Introduction
When attending my narcotic anonymous meeting within the great Boston area, I noticed that the meeting was organized by a network of churches throughout the week to accommodate those battling with addiction and in need of frequent therapy. The group was well established because many members were congratulated outside for catching up before the meeting started. This observation was an eye-opener to me because I realized that a relationship had already been established.
Group Sessions
When we entered the building, everyone was given a textbook which they used for making notes during the meetings. The facilitator started by reading the 12 sentences of affirmation that all the members repeated. This was the foundation by which the members lived. After affirming that their recovery was their main priority, the meeting started with the facilitator sharing his story of recovery for those who had not heard about it.
Once he was done, he introduced the topic of that day. It was about daily demons; this reviewed the temptation of drug use and the relationship the group members needed to have with higher powers to fight the demon. I believed that this subject was very direct and focused on what they dealt with together as a group.
After that, they proceeded to read some passages. Participation to read the passage was voluntary and before the members could begin, they first needed to state their name and then say âI am an addictâ. I think that this was an affirmation of their reason for being there. Everyone greeted the reader in unison. They read a complete chapter with many members reading more than once. It was time to reflect on the passage.
The second portion of the two-hour meeting concluded with the facilitator sharing his thoughts and feelings regarding the chapter where he highlighted some amazing comments about the reading. He then proceeded to ask other members to share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings on the passage that they had just read. At first, some members read parts of the passage which stood out to them. Others shared their troubles with demons and how they faced them daily with the help of the people they knew in the places where they lived. The facilitator stated that the temptation of drugs was real and could kill.
The first sign of conflict that arose among the group members was that many of them wanted to speak but there was not enough time for all of them to do so. The storming stage had occurred because the facilitator did not know who to speak to. There were over 15 members who wanted to discuss, but only 6 members were able to do so.
This left some members bothered, frustrated, and unheard. The facilitator realized that this was occurring and assured the group that they would find a better way to manage time so that more people could speak. What I found interesting is that he asked if anyone felt as if they would hurt themselves or take drugs if they didnât get a chance to speak. The conclusion of the meeting was a collection of coins of commitment that marked milestones of each memberâs progress in their recovery. There were over 10 different coins that were collected and the members were proud to have made such milestones in their recovery.
The group that I observed was at the working stage and from what I observed, I believe that with this group, there will never be a closing stage. The road to recovery is continuous and attending the meetings was a friendly reminder of that. The groupâs meeting venues were also located at several other locations throughout the week to make it accessible for everyone regardless of their schedule.
Many members had been attending for more than 10 years while others had joined two months before I started visiting them. The group process was very informal; many were accustomed to the social norms of the group and for the most part, positive energy was exerted. The group had a very open discussion and when anyone spoke, they were referring to the group as a whole. I would classify this group as a support group because it was a safe environment where members were encouraged to share their experiences.
Many members disclosed personal information that I believe required a huge amount of trust and encouragement from others to proceed. Hearing them share their stories, I was able to recognize their common bond. Members felt accepted, knew what to expect, and felt like they belonged to the group. This helped to encourage positive therapeutic force when the group was in session (Egan, 2007).
Some groups are closed so that not just anyone can attend, but this was considered open, where anyone who wanted to attend could do so. The members were not screened before joining the group. Their membership was considered voluntary and focused on individualsâ belief in the groupsâ process. The purpose was clear and concise; to fight drug addiction to lead a better life.
The topics of discussion varied each week, but that did not alter the groupsâ purpose. In this type of support group, the members were eager to share, which left little facilitation for the group leader to do. You could tell that the meetings were self-sufficient and required little to no planning (Corey, 2006).
Leadership Style
The leadership style that I found common during my visits is democratic leadership. They had one point or topic that they wanted to discuss and have members share their thoughts and feelings that were important to their groupsâ recovery as a whole. The facilitator allowed each group member to voice their views and opinions, which helped other members reflect and grow from such stories. This was very beneficial to the group since the leader didnât take much time talking.
Observations and Remarks
The problem that I found during each group session was that more people were willing to contribute to the discussion than the time would allow. It made it hard to get to everyone, and at times the facilitator left some members out. The implementation of the five-minute rule; giving a speaker only five minutes before moving on to the next speaker did increase the number of participants who spoke.
However, I felt as though it was not enough. I thought that even having journals that members could read under the guidance of the facilitator would have helped in dissolving those feelings of being frustrated due to lack of an opportunity to contribute to the group discussions.
References
Corey, G. (2006). Groups in action evolution and challenges. Belmont, Calif.: Brooks/Cole.
Egan, G. (2007). The skilled helper: a problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping, (8th Ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.