I attended a AA meeting on Saturday night at 7: 00 pm in Bergen County Housing
Health Human Services Center 120 South River Street.
This simple experience opened my eyes as a person and as a future nurse .One of the
First things I noted was the alcohol addiction has no social boundaries or race,
Gendered or age, the meeting was very diverse to my surprise.
At an AA meeting, people with alcoholism are accepted and understood, helping many
People keep their abstinence from alcohol. As I sat there, I wondered how much more these
People could be helped if this understanding extended beyond the boundaries of one-hour
meetings.
For a person, compassion and understanding is admirable. For a nurse, an
Understanding relative to alcohol addiction is essential to providing supportive care.
As the meeting progressed, there were different speakers. They were very supportive to
Everyone in the room. There were newcomers and some who had neared 8
Years sobriety. There was laughter, as well as heartfelt moments.
One thing was clear their common goal united them all. There are no magic words
said here which keep them sober. It is the compassion and understanding they receive
here that gives them the strength to keep their sobriety.
I said my goodbye and expressed my gratitude for making me feel so welcome. The
goal of this program is to offer support and guidance to people with a common problem.
This is exactly what this group was achieving. In gaining an understanding of alcohol
addiction, nurses can become more empathetic as people and improve the level of care
they provide for our patients.
I was able to gain insight from my attendance and it changed me completely.
MY VISIT TO AN AA MEETING
DIANA SANTOS GARCIA
EASTWICK COLLAGE
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