The purpose of this assignment is to gain a deeper understanding of some resources and supports available to people who want to stop using substances and/or alcohol. You will be asked to reflect on your learning and apply the learning to your future practice as an RN.
Assignment Expectations:
1. Attend a 12 step program meeting (alcoholic anonymous, narcotic anonymous) AND a SMART recovery meeting (You can attend a virtual or in person meeting).
2. Write a paper about Recovery groups and your experience.
Paper Expectations
- Answer the following questions. Estimate length 4-5 pages
- List the meetings you attended including location and time.
- Briefly describe how the meeting(s) were conducted. How did they open and close? Was there discussion of a particular topic?
- Describe the objectives of the 12-step program.
- Describe the objectives of SMART recovery.
- Compare and contrast the 2 meetings (SMART and AA). Style/purpose/group dynamic of each.
- Describe the psychosocial support structure of recovery meetings? (How are the members treated by the leadership and each other? What was the group structure? Leader present, leaderless, rotation of leader, etc)
- Do you believe that the support structure as you describe it is beneficial? Why? or why not?
- Describe the spiritual support in AA vs SMART recovery. How do they differ? Describe any benefits or concerns with spiritual focus in recovery.
- Describe advantages and/or disadvantages to group support vs. individual therapy in substance use recovery?
- Describe the emotions experienced before and after attending this meeting (your emotions)?
- In what specific ways will attendance of this group be useful in your practice as a nurse?
- General Guidelines for Meeting Attendance
- No more than 2 individuals from LWtech may attend the session. It is highly suggested that you go in pairs, but not required.
- Attend only open meetings, some meetings are closed. Do not attend a sexual addiction meeting (most are closed anyway). Try to avoid “court assigned/ordered” meetings. Do not attend a gamblers support group (GA) or OA.
- If you attend a Narcotic Anonymous (NA) meeting, avoid areas such as Pioneer Square or “rough” neighborhoods (west or eastside). Drug dealers have been known to hang around these meetings.
- It is okay to attend Christian or other religious 12 step meetings
- Do not attend meetings held at LWTECH if there are any (confidentiality and FERPA issues)
- You must dress in business dress- professional attire
- There is no need to wear a name badge: However, introduce yourself as a nursing student from LWTech and explain that you are there for learning purposes to gain a better understanding of addiction as a disease and resources for sobriety. And confidentiality will be maintained.
- Sometimes students have had personal experiences with 12 step meetings. The purpose of attending these meetings now is for you explore sobriety support through the lens of a nurse. With that said, for you to write this reflective paper you will need to attend meetings this quarter.
links to schedules and online meetings.
Meetings – Eastside A.A. (eastsideaa.org)
Meetings Archive – Greater Seattle Intergroup of AA (seattleaa.org)
Points will be given for depth of reflection, discussion of all prompts. You must attend 1 12-step meeting and 1 SMART recovery meeting to complete this assignment.
All written submissions must be formatted in APA 7 style including cover sheet, clear sections, and in-text citations and reference page if applicable.
