Aa Medallions Are Efficient Reminders Of Important Milestones In Recovery Programs

By Author: Robert Craig
Total Articles: 38
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AA medallions came into being nearly 70 years ago. The routine was begun as a way of observing the achievements of people who were trying to lift themselves from the addiction of alcohol. Prior to employing medallions, significant sobriety milestones were often acknowledged by the giving of birthday cakes. The awarding of medallions became the preferred method of recognizing participants' achievements when it became all too obvious that the pomp and ceremony surrounding the cake presentation would all too often lead people back to their old drinking habits.

Overcoming any type of chemical addiction whether it assumes the form of an addiction to alcohol, narcotics or nicotine is extremely difficult to do. Present therapeutic approaches for helping people break addictions usually combine both chemical and social or non-chemical components. Eventually the chemical treatment is progressively withdrawn leaving only the social ingredient in place as the primary treatment component. That component, the one the participant is left with, usually takes the form of some type of reinforcer or other mementos such as AA medallions. ...
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Motivation is a primary driver through which we attain goals. It's generally accepted that highly motivated people are more apt to attain goals they've set for themselves than people who are not so highly motivated. A proven tenet of current thinking as outlined by behavioral psychology is that motivation can be increased or decreased through the use of reinforcers. In very simple terms reinforcement can be used either as a reward or punishment to increase or decrease selected behaviors.

Many of us possess innate inherent motivating forces called intrinsic factors. These are internal and show up as curiosity, satisfaction, interest, etc. Others of us need the extra shove of extrinsic factors to help raise our motivational levels. The extrinsic factors take two forms: social reinforcers like approval or praise and physical reinforcers which are tangible things like food, money, awards and trophies to name just a few. The awarding of trophies is an excellent example of a strong motivator that predates modern reinforcement theory by a thousand years and yet includes all the motivating elements espoused in present day behavioral psychology. The awarding of trophies covers a wide variety of events which occur in an atmosphere of great acclaim and celebration. It's a very public acknowledgement of the recipients' achievements much as AA medallions are for people who are celebrating their significant accomplishments.

In just a short time from now, I'll be coming up on the day that indicates two years since I quit smoking. It wasn't an easy thing to do and I've had to hunt long and hard during that time for reminders of why I quit to renew my resolve to keep from resuming old habits. It's not always been an easy path and I've come perilously close to falling off the wagon. I fervently believe that had I had some type of tangible reminder like a medallion to remind me of the amount of time I've been successful in ridding myself of my addiction, I'd have a constant source renewal for going forward.
More AA coins that include personalized editions for different personalities are available by clicking on aa medallions.