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AA Meeting Reflection

The author attended their first AA meeting via Zoom and was surprised to hear everyone introduce themselves as alcoholics, including the meeting hosts. As the recovery stories were shared, the author realized this phrase was a powerful way for members to support each other. The meeting reinforced the importance of showing compassion to all patients, including those with substance disorders. One member's story in particular showed the resilience in admitting he had a problem with alcoholism and getting help before it led to death. The meeting helped the author understand the importance of seeking help for any health issues, including as a nurse, and practicing self-care.

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Valentin Decembre
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96 views2 pages

AA Meeting Reflection

The author attended their first AA meeting via Zoom and was surprised to hear everyone introduce themselves as alcoholics, including the meeting hosts. As the recovery stories were shared, the author realized this phrase was a powerful way for members to support each other. The meeting reinforced the importance of showing compassion to all patients, including those with substance disorders. One member's story in particular showed the resilience in admitting he had a problem with alcoholism and getting help before it led to death. The meeting helped the author understand the importance of seeking help for any health issues, including as a nurse, and practicing self-care.

Uploaded by

Valentin Decembre
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

AA Meeting Reflection

On Sunday, February 18, 2024, I joined a group in Orlando to


participate in their AA meeting via Zoom. I used to hear about such
meetings, but I had never attended one previously. When I first joined
the meeting, everyone was very welcoming. It did not take too long to
realize that the members were introducing themselves by saying their
names and the surprising phrase: “I am an alcoholic.” I was so stunned
because even the meeting hosts were saying the same thing. With my
lack of knowledge, I was thinking about what I got myself into. As time
went on as I was listening to the recovery stories, I quickly realized that
this popular phrase that I mentioned previously was a powerful slogan to
support each other.
My previous knowledge about mental health disorders and
illnesses along with this meeting reminded me that nursing is truly a
profession of caring. As a result, I needed to continue to show
compassion and love while caring for my patients, especially those with
substance disorders. I do understand that a patient with alcohol disorder
needs professional medical assistance just like any other patient who is
diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and other physical-like illnesses.
An environment like AA meeting is a good start for a patient to start
their recovery from alcoholism. As a nurse, I recognize that I need to put
aside all sorts of biases aside while helping my patient in their fight
against alcoholism.
The members’ stories were inspiring in the sense that the resilience
and the courage of someone demonstrated by admitting that they had a
problem with alcoholism. One of the members stated that he was always
in denial that he was suffering from alcohol because he was able to
function as an engineer. As his symptoms got severe by leading to
hospitalization, he started to be honest himself that he was powerless
and that he needed more help from other resources. He said that he has
been sober for almost a month. His battle with alcoholism could have led
to death if he did not get the help that he needed. Consequently, he
helped me to realize that it is perfectly okay to seek help from
appropriate sources if needed. My heart sinks when I hear nurses,
doctors and other health professionals suffer in silence with mental
illnesses because of their denial and fear of seeking help. As a nurse, I
realize that I am not invincible to any physical and mental illnesses, so I
need practice self-care and use my resources to the best of my ability.

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