Alcoholic beverages are drinks that usually contain ethanol which is normally referred to as alcohol. These beverages are usually divided into three general classes which include beer, spirits, and also wines. Drinking alcoholic beverages is an important part of social events especially in European countries. Alcohol is usually taken for its relaxation effects and recreational purposes. Alcohol expectations vary across different cultures and this affects the mode of consumption and the age limit to which alcohol is taken. The consumption of these alcoholic beverages is usually regulated by almost all nations in matters related to production, sales, and also consumption. Most countries actually have set laws and regulations specifying the minimum ages to which these beverages should be sold. This eventually regulates who should actually buy or drink the beverages. The laws usually prohibit the sale of such drinks to minors. This age limit varies from country to country. In some parts of the European countries, children are normally allowed to take the drinks in the presence of their parents (Dodder, 2007, p16). This brings out the theme of the paper which will be addressing the topic of whether alcoholic drinks should be legalized for all ages.
Alcohol consumption should not be legalized for all ages as its effects differ depending on the age. In most cases, the prohibition is normally directed to minors and youths in society. One of the major reasons is that allowing minors to consume alcoholic beverages is a form of child abuse and also a sign of child neglect. Most cultures do not also accept the norm of children taking alcoholic substances. Religiously, it is wrong to bring up your child at the exposure of alcohol. Allowing the minors to consume alcohol at a very tender age may lead to dependence on alcohol later in life which may eventually lead to addiction and thus alcoholism. This is because the minors at the tender age will not be in a position to know when enough is enough. Studies have actually indicated that the minors who get engaged in alcoholic behaviors at a tender age end up being very heavy drinkers in their adulthood. This affects their social life as it leads to a lot of criminal offenses and also social exclusion from the rest of the society (Zylman, 2005, p18).
Alcoholic drinks should also not be legalized for all ages because this can lead to a lot of hazardous situations. Minors consuming alcohol do not have a sense of practicing self-control. This may lead to a lot of irresponsible behaviors and thus decreasing the morality of the younger generations. Consuming alcohol at a tender age exposes minors to irresponsible sexual behaviors, reckless driving which leads to accidents, teenage pregnancies among others. This is further clarified by the health World net studies which have conducted a case study on alcoholism at tender ages.
“Excessive alcohol intake among college students is associated with a variety of adverse consequences: fatal and nonfatal injuries; alcohol poisoning; blackouts; academic failure; violence, including rape and assault; unintended pregnancy; sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; property damage; and vocational and criminal consequences that could jeopardize future job prospects.” (2009)
Alcoholism also affects the health of individuals differently according to their ages. Consuming alcohol at tender ages has more diverse and irreversible effects on minors. One of the effects is that it affects brain development. It causes the adolescents to have very poor memory and this affects their capability to learn the reason, and also their decisions making (Zylman, 2005, p24).
However, it can still be argued that the consumption of alcohol is allowed since the laws that are put in place have a lot of loopholes that allow minors to consume alcohol. For example, some states in the US prohibit minors from consuming alcohol but it does not prohibit them from purchasing alcohol. Some states also allow minors to consume alcohol under various circumstances which means they can be allowed to consume it if the conditions prevail. The law does also not prohibit all ages from being in social places that allow alcohol consumption. Prohibiting alcohol from certain ages only makes it very attractive to minors who are eager to learn why they are not allowed to consume it. Other studies have argued that drinking for minors is not solely intended for negative outcomes but they do it to socialize with their friends. Even with the prohibiting, most minors take advantage of the loopholes especially if the parents are alcoholics and the laws of prohibition only make it difficult for such minors to seek help for fear of facing arrest (Dodder, 2007, p22).
In conclusion, the effects of allowing minors to consume alcohol are more damaging than the theories supporting alcohol intake at all ages. Allowing alcohol intake for all ages will only lead to raising a society that is very irresponsible or with loose morals. This is because it not only affects the moral behaviors of the minors but it also affects the health and the process of development of the minors. Instead of allowing alcohol consumption for all ages, there should be age limits which should again be based on the alcohol content of the drinks (Dugan, 2005, p34). The loopholes in the law should also be amended to prevent any consumption of alcohol by minors.
References
Beth Dugan (2005).The Responsible Serving of Alcoholic Beverages. Atlantic Publishing Company
Health world net (2009). Should the Legal Drinking Age be Lower?
Hughes, S. P. and R. A. Dodder (2007). Changing the legal minimum drinking age. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. Alcohol Research Documentation.
Zylman (2005).The consequences of lower legal drinking ages on alcohol-related crash involvement of young people. Journal of Traffic Safety Education. Washington D.C.
Within the global scope, some people are concerned with the welfare of the citizens. The concerned group formed a joint movement to reduce the vice to enhance productivity. However, the results from the meetings should elaborate on the way foreword and the progress towards the primary purpose of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement.
Having been invited to participate in two meetings held on the same day within different venues though not far apart from each other. With the availability of the programs and the key theme being Alcoholics Anonymity, I had an easier time in planning the speech and contribution during the meetings. Due to the increased cases of accidents and illnesses because of alcohol, it raised a global concern after research showed that not all who are victims of the vice are from the same geographical or state (Griffith, p.18).
The history and the program
After the analysis of a series of data collected over a fixed six months period, by the concerned members globally, in connection to that, 15% of accidents, 36% of deaths due to fire, and 26% of death due to drowning are a result of alcohol (Griffith, p.45). This is alarming and needs drastic measures to curb the loss of large numbers due to addition. The meetings are scheduled to take place in Vurtecin and Tintin halls at 0600 hours and 1500 hours respectively, in the southern part of Germany, this does not mean that the host county has the largest number of victims of alcohol.
The groups that attended the two meetings were Mangima anti-alcoholic group containing 1450 members and Wichita group that contained 947 members, with each group attending one meeting at a time. In addition to that, both the group members consisted of members of between 18 years and 65 years who are mainly affected, seeing that they have the freedom of drinking alcohol.
Fortunately, within the demographic representation, it is evident that a larger percentage of women registered as members for both the move movement groups despite men being the most affected by the vice globally. This may be due to the harsh situations that women face as a result of alcohol addiction by their husbands and relatives respectively. About 72 % of the members from both movement groups in the global perspective are women. The social-economic group affected is the employed young energetic citizens within their respective states, having money means a changed lifestyle though this does not mean that you have to be involved in alcoholism to confirm that you have changed or a better life. According to the World Health Organization, most people who lead poor and unhealthy lives are the working class who engage themselves in unhealthy habits, but they result in more chronic illnesses hence lowering their productivity (Griffith, p.97).
Ethnicity and Alcoholism
The analysis of the already obtained data indicates that ethnicity plays part in alcoholism, not all ethnic communities prefer alcoholism. The international analysis shows that Alaskan & Hawaii Natives and American Indians are the leading heavy drinker’s just to mention. However, alcoholism is on the increase with the increase in technology, most people prefer working under influence of alcohol that is very dangerous to not only their lives but also the safety of the organization, tools, and equipment in use. Within the adolescent groups, alcohol consumption is already a habit that must now be stopped to enhance global development.
Germany being a developed country, the physical environment including the infrastructure is very conducive, the enhanced communication systems with good infrastructure will reduce the settling time to achieve a lot from the meeting that would be very costly to host though the resultant outcome would be of more beneficial at last. Most of the countries have realized the importance of reducing or having drastic measures on alcohol consumption, this lead to a quick response to the request for donations to support the hosting country to obtain better facilities to make a history about the global concern and how important the meetings were.
Drastic measures to curb alcoholism
The determination as a factor to the unanimous agreement on the measures to take to stop alcoholic addicts globally even if it were to involve more contributions from the members in addition to the already offered support towards the kitty. In addition to that, being the presidents from the member countries are the key leaders, it shows how committed the countries are with the support of the meeting agenda indicating that the various presidents to declare their stand on the matter and how they are prepared to assist in the war at the country level. First, the presidents’ are requested to constitutionally enact a bill to lower the production of alcoholic substances with a reduced percentage of the alcoholic content to a maximum of 0.25% of which they accepted to adopt (Griffith, p.103).
Conclusion
This meeting was held to get the way forward in the quest to let the citizens stay sober in the global perspective. It is a matter of global concern, having travelers and tourists move from one country to the other, the effects of the drastic measures will support the government so that the tourists are also aware that alcoholism is a global concern and should be carefully traded. Failure to follow the masers may lead to a great loss to the country as a whole as the victim would have done something worthwhile to the development of the country.
Works Cited
Griffith, Edwards, The World’s Favorite Drug. New York, St. Martin’s Press, 2003.
Program evaluation pursues to answer how efficiently the program’s needs have been met and objectives and set standards have been attained. Program evaluation also assesses the organization’s quality, the efficiency of its methods and identifies aspects of the procedures that can be improved. For instance, Alcoholics Anonymous program evaluations were planned procedurally and implemented.
The community-based initiative, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a worldwide program that was formed to support individuals struggling with an alcohol drinking problem to maintain sobriety by peer support over day-to-day meetings and discussions about their addiction. The AA program was initiated by Doctor Bob Smith and Bill Wilson in 1935. Wilson published Alcoholics Anonymous, explaining the philosophy and approaches. Its idea orbits around the principle that alcoholism is a sickness that cannot be controlled, but can only be managed, and the approach outlined the twelve steps of recovery. The 12 Steps have since been adapted over the years to help persons struggling with other kinds of addiction by various institutions. Furthermore, other self-help groups such as Narcotic Anonymous have implemented the same steps to rescue many men and women from the habit.
AA through the principle of social interaction have successfully worked as members benefit a lot from the emotional and physical support as well as hands-on tips on avoiding the temptations and urge to drink. From Wilson’s philosophy, change of behavior can be achieved with some other people looking to have the same change. Moreover, with the togetherness in the fight winning against the addiction and the struggles has been giving positive results. From various studies AA approach on abstinence has been found significantly better than other measures, that is, 60% extra operative. Furthermore, no study has proved AA less efficient based on various variables such as outcomes of full abstinence and cost savings. On cost savings, another study has shown that participating in AA could significantly reduce mental health counseling costs by $10,000 per individual.
Bibliography
Kelly, John F., Keith Humphreys, and Marica Ferri. “Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12‐step programs for alcohol use disorder.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 3 (2020).
This essay will be looking at the comparison between workaholics and alcoholics considering the fact that both exhibit some kind of uncontrolled desire to do what they do. The term workaholic was first mentioned by Wayne Oats in his book “confession of a workaholic” (Adrenal failure.com). Workaholism is basically addiction to work. Workaholics do not find time to rest and they regard taking vacations as a waste of time and always find an excuse as to why they can not take a rest. Workaholism bare some threats with regards to aspects of life such as personal, social and health development. More often than not, Workaholism is confused and mistaken as hard work but in the real sense, the two extremes are totally different situations. Hard work allows for creativity and development in ones job while work addiction is the source of instability and inhibits creativity.
Alcoholics just as workaholics are individuals rooted into taking alcohol and can not help to stop the habit. In most instances, they wish to quit the habit but they find it extremely difficult to stop drinking alcohol. In that case they develop dependency on alcohol to an extent they can not perform a task without taking it. This situation indicates the level of one’s dependence on alcohol and like Workaholism it also weakens social, personal and health developments. An addicted individual finds it difficult to stop drinking and always finds a reason for his or her adapted behavior. This means that he or she takes alcohol unmindful of the dangers involved especially in health and social life. Alcoholics confuse their behavior with relaxation and having fun which in the real sense is a major destruction taking place within the body and all around them with regards to social parameters.
These two situations are similar especially in the long-term effects on the victim or patients so to say. They both lead to passionate dedication to work and alcohol respectively. Workaholics and alcoholics both exhibit similar characteristics such as withdrawal from social life. The two are preoccupied by working and drinking respectively and they can not stop doing it even when it compromises their social responsibilities. Alcoholics and workaholics alike would rather go for their distinct engagement at the expense of their social obligations. In both situations, the victims seem withdrawn and rarely can they engage in any social activity. They love to be alone and more often they seem so worried. They both lack the sense of family touch and they can easily go for their schedules at the expense of the family hence the family suffers. This happens due to the fact that workaholics and alcoholics both tend to neglect their responsibilities at the family level in favor of their engagements.
In the current developed world and liberalized society, the problem of alcoholism and Workaholism is so difficult to avert. This is owing to the fact that in such a busy and a fast moving and changing technology, the world is more likely to favor workaholics. Economical challenges are turning things around making Workaholism a valid situation in the race to catch up with the economical challenges. Alcohol on the other hand is justified as a stress reliever.
Works Cited
Adrenal-failure.com. Workaholism and Work Addiction, 2011. Web.
Fighting any form of addiction, be it alcoholic, nicotine, narcotic, or another, requires a person’s efforts to overcome it. The desire to change one’s life for the better and look at the world soberly is what many people come to with time, and all of them are united by the desire to return to normal life without harmful substances. I want to share my recent experience of Narcotic Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous mutual aid groups attendance, which helped me see the world differently. I managed to evaluate real human stories behind my preconceptions about drug addicts and alcoholics and could also discover valuable information about how interaction in such communities was built. I want to discuss my views concerning human vulnerability and explain how my views on the addiction problem have changed after that meetings.
I attended both meetings the same day, on the evening of June 28. The first meeting of Narcotic Anonymous started at 5:30 p.m. in St. John’s Lutheran Church (587 Springfield Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901). The group’s name is Another Choice, which signifies that people with addictions can pursue different paths in their lives free from dependence on drugs. The meeting consisted of individuals who suffered from narcotic abuse of various forms such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, or methamphetamine use. The second session began two hours later in Oakes Center (120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901). The group that I joined as a guest is named Back to Basics. It was found to create a platform for mutual help among people struggling with alcoholism.
As I was approaching St. John’s Lutheran Church around 5:20 p.m., I felt nervous but, at the same time, wanted to join the future meeting. The memories about my own battle against addiction to Xanax were circling in my head. Different details of that period of my life appeared in front of my eyes: how I first understood my problem, how much I suffered withdrawal consequences, and how happy I was to finally quit. Therefore, the upcoming meetings did not only serve curiosity satisfaction and personal horizon expansion purposes but also were intimate experiences for me.
Before the session had started, I talked with the group coordinator and asked for permission to participate as a guest, which I was kindly granted. What surprised me first was that the meeting consisted of people of various social classes and ages. Poor people, those belonging to the middle class, elderly, and youngsters, all were mixed in one group of 15 people, including the coordinator. This is hard to realize how such a demographic blend would be able to build relations in everyday life, but being united with one goal made the interaction seamless, at least from the observer’s perspective.
Another factor that has had a deep impression on me is the atmosphere of friendliness, encouragement, and acceptance. Listening to the group members’ personal experiences, who shared intimate, usually sad facts of their biography, was sad. However, once the speakers finished their stories, all the other members showed a high degree of empathy and support. After I attended such a meeting, I realized why such meetings were important for their participants. A sense of the common problem and the belief in collective help were the factors that brought the group together, liberating its members and creating a supportive environment comparable to a psychotherapeutic session. Thus, this is fascinating how truthful communication and attentive listening can help people overcome their problems successfully.
Moreover, I constantly kept comparing my personal story with those heard from the group members. I was thinking how my own treatment process would have passed if I had attended one of such groups and concluded that quitting would be much easier for me in that case. Furthermore, I could recognize myself in many stories told by the members. Despite being different on the surface, our experiences were very similar on the inside. For that reason, in my opinion, my individual experiences were valuable and helped me empathize more with the people in the group.
The second meeting that I attended was similar to the first one. Probably, the stories were less tragic, but the atmosphere was the same. However, this time, I could observe how the newcomer (a middle-aged man) integrated into the group. In the beginning, he was struggling to share his story and true feelings with the others due to embarrassment, but he could do it slightly better after the supportive words from the coordinator.
This is hard to express all the thoughts that I had after attending those meetings in one paper; thus, I will share the most significant reflection that concerns the topic of vulnerability. In the “outside” world, we seek to hide our weaknesses, struggles, and pain as those subjects are considered taboo by society. Nevertheless, the existence of such groups as Narcotic Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous show the importance of truthful sharing of our feelings with those who genuinely care. The meetings helped me witness the force of intimate human connection and interaction as an antidote against problems that a single person cannot solve on their own.
Peer influence and support are effective ways of inspiring different actions, desired and undesired. People tend to trust their friends to the extent of copying behaviors. Group acceptance plays a significant role in influencing thoughts and behavior change through social roles of care and support amongst community members. Among the benefits of such groups is to impart emotional strength to realize addiction and seek help. This paper reports one such meeting and peer support, Alcoholic Anonymous [AA], including its process, member’s support, and impact on the treatment of substance-related disorders.
Type of Meeting and Demographics
I attended an open 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] meeting that lasted for about an hour. The meeting involved recovered alcohol addicts describing their stories through alcoholism and the recovery process. There were also a few professionals, including doctors and counselors, who addressed the audience. As the name suggests, the meeting was open to alcohol addicts and those who have recovered, members of the public, media, and professionals in different fields. There was large demographic diversity in age from children to older adults, males and females, different ethnicities, religions, educational backgrounds, and social statuses.
Reaction to Welcome, Introductions, and Content
The meeting hand an accommodating and attractive welcome, introductions, and content to the diverse audience. In the welcome note, the leader informed people of the significance of the meeting and every participant’s role. Such an introduction was essential to first-time attendants and alcohol addicts who had myths about the meeting following negative treatment from the community. The welcome, which includes guidance and recognition of all participants, is a proper way to negotiate trust with people who feel isolated due to their social issues. Such a welcome with trust towards all audiences motivates active listening and participation while influencing change in substance addicts.
Introductions were also encouraging to participate and raise members’ comfort during and after the meeting. Participants and those who made presentations were not supposed to mention identifiable details like name and location. Such anonymity is vital to make newcomers who do not want to expose their status comfortable. Being anonymous in social support meetings also protects members from discrimination and stigmatization from the community to motivates active participation. Further, anonymity encourages a feeling of equality regardless of members’ status and demographics making the program effective.
On the other hand, the meeting content was specific to the goal of managing alcoholism, including cases with direct facts from previous addicts and professional guidance. Such straightforward facts about previous addiction and recovery processes provide hope to newcomers and other addicts. People with social issues want to hear success stories and the journey towards recovery. They need assurance that all is not gone and the destiny to recovery is time away.
Thoughts and feelings while Attending the Meeting
My thoughts were that the meeting would involve rebuking alcohol addicts while showing the level of their immoral and damaging behaviors. I expected that non-addicts and recovered persons would lecture the addicted persons and expose their rejection from the larger society. Such thoughts are common towards people with anti-social behaviors like drug abuse due to their treatment by society. The community treats anti-social and culturally unaccepted practices as deliberate actions which people would stop abruptly if willing. Victims experience isolation and lack of support from families, friends, and neighbors, making them fear people. The thoughts of rebuke are common when called in such meetings reducing participation in recovery processes.
The rebuke thoughts made me feel upset and embarrassed by how leaders and speakers would speak to addicts. People who understand addiction know that victims need to feel embraced and supported. Whenever addicts face lectures due to their habits, human service professionals feel embarrassed by the mishandled severe medical and mental issues. However, my feeling changed to warmth and affection following the accommodative members and speakers. Accommodation of people with social problems shows empathy, and any social service worker understands the joy in victims. The feeling was a share of happiness and comfort with the alcohol addicts.
Role of Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
The role of AA and related meetings in treating a substance-related or addictive disorder is to provide support to overcome emotional difficulties. Emotions are risk factors for starting and continuing with drug abuse. People begin to consume alcohol to overcome different stressful events where they lack other coping mechanisms. However, addiction leads to various emotional difficulties such as fear of seeking help and accepting lost control over individual life and the pressure of confessing the reason for alcohol use. Personal rejection and isolation from the community are all barriers to seeking, committing, and adhering to treatment. AA meetings help overcome emotional difficulties to make victims commit to the recovery journey, including counseling and medical interventions. The sessions provide the feeling of acceptance and warmth to addicts, following anonymity and the absence of rebuke, leading to self-acceptance. Members make victims feel welcome in society and trust people. Further, the various testimonies and expert expositions provide hope that alcohol addicts will recover if they take the recovery process like their friends. Thus, AA and other similar meetings set the stage for starting treatment for a substance-related disorder by overcoming emotional barriers.
Conclusion
An AA meeting experience shows that peer groups provide the emotional support needed to initiate substance-related disorders. Peers influence community members toward self-realization and acceptance to provide the required emotional status towards healing. The meetings make drug and substance addicts feel appreciated, realize their situation, and develop hope of overcoming the conditions. However, such groups must show impartiality, maintain comfort and security through anonymity and provide autonomy among members.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international free self-help foundation aiming to help alcohol-addicted people stop the old habit of drinking alcohol. This organization is self-supporting, nonprofessional, apolitical, multiracial, and available in almost all world countries. To join this group, an individual is not required to offer any educational qualification. Additionally, there are no age requirements to become a member of the organization. Therefore, the membership to join the group is open to every individual who feels to do something concerning their alcohol drinking habits.
The main reason why I chose this topic is that alcohol is largely used in the entire world. Almost in all countries, people consume alcohol in large quantities leading them to the addiction stage. Alcohol is also cheaply available in society, making many people believe it reduces stress and tiredness after busy days. Alcohol is so addictive that the quest to take it increases over time. Additionally, I chose this topic because I am one of the victims of alcohol addiction. I started consuming alcohol as a teenager, and I could not stop the act for several years. There is a need to join the alcoholic anonymous group to reform from the alcoholic addiction.
Abstinence Experience
Abstaining from taking alcohol was one of the most difficult things I experienced. Even after joining several Alcoholics Anonymous zoom meetings, I failed severally. The first meeting gave me hope of stopping alcohol, but I experienced almost all withdrawals when I tried a day without taking the normal amount. I felt so weak and dizzy in my body, forcing me to take alcohol immediately. I did not know that it was almost difficult to stop what one has been addicted to. I wanted to stop alcohol because it had messed up my life. It caused me to drag behind my age mates in education and social life. Alcohol made me lose almost all my friends because I was violent and assaultive when drunk. Deep inside me, I felt that alcohol was the main problem in my life that I had to stop by all means.
In the first zoom meeting, some people confessed they had just decided to stop taking alcohol, and since then, they managed to overcome the addiction with fewer withdrawals. Such confessions made me decide to stop taking alcohol immediately, which made me feel like dying. This experience made me think that those people were lying and thought it was hard for someone to stop taking alcohol. After some time, I decided to visit a different Alcoholics Anonymous zoom meeting to get the necessary help. The experience I had in the second meeting gave me hope because most people confessed that reducing the quantity of alcohol they consumed helped them overcome their drunkenness.
After the second meeting, I tried to reduce the quantity of alcohol I took every day. I continued to reduce the amount until I could stay for a week without taking a sip of the drink. When I attended the third meeting, I was among the people who largely contributed to how it is easy to stop taking alcohol. After several meetings, I managed to stop taking the drink completely. The drive to live a normal happy life was the main motivation that made me stop consuming alcohol. The whole process of alcohol abstinence made me feel like I needed to invest more time in zoom meetings to stop what seemed to be the most difficult thing in my life. After I managed to abstain, I felt a renewed new being saved from the cause of poverty.
My 12-step Experience
The 12-step program in Alcoholics Anonymous benefited me in different ways that I still count advantageous to date. The program allowed me to work with other people from the meeting who were struggling at the same level I was and those at worse levels. Working with other people as directed by the program leads to a quick recovery (Kelly, Humphreys & Ferri, 2020). Through my testimonies concerning my recovery process, the program helped the people that were newbies in the recovery process of alcoholism.
Serving other people in the Alcoholics Anonymous zoom meeting reminded me of the early days I was recovering and why I worked so hard to move quickly in that stage. It also reminded me to keep accountable and avoid becoming complacent in the final stage of the recovery process. The process made me gain a sense of purpose and enhance my relationship and fellowship with other people. Before, I had lost many of my friends because they saw a loser in me. Serving other people made me create new friends with stronger bonds than I had with my previous friends. Helping other people through the program enables to inspire Alcoholics Anonymous newbies and other people to stay sober life (Kelly, Humphreys & Ferri, 2020). I also had an opportunity of giving insight to other people on the recovery process. The process finally enabled me to become a trustworthy person for someone who is recovering from alcohol addiction.
It is not easy to go through the process of the Alcoholics Anonymous program to help someone recover. It involves going to meetings and setting an example for others. It is essential to speak up during the session when people comment concerning different topics that help people recover (Kelly, Humphreys & Ferri, 2020). I learned that someone is supposed to accept any call for service in the meeting. A participant should also keep on encouraging friends in the same situation to attend the zoom meeting. The rule in the Alcoholics Anonymous practice is that we benefit by helping other people (Kelly, Humphreys & Ferri, 2020). The more we take time to help others recover from the worse condition of addiction, we get the opportunity to recover from the same situation further.
From my experience, alcohol addiction is horrific because it drags people’s lives to the extent of becoming poor. Trying to abstain from the drinking habit is difficult unless in psychotherapy or by attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Trying to stop alcohol has several withdrawals that make an individual feel uncomfortable, ending up getting back to the old ways of drunkenness. Through the experience I gained by joining the program, people encounter something remarkable and wonderful in their lives. For a person who has tried to stop drinking on their own but failed, reaching the point of becoming emotionally and physically sick, getting help from Alcoholics Anonymous is the best decision one can make. Several alcoholic addicts have found support from the Alcoholics Anonymous zoom meetings and managed to abstain from taking alcohol completely.
Reference
Kelly, J. F., Humphreys, K., & Ferri, M. (2020). Alcoholics anonymous and other 12‐step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (3), 1-15.
Alcohol abuse is one of the problems that are increasingly affecting modern-day society. The prevalence of this problem can to a large extent be blamed on the popularization of alcohol by the mass media. This factor has resulted in the prevalence of drinking reaching levels that may be considered risky. As a result, there has emerged a class of people who are unable to control their drinking habits, therefore, becoming alcoholics. Alcoholism has a negative effect on both the individual and the people he/she relates with. It is, therefore, necessary to come up with means to assist the individual who is suffering from alcoholism. Many organizations have come up to assist with this most notably of which is the Alcoholic Anonymous society.
The sobriety program of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) aims at bringing about an “instance of self-transforming discourse and practice” (Yeung, 2007). By fully working the program, the individual is able to lead a stable life with total abstinence from alcohol. This paper shall set out to critically discuss the major features of the AA. The paper shall start by giving a concise but informative description of the Alcoholic Anonymous program. In addition to this, the merits and demerits of AA in the fight against alcohol abuse shall be articulated so as to demonstrate the effectiveness of AA in helping Alcoholics recover.
Alcoholics Anonymous and its major features
According to the Alcoholics Anonymous Australian website, AA is “a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism” (AA Australia, 2010). AA traces its birth to 1935 and was a result of the meeting of Dr. Robert Holbroom and a New York businessman, William Wilson (Bill). Bill was a recovering alcoholic who had managed to stay sober for a year but feared a relapse of the same. To assist reduce the risk of relapse, Bill was put into contact with Dr. Bob, therefore, beginning the joint effort at curbing drinking which would soon spread out as the well-established Alcoholics Anonymous. AA was begun as a tool for mutual support for recovering alcoholics.
AA has no affiliation with any religion, political or social and is self-funding through the contributions of its members. This informal society boasts of a membership of over 2million throughout the world with thousands of group meetings in each locality. In terms of membership, AA is open to any person, regardless of their race, creed, political affiliation or even sexual orientation. The only criterion for membership is the personal “desire to stop drinking” by the person as well as the prior alcohol addiction. AA includes meetings that are held at designated venues and attended by the members.
Open AA meetings are open to anyone, whether they are alcoholics or suffer from any other kind of addiction. This is because the twelve steps used by AA may be used to help in more than just alcohol abuse. However, closed AA meetings are restricted to people with drinking problems and so is the membership to AA (AA Australia, 2010).
The AA program has a manual known as the Big Book which acts as the official guide for AA members. Yeung (2007) spells out that the book contains the principles by which “current AA members guide their efforts at quitting drinking”. The acclaimed “Twelve Steps” to recovery are contained in this book. These steps are in essence a formula intended to result in a “total psychic change” in which the individual transforms his/her drinking and thinking and pursuits a sober lifestyle.
The Twelve Steps form the backbone of the AA program and are outlined in the Big Book that the society uses. The steps begin by an admittance of powerlessness over alcohol by the individual, proceed to surrendering to a higher power and end by the person having had a spiritual awakening which results in healing of the freedom from alcoholism.
A key principle is that the alcoholic can never be a normal drinker, drinking modestly due to a stable disposition. This being the case, the only way in which the alcoholic can reform is by aiming for a life of complete sobriety which can only be brought about by full abstinence from drinking. To assist in achieving this end, AA makes use of story telling which involves the members of the group telling stories of their past alcoholic experiences as well as their present.
O’Halloran (2008) states that AA story is a powerful affirmation of change attributed solely to high power. This is one of the attributes of AA which gives it a religion like appearance although the members of the society are adamant that the while the group has a lot of spiritualism, it is not a religious movement. Yeung (2007) suggests that AA as a program largely draws from the principles of Christian fellowship and is centered on the individual establishing a deeply personal relationship with a higher deity. Sobriety is achieved through spiritual awakening which results from this.
Another major feature of AA is their many slogans which form a part of the AA meeting. These slogans reflect the prevailing views held by the members and in fact act as an expression of a shared understanding by the AA community (O’Halloran, 2008). The use of slogans accentuates group membership in as much the same way as different subgroups (such as doctors, lawyers, sport fans etc) use a stock of phrases that mark group membership. The use of these slogans therefore indicates affiliations and helps maintain solidarity among members. O’Halloran (2008) suggests that the phrases can be used as mantras to ward off impulses to drink therefore increasing the likelihood of the program to succeed for an individual.
Advantages of AA
It is a generally accepted notion in therapeutic circles that before any therapeutic treatments can be administered and effected, there must be an acceptance of the existence of a problem by the person who needs help (Yeung, 2007). Evidence of this recognition of a problem and acceptance of the same can be seen from the AA meetings introductions whereby the alcoholic introduces himself by saying their names followed by the confession that “I’m an alcoholic” (Bufe, 1998, p.1). Therefore, AA obligates the member to face his/her drinking problem and only after the person has done this can there be hope of recovery.
.AA is not the only means through which alcoholics can be helped to recover and therapy as provided by professional therapists is an equally potent means. However, AA has an inherent advantage owing to the lack of a hierarchical structure.
The emotional support and persuasive power that comes about from the peer meetings can sometimes be greater than that of a therapist. Galanter and Kaskutas (2008, p.148) reveal that in therapy, “while group leaders possess authority compared to members, a leader’s supportive comment may be suspect as a perfunctory role requirement”. This means that the leaders input no matter how sincere may be seen as something simply said as part of the job and hence devoid of sincerity. As such, the likelihood of the AA program resulting in positive change in a person is increased due to the inherent credibility and honesty that AA exudes.
Studies reveal that people who help others in the context of mutual help groups reap great benefits from their involvement in the same (Galanter & Kaskutas, 2008; Riessman, 1965). This is especially true for the sponsorship program of the AA whereby both the helper and the recipient share a common problem (alcoholism in this case). The reason for this is that the helper (who is also a sufferer) will become more committed to solve their own problems by offering advice and encouragement to others (Galanter & Kaskutas, 2008). This is one of the key strengths of AA over other alcoholism recovery programs. The altruism that AA fosters through having members help other group members by sharing and giving moral support results in many successes.
The treatment costs for alcohol-related problems are in some instances prohibitively high for a majority of the population. Bufe (1998) reveals that as long as the early 1990s, the average cost of inpatient treatments averaged an excess of $14000 for a 28 day stay. Much of these costs were justified as for catering for the detoxification process which is one of the treatment processes that alcoholics are offered. Most of the detoxification was unnecessary and had not useful results to the patient. Contrasting this with AA’s which are absolutely free; it is evident that AA is accessible to more people than other treatment options.
All recovering alcoholics are predisposed to relapse and as such, relapse prevention strategies present the best means for ensuring sustainable recovery from alcoholism. Haber et al (2009) articulates that relapse prevention approaches are aimed at helping the patient identify situations which resulted in excessive drinking and to use appropriate cognitive and behavioral strategies to avoid the same. The programs also provide coping skills and support for the patient. These are all roles that the AA program achieves through its peer-based system.
Disadvantages of AA
One of the outspoken critics of the AA program Bufe (1998) accuses the group of using guilt as a device to cause behavior in its members. He goes on to articulate that guilt is inherent in the AA dogma with the revered 12 steps having references of “shortcomings”, “defects of character” and other negative terms that invariably lead to the reinforcement of guilt in the members. When a member slips back into his/her drinking habits after attending the AA meetings, they experience unpleasant feelings of guilt and have a considerable loss of self prestige and pride. While this is ideally a good thing since it reinforces the need for AA program, Bufe (1998) states that it may result in members feeling hopeless and seeing the AA program as their only hope for sobriety.
One of the tenets of AA explicitly states that “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional”. This is an ideology that is strictly enforced and the Alcoholic Anonymous Australia (2010) states that AA “doesn’t have clinics, doctors, counselors or psychologies. All members are themselves recovering from alcoholism”. This presents a very major disadvantage for the AA since it cannot reap the benefit of professional personnel who are well versed with alcohol abuse. This therefore reduces the effectiveness of AA since while it may be able to assist some members through the sponsorship program, members who are in need of more help cannot find it in the AA.
Alcohol abuse is a real problem that may have life threatening implications to the alcohol abuser. Haber et al (2009) reveals that individuals who intake large amounts of alcohol may experience a withdrawal syndrome on stoppage of the consumption. The authors go on to note that these withdrawals may result in severe and life threatening complications such as seizures and delirium if the withdrawal is poorly managed or all together unsupervised.
Considering the fact that AA is an informal society run by non professionals who are themselves recovering alcoholics, it is conceivable that the society lacks the expertise to deal with the alcohol related problems that may arise as members try to end their addictions. AA advocates total abstinence from alcohol since the alcoholic is seen as being unable to control his drinking. Members of AA are therefore predisposed to suffer from withdrawal symptoms as a result of the AA ideologies they follow. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms (some of which may be life threatening) may inflict the members and without the professional assistance required to deal with the same, the outcomes may be fatal.
One of the philosophies that AA advances is that the alcoholic has a lack of choice, will power and so cannot control his drinking habits. This is articulated by the assertion “for reasons yet obscure, we (the alcoholics) have lost the power of choice in drink” (Yeung, 2007, p.52). The members also express their weakness through the process of surrendering and admitting one’s limited power to change their lives on their own. This can be seen to be a detrimental attribute of AA since it removes personal accountability and responsibility which are very important values in the society. A society in which a person cannot be held responsible for their own actions since they claim to “lack the choice and will power” would inevitably collapse.
Discussion and Conclusion
Alcoholism is a problem that affects many members of our society and for this reason, programs that assist in recovery from the same should be pursued. This paper has set out to discuss one of the programs that purport to assist in dealing with alcoholism: the Alcoholic Anonymous program. From the discussions presented in this paper, it is clear that AA is not only a popular but also a highly effective means for overcoming alcohol abuse though the use of the Twelve Steps. By following the steps, AA members shift from being in isolation to being aligned with something greater than themselves bringing about healing.
While it is true that AA does have a number of weaknesses most notably of which is the induction of feelings of guilt and to some extent helplessness in its members, even its critics acknowledge that AA does not manipulate its members for the personal advantage of any one person or group of people. Considering the fact that the number of people consuming alcohol at high risk levels has been on the rise over the last ten decades, the need for means to solve the problem of alcoholism is high now more than ever. Societies such as AA are therefore very relevant and should be utilized even more to assist solve the problem of alcohol abuse in our society.
References
Alcoholics Anonymous Australia (2010). What is AA. Web.
Bufe, C. (1998). Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure? Arizona: Sharp Press.
Galanter, M. & Kaskutas, L.A. (2008). Research on Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality in Addiction Recovery: the Twelve-step Program Model, Spiritually Oriented Recovery, Twelve-step Membership, Effectiveness and Outcome Research. Cengage Learning.
Haber, P. et al (2009). Treatment of Alcohol Problems: Companion Documents to the Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
O’Halloran, S. (2003) Participant Observation of Alcoholics Anonymous: Contrasting Roles of the Ethnographer and Ethnomethodologist.
O’Halloran, S. (2008). Talking Oneself Sober: the Discourse of Alcoholics Anonymous. Cambria Press.
Yeung, S. (2007). Working the Program: Technologies of Self and Citizenship in Alcoholics Anonymous. Web.
Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meeting is an international fellowship whose aim is to help alcoholics achieve sobriety (Yalom, 2005, p.58). In an AA meeting, the Chairperson or group leader opens the session with a preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous followed by brief introductory remarks.
The leader then requests for a silent moment followed by recitations from the Serenity Prayer. Others prefer to read a chapter from the Big Book to help new members know how the AA works. Speakers selected beforehand then talk of their experiences before members discuss a chosen topic. The meeting closes with the observation of a moment of silence followed by a prayer or recitation from the Responsibility Declaration.
Defense Mechanisms in AA Participants
In an AA meeting, the members associated with a common intention to support each other to overcome alcoholism. This is a projective identification defense mechanism where the alcoholics identify with each other and believe that others are like oneself in an AA meeting (Boyd, 2008, p.146). This allows them to avoid a relapse into alcoholism once more. Participants of the AA meeting also employ sublimation defense mechanism to overcome the craving for alcohol.
Family Interaction in AA Meetings
Participants of AA meeting have improved social interaction with their family members. The AA meeting allows the participants to feel a sense of belonging. Participants who suffered communicative disorders like anger or low self-esteem feel confident after attending the AA meeting group therapy.
Crisis Situations Leading to AA Help
Participants attending the AA had a severe alcoholic problem that if not managed could result in personality and psychiatric disorders like impulsivity that involves lack of gratification. They sought help from AA to help them achieve sobriety.
Social Milieu in AA Meetings
The AA meeting offers social milieu that provides home group treatment plans, promotes self-governance and effective interactions among the members.
As per AA’s customs, each group exists independently save for issues involving other group entities. The self-help groups in AA help solve alcohol-related problems affecting the members through informed group conscience. The group also reaches out to suffering alcoholics who need help.
Lessons from AA Self-Help Groups
The group therapy shown by AA meeting help members feel a renewed sense of purpose and also helps them to overcome social and personality disorders like anger or low self-esteem.
People’s Perceptions of AA Meetings
In spite of the success of AA group therapy in helping people with an alcoholic problem, most people take it as a cult based on its history, development, and practices.
Reference List
Boyd, M. (2008). Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins. Print.
Hirschmann, J., & Munter, C. (1988). Overcoming Overeating. New York: Billantine Publishing Company. Print.
Yalom, V. (2005).The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books. Print.
Many scholars have explored Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcoholic fermentation (AF) for many millennia in different food processes that are critical to humans. The core purpose of this scientific study was to compare different yeast strain behaviors in brewing, baking, and winemaking processes. Furthermore, researchers intended to investigate the impact of human selection on strains’ food processing in addition to studying both the genetic variability and plasticity of different fermentation products between strains and food processes. The study purposed to analyze the association between metabolic traits, AF kinetics parameters, and traits’ life history during the process of AF. Finally, the study aimed at proposing a new strain selection rationale.
Methods
Researchers selected varied strains of S. cerevisiae from different geographical origins and industries of food processing to make a representation of the major strain clusters. They used three synthetic media, which differed in anaerobic growth factor, osmotic pressure, pH, and sugar and nitrogen levels in order to reflect significant changes of fermentation medium between baking, winemaking, and brewing processes. Before inoculation, they further filtered the media through a 0.45-µm nitrate-cellulose membrane. The released carbon dioxide (CO2) amount was determined through automatic measurement of glass reactor weight loss in intervals of 20 minutes. Moreover, researchers regularly monitored cell size and population growth with the use of a particle counter. CO2-specific flux was calculated by dividing the production rate of the gas by the cell number for a particular volume. At the end of AF process, researchers made many dosages. Ethanol concentration determination was done using infrared reflectance while colorimetry was used to measure acetic acid and residual glucose production in continuous flux.
Results
The study results pointed out that human selection focused on completing fermentation for both trehalose and wine content using the S. cerevisiae strains. It was also found that the effect of food processing origin of the studied strains was lower than the medium and strain effects. Such a thing showed weak human selection for the processing of foods. The primary effect of the geographical origin of the strains manifested in the achievement of fermentation. Distillery and beer strains displayed either incomplete or slow fermentation while the wine strains produced more CO2 gas in less time, particularly in the enology medium. It is in the enology medium that the strains consumed all the sugars.
Moreover, the geographical origin had no substantial effect on AF, which indicates that improvement programs of particular food processing industry can exploit the variability of strains utilized in many other industries. The used glucose was analyzed. The analysis revealed plastic and genetic variations in products of fermentation, which indicates that the use of artificial selection is effective in modifying the production of acetate and glycerol among many others. According to this study, the main result showed that the overall maximum CO2 gas production rate was unrelated to the maximum gas production rate for every cell. Contrarily, a highly significant correlation between the maximum size of the population and the overall maximum CO2 production rate was evident in all three media. This finding revealed that human selection did not target metabolic efficiency. Instead, it targeted cellular reproduction efficiency.
Conclusion
All strains are of unique interest because they favor population size, a trait that is related to the rate of fermentation. Human selection targets the ability to complete fermentation. Also, improvement programs have the potential to exploit the variability of strains utilized in many other industries. There is also a genetic and plastic variation in products of fermentation. The selection also aims at targeting cellular production efficiency instead of metabolic efficiency.