today more and more Alcoholics Anonymous are moving towards a

therapeutic approach. In the past Alcoholic Anonymous where mainly closed groups and where

kept in secret placed to avoid the stigma and share that was once associated with attending

Alcoholics Anonymous.

Meeting Structure

I have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for several years. Meeting information

is now available online for individuals seeking to attend a meeting in their city and state. An

example of this is a web-site for my area is http://www.aadistrict30va.org/wp/meetings/, which

shows your city, state, time of meeting, location, address, and what type of meeting would be

occurring (open or closed). Meetings are usually held at churches, hospitals, fire stations,

community centers, or other places where there is privacy. There are two major types of groups

for Alcoholics Anonymous: open and closed groups. Open groups are opened and opened to

everyone including nonalcoholic and to family members. Nonmembers are invited to open group

meetings but cannot participate but can be there to observe or give moral support to members

(Alcoholics Anonymous, 2020a).

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 4

Although I attend meetings regularly, alcohol addiction is an exceedingly difficult

obstacle for individuals to overcome, including myself. There are different formats of the

meetings depending on which one you attended, such as; the single speaker format, the

speaker/sharing format, the big book study/sharing format, and the round robin sharing format

(see Alcoholics Anonymous, 2019). However, all meeting involves the practicing of the 12-step

to recovery, the serenity prayer, and the Lord’s prayer. In typical Alcoholics Anonymous groups,

the groups are viewed as fellowships of men and women who share similar experiences and with

alcohol being the common factor. The major goal of Alcoholic Anonymous is for member to

stop drinking alcohol. In Alcoholic Anonymous the group guidelines are also reviewed. Each

member who speaks is expected to begin by acknowledging that they are an alcoholic (i.e. Hi,

I’m Jason and I am an alcoholic).

Personal Experience and Emotional Content

Although many people will discuss how they felt attending two meetings for this

assignment and due to COVD19 AA meeting in my area are now online and have not yet

resumed actual in-person group meetings. I usually attend several meetings a week, but it is quite

different doing them online. So, I wanted to share my experience with Alcoholics Anonymous

and why so many people attend for this assignment. In my opinion, it is not about the meetings;

it is about the people. I had a friend that was a recovering alcoholic and wanted me to go with

them to an AA meeting. At the time, I was a drunk and had no desire to quit drinking, which is

true for most members. However, my friend picked me up and I had just finished several beers

and was ready to go. When we pulled up to the church, I still needed additional alcoholic drinks

to calm my nerves and bought some beer across the street, drank them, and with my drunk

courage went into the church ready to see what AA was all about. Right off the bat I was

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 5

approached by many members noticing I was intoxicated; blood shot eyes and the smell of

alcohol every time I opened my mouth. I thought they were going to kick me out and ridicule

me, as the point of the meeting is for sobriety, which I was far from being. However, I was

encouraged to stay, even after telling them I was drunk and had just consumed a beer five

minutes ago. I sat down with two people I had never met and observed over 30 other people start

to sit down. During that time, I noticed that there was no lack of coffee being poured and

everyone had a cup of coffee.

When the meeting started, I Introduced myself to the groups and stated I was not only an

alcoholic, I was drunk at that moment and needed help. I then sat and listened to many people

tell stories and many of them looking directly at me, reminiscing of their times they were exactly

in my present state years ago. The group leader in front of everyone gave me a 24-hour sobriety

chip. I thanked him, but indicated I was not sobor. He told me to keep it. Then he passed around

a paper, which everyone put their name and phone number on, and I was again handed that

during the meeting. I suddenly had a sponsor named “Big Bob” and was encouraged to call

anyone on the paper for help. How could so many people care about me and want to help me,

when they do not know me, and I am drunk? This made me feel good about myself that I was not

alone and that others had faced the same problems I was dealing with. After the meeting, many

people came up to me and discussed stories that I had the thought were identical issues I had at

the time and could relate too.

However, that one meeting did not cure my desire to keep drinking, welcome to addiction

101. The next day I was taking a bath and started crying, wondering what I was doing to myself

and why could I not stop. I called “Big Bob” for help. He came over, again I was drunk, and he

took me to another AA meeting, even though I did not want to go. I again sat there thinking that

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 6

these people would judge me, and I was still a drunk that could not stop drinking imposing on

their meetings of sobriety. Again, they supported me and accepted me. I continued this routine

for a couple of weeks, each time drunk, and each time they would tell me “keep coming back”

(which is also what they say at the end of each meeting after the Lord’s prayer). Addiction is

hard, but I finally realized I needed a more direct approach to stop drinking, as I could not do it

myself and was scared of withdrawal symptoms I had heard about. That is when I made a choice

and went to rehab. In rehab (after a period of detox time), the same AA meeting are conducted

all day long. The meetings are great to connect with, but it is the people in the meetings that save

others.

Understanding the 12-Steps

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Miller (2015) clarifies that

the twelve-step facilitation therapy is a tried-and-true proven approach. People are encouraged to

take an honest look at themselves, then deconstruct their egos and rebuild, little by little. “The

steps encourage the practice of honesty, humility, acceptance, courage, compassion, forgiveness

and self-discipline—pathways to positive behavioral change, emotional well-being and spiritual

growth” (Miller, 2015, para 6).

With the twelve steps, there is no timeline. The steps are meant to be addressed in

sequential order, but there is no one "right" way to approach them. Sometimes people need a

break between steps, sometimes people need to spend longer on one step than another, some

people never stop working the 12 steps because they become part of life. According to Hazelden

Betty Ford Foundation (2019):

Pros of the Twelve Steps

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER 7

 The Twelve Steps are widely known, established, and organized. (It is one of the oldest

programs around.)

 Those struggling with substance abuse have access to a supportive network of peers.

 It is easy to find a meeting where the Twelve Steps are practiced.

 There is little to no cost to those in need—it is a free intervention to address a chronic

disease.

Cons of the Twelve Steps

 Some people are not interested in participating in group settings.

 Due to the anonymous nature of the group, there is a lack of official shared success rates.

 The Steps are criticized for not addressing the needs of those struggling with mental

illness.

 When the Twelve Steps were originally created, science had yet to prove a genetic link to

addiction” (p. 3).

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER     8 
 
References 
Alcoholics Anonymous. (2020). Historical data: The birth of A.A. and its growth in the 
U.S./Canada. Retrieved from https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/historical-data-the-birth-
of-aa-and-its-growth-in-the-uscanada 
Alcoholics Anonymous. (2020a). Information on alcoholics Anonymous. Retrieved from    
https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/information-on-alcoholics-anonymous. 
Alcoholics Anonymous. (2019). Meetings in a magazine. Four basic AA meeting formats 
including readings & prayers. Retrieved from https://lacoaa.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/08/Meetings-in-a-Magazine-1.pdf 
Bluma, L. (2018). The role of spirituality in alcohol abstinence self-efficacy amongst alcoholics’ 
anonymous members. Drugs and Alcohol Today, 18(4), 227-239. 
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/DAT-09-2017-0049. 
Feigenbaum, Janice & Cooke RN, PhD. (2013). A Historical Review of Perceptions of Key 
Aspects of Spirituality and Religion Within Alcoholics Anonymous. Journal of 
Addictions Nursing, 24, 229-236. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000004. 
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. (2019). The twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous. 
Retrieved from https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/twelve-steps-of-alcoholics-
anonymous 
Miller, M. (2015). The relevance of twelve-step recovery in 21st century addiction medicine. 
American Society of Addiction Medicine. Retrieved from 
https://www.asam.org/Quality-
Science/publications/magazine/read/article/2015/02/13/the-relevance-of-twelve-step-
recovery-in-21st-century-addiction-medicine 

ADCN 605

Page 1 of 3

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER GRADING RUBRIC

Criteria

Levels of Achievement

Content

Advanced

Proficient

Developing

Not Present

Name/Brief

History of

Organization

16 to 18 points

Each of the following are

thoroughly identified: Name and

Brief History of Organization

(introduce what it is: AA, NA, Al-

Anon; how long has it been

around; important individuals and

milestones in its development;

future goals, etc.).

14 to 15 points

This section is not thorough in

identifying the following: name and

Brief History of Organization

(introduce what it is: AA, NA, Al-

Anon; how long has it been around;

important individuals and

milestones in its development;

future goals, etc.).

1 to 13 points

Two or more essential elements of

this section are missing: Name and

Brief History of Organization

(introduce what it is: AA, NA, Al-

Anon; how long has it been around;

important individuals and milestones

in its development; future goals, etc.).

0 points

These things are not

discussed.

Structure of

the Meeting

& the

Leaders Role

16 to 18 points

Each of the following are

thoroughly identified: How the

Meetings are Run/Organized (what

helping model it is based on; what

the “leader’s” role is; how the

group recognizes success stories;

what they do for relapses, etc.).

14 to 15 points

This section is not thorough in

identifying the following: How the

Meetings are Run/Organized (what

helping model it is based on; what

the “leader’s” role is; how the group

recognizes success stories; what

they do for relapses, etc.).

1 to 13 points

Two or more essential elements of

this section are missing: How the

Meetings are Run/Organized (what

helping model it is based on; what the

“leader’s” role is; how the group

recognizes success stories; what they

do for relapses, etc.).

0 points

These areas are not

included in the paper.

Personal

Reflections

and

Observations

15 to 17 points

Each of the following are

thoroughly identified: Personal

Reflections and Observations of

the Meetings (what was the

emotional content of the meeting;

what was interesting; what

personal feelings did you

experience when you introduced

yourself; observations of the group

members [no names]; particular

stories that caught my attention,

etc.).

13 to 14 points

This section is not thorough in

identifying the following: Personal

Reflections and Observations of the

Meetings (what was the emotional

content of the meeting; what was

interesting; what personal feelings

did you experience when you

introduced yourself; observations of

the group members [no names];

particular stories that caught my

attention, etc.).

1 to 12 points

Two or more essential elements of

this section are missing: Personal

Reflections and Observations of the

Meetings (what was the emotional

content of the meeting; what was

interesting; what personal feelings did

you experience when you introduced

yourself; observations of the group

members [no names]; particular

stories that caught my attention, etc.).

0 points

This is not present.

ADCN 605

Page 2 of 3

Insights

about

Recovery,

Conclusions

of 12-step

Groups

15 to 17 points

Each of the following are

thoroughly identified: Conclusion

(what I learned about recovery and

sobriety; what I learned about 12-

step groups & support groups; is it

a good model of treatment; how

could I use this in my

work/practice in the future, etc.).

13 to 14 points

This section is not thorough in

identifying the following:

Conclusion (what I learned about

recovery and sobriety; what I

learned about 12-step groups &

support groups; is it a good model

of treatment; how could I use this in

my work/practice in the future,

etc.).

1 to 12 points

Two or more essential elements of

this section are missing: Conclusion

(what I learned about recovery and

sobriety; what I learned about 12-step

groups & support groups; is it a good

model of treatment; how could I use

this in my work/practice in the future,

etc.).

0 points

Work settings and

practice standards are

not present.

Structure

Advanced

Proficient

Developing

Not Present

Mechanics

9 to 10 points

No grammar, spelling, or

punctuation errors are present.

Voice and person are used

correctly and consistently. Writing

is precise. Word choice is

appropriate.

8 points

Few grammar, spelling, or

punctuation errors are present.

Voice and person are used

correctly. Writing style is sufficient.

Word choice is adequate.

1 to 7 points

Several grammar, spelling, or

punctuation errors are present. Voice

and person are used inconsistently.

Writing style is understandable but

could be improved. Word choice is

generally good.

0 points

Numerous spelling,

grammar, or

punctuation errors are

present. Voice and

person are misused.

Writing style is

difficult to understand.

Word choice is poor.

APA Format

Elements

9 to 10 points

Citations and format are in current

APA style. Cover page, citations,

running head, and references are

correctly formatted. Paper is

double-spaced with 1-inch margins

and written in 12 point Times New

Roman font. An Abstract is not

needed.

8 points

Citations and format are in current

APA style with few errors. Cover

page, citations, running head, and

references are present with few

errors. Paper is double-spaced with

1-inch margins and written in 12

point Times New Roman font.

1 to 7 points

Citations and format are in current

APA style though several errors are

present. Cover page, citations,

running head, and references are

included though several errors are

present. Paper is double-spaced, but

margins or fonts are incorrect.

0 points

Citations are not

formatted correctly.

Cover page, running

head, and references

are not included or not

formatted correctly.

Paper is not double-

spaced, margins are

incorrect, or font is

incorrect.

ADCN 605

Page 3 of 3

Research

Elements

9 to 10 points

Major points are supported by at

least 3–4 scholarly sources in

addition to the course textbook.

Paper is appropriate length of 4–6

pages.

8 points

Major points are supported by 1–2

scholarly sources in addition to the

course textbook. Paper is not the

appropriate length and is either

excessively long or too brief.

1 to 7 points

Major points are supported by at least

1 scholarly source and the textbook is

not listed/or the resources are not

scholarly. Paper is not the appropriate

length and is either excessively long

or too brief.

0 points

Major points are not

supported scholarly

sources. Paper is not

the appropriate length

of 6–7 pages.

Total: /100

Instructor’s Comments:

ADCN 605

EXPERIENTIAL PAPER OF SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

INSTRUCTIONS

One of the best ways to learn about a person or gain understanding about a population is to

interact and observe from a first-person basis. Students will be expected to attend AA, NA, or

Al-Anon (or other types of support group meetings).

Most meetings are typically open to the public, but there are some that are closed, so make sure

you plan accordingly. After each meeting (e.g., AA), you will write a reflective paper based on

your experiences and turn it in via Blackboard according to its due date in the Course Schedule.

NOTE: Students will need to get permission from the group leader/facilitator to attend the

meeting. Try to get to the meeting early so that you can identify the group leader/facilitator,

explain why you are there, and receive permission to be present during the meeting. Reassure

them that confidentiality will be maintained and that you are there to observe and learn.

1. Unless you are asked a question or asked to respond, you will listen quietly and

respectfully.

2. Do not take notes during the meeting; however, you will need to write down your

observations and reflections as soon as you leave the meeting.

3. Research the organization and meeting structure prior to attending the meeting.

The paper must be 4 – 6 pages (not including title and reference pages). [NOTE: References

usually come from the books/materials that you can find at the meeting. Ask for as many of these

brochures/pamphlets as you can and keep them for your present and future use.] The paper must

include at least 3–4 references in addition to the course textbooks. Current APA edition format

rules are in effect (1/2” indents, 1” margins, double-spacing, etc.).

Observations should include the following:

 Name and Brief History of Organization: This is a great opportunity to share the

information you found from your resources. If you visited two different types of

meetings, you will explain both types of meetings you attended.

 What was the structure of the meeting, and how did the leader proceed throughout

the meeting? Depending on the meeting, each meeting may be somewhat different.

Be specific about the activities and how the leader responded to the flow to the

meeting.

 What personal feelings did you experience when you introduced yourself? You also

may include your observations on how the others responded.

 What was the emotional content of the meeting?

 What insights about recovery and sobriety did you have from the meeting? How will

you use support group meetings in your client treatment plans?

 How did this experience aid you in understanding of 12-step groups or support

group meetings?

 Why do you think 12-step groups or support group meetings are valuable in

recovery?

Separate each section in current APA edition headings (Level 1 – centered and in bold, but do

not show the “bullets”).

ADCN 605

Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the SafeAssign plagiarism tool.

Support Group Meetings Information 
●Al-Anon: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/meetings/meeting.html 
Alcoholics Anonymous: http://www.alcoholics-
anonymous.org/en_find_meeting.cfm?PageID=29 
Celebrate Recovery: http://www.celebraterecovery.com/global.shtml 
Codependents Anonymous: http://www.codependents.org/meeting-search-english.php 
Emotions Anonymous http://allone.com/12/ea/  
Gamblers Anonymous: http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/mtgdirTOP.html 
Nar-Anon: http://nar-anon.org/naranongroups.htm 
Narcotics Anonymous: http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/MeetingLoc/ 
Overeaters Anonymous: http://www.oa.org/all_about_meetings.htm 
Sexaholics Anonymous: http://www.sa.org/top/United%20States%20of%20America/ 
SMART Recovery: http://www.smartrecovery.org/meetings_db/view/ 
Note: All meetings are “closed meetings” (for those that have some type of addiction) unless 
“O” (open) is indicated. Only attend Open meetings unless you meet the necessary criteria.  

NA Meeting Experience

Student’s Name

Instructor’s Name

Institution

Course

Date

Name and a Brief History of the Organization

The organization, in my case, is the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) organization. This is a

non-profit organization that aims to aid drug addicts in their recovery from addiction. It was

founded in 1953. It is the second-largest 12-step organization. Its functioning is guided by a 12-

step approach designed for people with distinguished substance disorders. By mid-2018, NA had

a count of over 70,000 meetings in 144 countries (Pence, 2020). Based on the mission of the

organization, membership is not limited. That is, everyone is free to join so long as he/she has a

desire to stop using drugs. There are no dues or fees attached to becoming a member of this

organization. Despite being solely founded with narcotic abuses as a motivating factor and

missioned to solve narcotic addiction problems, the organization is currently open to all those

who have different types of addiction to undertake the 12-step program and recover. Generally,

Narcotics Anonymous meetings are presently recognized in court systems and rehabilitation

centres following their productive services to help addicts recover from addiction (DeLucia et

al., 2016). In most cases, individuals who are addicted to narcotics and other drugs are met with

depressions and other disorders. Consequently, such individuals end up having weird behaviours

due to loss of sense of reality.

Structure of the Meeting

Over time, I have been receiving a lot of information about NA meetings. I then decided

to attend one of the meetings. I chose to look for one close to my work station, and my best

friend referred me. Upon requesting to participate in the meeting, the officials warmly welcomed

me since it was an open meeting attended by both addicts and non-addicts. The meeting was

scheduled to take place on a Wednesday having most of its participants being regular attendants.

My aim for attending the meeting was to get insight into how to attend to and reliably help

addicted clients recover from the drug abuse habits and addiction. The conference is always led

by a coordinator who runs the entire meeting session. During the session, participants are given a

chance to voluntarily share their struggles on addiction's underlying problem. The major

component of the participants incorporated teenagers of an estimate age range between 16 and 22

years. All participants are not allowed to share details of what victimized participants are battling

with.

The meeting started with a serenity prayer, after which the coordinator welcomes

everyone into the meeting. The meeting leader took use through different readings. Significant

readings were the 12-step principles of NA, the 12 traditions of NA and other articles that

highlighted the program's functions and how it approaches narcotic addiction problems. After,

the main topic of the meeting was read. The topic was on the 12th step "Having had a spiritual

awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts and to practice

these principles in all our affairs." The coordinator gradually explained the overview of the

whole 12 steps and emphasized the final one. After this, he gave a chance to those who were

though with the program to share their experiences. Eventually, almost all of those who

volunteered were thankful for the process and confessed to having seen positive changes for

participating in NA meetings. Some new participants came out and were impressed with the

testimonies. They promised to be loyal to the 12 steps and deliver their best for the sake of

retrieving their sanity from addition.

Personal Experience

I had an outstanding positive learning experience attending an NA meeting for the first

time. Prior to attending the meeting, I had little understanding of drug addicts and all that

surrounds addiction. In a significant portion of my life, I have seen multiple addicts roaming and

begging in the streets. With my little understanding, I developed a perspective that doing so was

their choice, and therefore I had no intention of offering any help. The testimonies and

confessions that took place in the meeting changed my perspective. I began feeling empathetic

about the addicts and the kind of difficulties they go through battling this problem. The meeting

gave me an understanding as to why some people are addicts and the possible causes of such

habits. I felt that I could have a chance to save them from getting into the problem. Moreover, I

felt so grateful to the organization for the commitment they offer to change the life of addicts

without charging anything. Most other organizations often charge fees to provide therapy

services t drug abusers and addicts. Generally, the NA meeting was extraordinary for me.

Emotional Content

It was an emotional experience for me to learn about some of the confessions made by

drug addicts. After the testimonies from regular NA meeting attendees, one of the newcomers in

the meeting stood up and narrated his story of addiction life, a story that was so painful to hear.

The said addict is claimed to be an orphan and a street person. He ended up in the streets after he

was dumped by his guardians who took him in after his parents died from a tragic accident. I

could not imagine learning that he has been into drugs for more than a decade, and he is in an

extreme age of addiction. I learned that such individuals have a bitter life and need a lot of

attention and guidance.

Insights about Recovery and Sobriety

With the understanding and experience of the meeting, I am able to make resourceful

treatment plans for my clients. While helping drug addicts as my clients, I will incorporate the 12

steps and 12 traditions of NA meetings, among other readings to assist in the recovery process. I

will include the concept of "high" power and prayer and make my clients believe that despite

being hopeless in the fight against addiction, the "high power" can help them regain their sanity.

The emotional experiences shared in the meeting are essential, and I would refer to them while

defining moral, social and emotional support strategies to incorporate in my client's treatment

plan. Essentially, the NA meeting had a significant effect on my therapy professional and the

way I would attend to future clients.

Understanding of 12-Step Groups

The content of the meeting helps me gain consent to defend aspects of the support group

meetings. For instance, participating in the session gave me an insight into how 125-step group

meetings work (Fetting. 2016). I got to know that 12 steps and traditions guide the type of help

that the NA organization offers to clients. The meeting also gave me an in-depth understanding

of the 12 steps that involved to the extent that I can apply them while attending to drug addicts

who seek recovery help. Interestingly, I learnt that it is essential for meeting participants and

clients to admit "powerlessness" in the fight against addiction, so as to give room for a change of

habits. This was a fantastic learning moment.

Reasons Why Support Group Meetings Are Valuable In Recovery

 It educates participants on different topics that aid in understanding the negativity of drugs

and recovery from addiction (Rubya & Yarosh, 2017). Such issues include making decisions,

identification, humility, letting go, and rigorous honesty.

 It offers regular services and manages the gradual recovery of addicts who seek help from the

organization.

 The group offers help whenever needed since drug addicts go through a lot of difficulties.

 The shared experiences in the meetings build one's strength and hope to recover.

References

DeLucia, C., Bergman, B. G., Beitra, D., Howrey, H. L., Seibert, S., Ellis, A. E., & Mizrachi, J.

(2016). Beyond abstinence: An examination of psychological well-being in members of

Narcotics Anonymous. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(2), 817-832.

Fetting, M. (2016). Perspectives on substance use, disorders, and addiction with clinical

cases (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Pence, G. E. (2020). Overcoming Addiction: Seven Imperfect Solutions and the End of America's

Greatest Epidemic. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Rubya, S., & Yarosh, S. (2017). Interpretations of online anonymity in Alcoholics Anonymous

and Narcotics Anonymous. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer

Interaction, 1(CSCW), 1-22.

NA Meeting Experience

Student’s Name

Instructor’s Name

Institution

Course

Date

Name and a Brief History of the Organization

There are three 12 step groups that are useful in recovering from any kind of addiction. One of

them is the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) organization. This is a non-profit organization that aims

to aid drug addicts in their recovery from addiction. It was founded in 1953. It is the second-

largest 12-step organization. Its functioning is guided by a 12-step approach designed for people

with distinguished substance disorders (Kelly, Humphreys & Ferri, 2020). By mid-2018, NA had

a count of over 70,000 meetings in 144 countries (Pence, 2020). Another organization is

Alcoholics Anonymous founded in 1935 to help alcoholic addicts recover from the problem. Just

like the NA group, this group is centred around 12 step program which guides its operation.

According to Kelly, Humphreys and Ferri (2020), the two groups are similar in the sense that

they are both free from judgement, enables learning from other person's experiences and allows

victims to to speak their minds. The last group is the Al-Anon founded in 1951. The group seeks

a collection of friend and relatives who identify alcoholism as a problem and are willing to share

experiences (Fetting, 2015). It is also guided by a 12 step program like the NA and AA groups.

All these groups accommodate people without and dues or charged.

Structure of the Meeting

Over time, I have been receiving a lot of information about NA meetings. I then decided

to attend one of the meetings. I chose to look for one close to my work station, and my best

friend referred me. Upon requesting to participate in the meeting, the officials warmly welcomed

me since it was an open meeting attended by both addicts and non-addicts. The meeting was

scheduled to take place on a Wednesday having most of its participants being regular attendants.

My aim for attending the meeting was to get insight into how to attend to and reliably help

addicted clients recover from the drug abuse habits and addiction. The conference is always led