SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 1
Support Group Analysis
Debra Illusion
School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 2
Abstract
My report will include an analysis of the group dynamics of an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
self-help group in Columbia, Tennessee, where I visited on four consecutive Mondays. The
meetings covered meaningful topics of discussion for its members. The process of the meetings
was organized through a prescribed routine of voluntary leaders who shared in a manner as
follows: reading how AA works, reading the weekly tradition, announcements, and a time of
sharing a topic for discussion. The leaders used effective skills of waiting and processing time to
allow all members a chance for speaking. Group dynamics will be discussed as well as the
benefits members received from the meetings.
Keywords: group dynamics, leadership skills, Alcoholics Anonymous
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 3
Support Group Analysis
I will give an analysis of an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Group in Columbia,
Tennessee, where I attended four Monday nights. There were between 14-17 participants each
night.
Meeting Content and Process
Over the four weeks that I attended, the topics of the meetings included fear, humility,
meditation, and honesty. Each topic was introduced by a volunteer leader of the group meeting.
This leader picked the week they would lead from a previous meeting’s sign-up sheet. At a
certain point in each session, the sign-up sheet is passed to encourage members to lead a
meeting. There were four different leaders over the period I visited. Each leader shared a piece
of text from AA literature, and then they shared a reflection on how they were affected by the
topic and how it is working out in their life. Leaders shared for about ten minutes. Then, they
asked others to share if they wanted. Each week, every person shared except one new visitor
who arrived the first week I was there. He was a first-time attendee. He did not show up on the
second or fourth week, but he showed up on the third week of meetings. Jacobs et al. (2016)
explain that during the working stage, members decide how much they want to get involved and
are focused on the purpose. In a self-help group like this one, new members enter the therapeutic
process immediately as they hear others share their stories and their desire for sobriety. This
new group member desired help and expressed his need when the leader asked if there were any
new members to the meeting, but he refrained from sharing about the chosen topic of discussion
on both occasions.
Week one the leader discussed fear. She shared how it is what held her to alcohol because
she used it to numb her fear. She opened the session by saying her name and that she was an
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 4
alcoholic to which the others in the room replied hi and her name. This is the routine each
participant used when they wanted to speak. Jacobs et al. (2016) explain that “[f]or a support
group to work, members must feel a common bond” (2-3e). This common expression of “I’m an
alcoholic” is expressed in the opening of each speaker’s time of talking and allows the bond
between members to strengthen. At the end of sharing, the person indicates they are finished, and
then the group responds by saying thank you and the person’s name. This is an effective method
of knowing when a person starts and finishes sharing, and it provides the needed structure for the
session to unfold. Before the main discussion, the leader asks one member to read the text of
how AA works and another member to share the weekly tradition. There is also a time for
announcements. The format each week was the same. Jacobs et al. (2016) explain that some
self-help groups such as AA are structured in a way that promotes the session in an organized
manner. This helps establish the basic outline of the meeting and provides stability for the group.
On the first night of the meetings, the evening seemed to move easily. It was interesting
to note how the group accepted the newcomer. He shared his first name and that he had never
attended a meeting previously, but he knew he needed help. The entire group of fourteen people
welcomed him with words of encouragement and exclamations of “we’re glad you’re here.” He
shared that he was sober for three days. The group shared stories of how fear kept them chained
to alcohol and how their higher power and the steps in the program worked in their lives. They
shared with humility and openness. They did not try to cover up their mistakes, but they spoke
about their brokenness candidly. One participant shared that he lost a relationship with his
daughter because of his alcohol abuse. He was just beginning to contact her again, but his fear
was that he would not be able to maintain the honesty needed to stay sober. He shared how
things were changing for the good, but in the last week he was struggling, and he was afraid. The
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 5
group listened. They thanked him for sharing. Others shared how fear gripped them in their
journey of working the steps in the program, and that it is always there, but there is always hope
in turning to their higher power and in working the steps of the program. One older man shared
how he knew his higher power was the only one who could help and that sometimes it is a
moment-by-moment decision to seek God’s help. He said, “It is one moment at a time, and God
will be there.” The sharing process seemed therapeutic. Hearing each other’s stories and
recognizing the power of shared experiences created an intimate atmosphere of acceptance and
caring. Jacobs et al. (2016) describe how important it is for members to feel the caring support of
a self-help group if it is to bring healing to the individuals that attend.
Before the meeting ends, the leader asks if there are any monthly or yearly celebrations.
Chips are given to members who meet monthly and yearly sobriety goals. At the end of the
meeting, the group ends with the Lord’s prayer. Each person stands and takes the hands of the
others and prays the prayer together out loud. The leader brings this to a conclusion by asking
everyone to stand, and then says the words “our Father” to which everyone continues the rest of
the prayer together. This ends the meeting, but there is a time of fellowship with coffee and
snacks to follow for anyone who wants to stay.
Leadership Styles and Skills
The leadership of each session was similar. The group was very much part of the entire
process, and it seemed the group was part of the leading because of their participation. They
knew the structure of the session, and they knew the call and response talk that pushed the
gathering forward. During the first meeting, at the end of the session the leader asked everyone
to take hands. There was one participant who did not want to hold hands and resisted the group
practice; he remained standing next to the circle of hand holders. The leader continued by saying
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 6
the first line of the Lord’s Prayer and allowed this resistance to happen. She did not create an
uncomfortable situation by drawing attention to it; she simply moved forward with a smile.
Everyone continued to engage in the recitation of the prayer. This seemed to be the only
resistance to the structure and process the entire time I was present at all four gatherings, yet it
was smooth and fluid.
The leaders’ strongest skill was stating the purpose of the meetings for every gathering.
The purpose was clear—to engage in one hour of sobriety and to help one another find that
experience in their life’s journey. According to Jacobs et al. (2016) this is the “single most
important therapeutic force” (2-6a). The structure of the meeting set the style of leadership. The
leaders facilitated the meetings by sticking to the regimented schedule of stating the purpose and
how AA works.
One notable skill of the leaders included allowing time for processing and waiting time.
This was important as the opening topic brought a needed amount of reflection before
participating. Jacobs et al. (2016) discusses the importance of allowing enough time to process
content and being comfortable to wait before members share. Sometimes there were long
moments of sitting in silence until someone was ready to speak. Each leader waited patiently,
and the group members shared as they felt comfortable. Eventually all members shared except
the one newcomer.
Group Dynamics
According to Forsyth (2019), support groups create new social networks for their
members. Participants work through the power of shared testimonials and encouragement to
overcome a common, specific problem. This forms the basis for the collective commitment to
change. This describes the AA meetings I visited. When each member shared their experience,
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 7
the other members affirmed and thanked them for sharing. This created a collective power
among the group. Each person felt heard; their experience was validated, and the group moved
toward its purpose of living sober lives. Forsyth (2019) refers to this as “psychologically
bonded” (p. 526). They are suffering from the same condition, and this forms the bond between
them, and they become one another’s source of strength and commitment. Not only do they
receive support, but they give back the same support to others.
For the AA group I visited, the communal aspect of the group was notable. During the
meeting, those willing to be a sponsor were asked to raise their hand if someone needed to talk
with them about a sponsor relationship. This provides the newer members an opportunity to see
who might help them outside the meeting. Forsyth (2019) explains how the members who have
had more experience with the problem become the role models in the group. The members in the
group shared examples of how grateful they were for one another as they called their sponsor in
difficult times. This group spoke of how they were thankful for one another and the program.
According to Forsyth (2019) some factors that promote therapeutic growth and change
include the following: universality, hope, guidance, cohesion, self-disclosure, altruism, and
insight. Each of these factors were evident in the group I attended.
Universality was expressed every time the member speaking said, “I’m an alcoholic.”
The members knew they had a problem that they all shared, and this was a safe place to express
their fears, worries, and struggles.
Hope was ignited in the group when a chip was given to a member for meeting a sobriety
goal. The greatest applause and words of affirmation were spoken when a member received his
one-month sobriety chip.
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 8
Guidance was expressed through the testimony of individuals as they talked about the
steps in the program and how statements were made such as, “if you work the program, you can
do it.” When the man who shared about his fear of losing his relationship with his daughter
spoke, the other members shared ways they had been afraid. They encouraged this man by
sharing times when they looked to their higher power for the guidance they needed to overcome
the fear and how it had worked for them.
Cohesion was created by meeting with one another and the complete acceptance of those
who sat in the circle. The new member who visited and was only sober for three days was
accepted as a member of the group. There was no keeping him apart from the others. He was
admitted with open affirmation and support as soon as he sat down.
Self-disclosure was more acute than any other kind of meeting I have attended. The
group members were honest and authentic and shared personal information about the pain they
caused their families and themselves. There was a sense of being in a holy place as they shared
with humility their struggles and pain.
Altruism was part of this process as participants became role models for one another.
There were veteran members who had been in the group for thirty years as well as novice
participants. One thirty-year member shared he was most thankful for the person who was only
three days sober because he was important to him. In fact, he said he was why he could stay
sober because of new members who came to the group.
Finally, insight was gained from sharing, reflecting, and listening to one another. All
these factors created a working therapeutic environment where the AA members were allowed to
change, grow, and heal.
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 9
As can be seen from above, this group is in the working stage. The working members
continue to grow and change. After conducting surveys of over 184 AA members in 12 different
countries according to Ogilvie et al. (2022), AA creates a unique community for its members that
cannot be found anywhere else. There is a high sense of integrity and honesty that members
share with one another, and deep connections and friendships bring healing and growth. They
also found that active AA members reported a positive outlook on life with subthemes of
empathy and positive high regard for the people in their lives. Also, they reported AA provided a
spiritual depth to its members that facilitated growth and the tools needed for such. These
findings are in alignment with the group I visited. They believe meeting with one another and
working the program, they can live sober lives and enjoy healthy relationships. Many shared they
have recovered so much of what had been lost from their disease, and they credit it to their
higher power and working the program.
Application and Conclusion
The first night I came home from visiting the AA meeting, I was profoundly affected. I
was captivated by the humility and love that was shown in the group meeting as members shared
their struggles and character flaws. I was struck by the honesty of the participants and their
complete acceptance of one another. I told my husband that every Christian should encounter the
same kind of experience in their life, and if we did, we might grow and change because of it. I
think there is something very powerful in the process of admitting one’s sin and need for help, of
being in a place where total honesty is the norm, and of speaking about it. According to Hahn
(2020), AA seeks to understand God as their higher power, one who is loving and forgiving. The
spiritual connectedness of the group comes from the fact that they are all on a journey with one
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 10
another to sobriety, and they give and receive support from one another. In other words, it is
about relationships, first God and then each other.
Right relationships are the essence of the Christian life, and AA can be one method
alcoholics use to meet the goals of this life if their higher power is Jesus, God’s Son. I was
deeply moved by the sincerity of the members of the group I visited. Some spoke of their higher
power and talked about prayer and meditation in their life. One man, six months sober, shared he
wondered if those who did not pray as a means to sobriety, were truly experiencing a sober life.
Or, if instead, they were experiencing a dry drunkenness on other things and still experiencing a
meaningless life void of spiritual depth. I think he was recognizing that Christ is the only true
source of living one’s best life, and there is no substitute.
I would not change how the group meeting was led because I think those who led it were
following Christ. They were doing what they could to live lives worthy of their Savior, and they
were leading others to do the same. Ethical practices were in place, and each night the guidelines
and how AA works were read, so those attending knew what and why they were there.
The program depicted a basic biblical view of the reality that all people need a Savior or
what they term a higher power to rescue them from their own destructive ways. This is in
alignment with the scripture “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (New
International Version, Romans 3:23). I pray the power of this program will reach into the lives of
alcoholics and help pull them into a loving relationship with their Creator.
SUPPORT GROUP ANALYSIS 11
References
Forsyth, D. R. (2019).IGroup dynamicsI(7th ed.). Cengage. ISBN: 97811337408851.
Hahn, J. L. (2020). ‘God As We Understood Him’: Being ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ in
Alcoholics Anonymous.IImplicit Religion,I22(2), 101-
121.Ihttps://doi.org/10.1558/imre.37778
Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016).IGroup counseling:
Strategies and skillsI(8th ed.). Cengage. ISBN: 9781305087309.
New International Bible. (1984). International Bible Society. (Original work published 1973).
Ogilvie, L., Prescott, J., & Carson, J. (2022). “A place where I am always welcome”: A thematic
analysis of what belonging to alcoholics anonymous means to its members. Groupwork,
30(2), 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1921/gpwk.v30i2.1700I
