Rediscover the Joy Of Life
Cyber Recovery reports on alcohol and substance abuse recovery news of interest to addiction treatment programmes and those in detox and recovery personally.
in addiction recovery
So what, exactly, is addiction recovery? That’s a tough one. Recovery means different things to different people, depending on what level of sobriety each of us has reached. Someone that quit drinking or using drugs three weeks go is just beginning to view life with a new perspective, while someone with 27 years in recovery has moved way beyond that point. Or, should have, at least. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Addiction recovery is a process. Becoming an addict doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does recovery. Many would say addiction is an incurable disease and that every addict must forever remain in a state of recovery. Others disagree and claim to have made a full recovery and are no longer an addict. While the 12 Steps are the most popular method, many addicts have recovered using alternative approaches, such as psychotherapy, holistic healing, or even healed themselves using sheer willpower. The truth is, people vary, and there is no one-size-fits-all method of addiction recovery. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for someone else.
Affect The Body And Mind?
It has been proven that drug use affects the functioning and structure of the nervous system. These alterations can be very durable and induce behaviors that can put the addict’s life at risk.
Drug abuse is a notable public health dilemma, as continued consumption of these drugs can lead to severe consequences.
Also, if you spend a specified period without consuming, you may see annoying withdrawal symptoms, which are opposite to the sensations that a drug can simulate.
Addiction is described as a disease that lasts a lifetime, which is defined by search responses of the addictive element and its impelling consumption despite causing adverse consequences.
Therein, lies the confusion. So, how do we define recovery? Sometimes, it's easier to define what something is by first eliminating what it is not.
Recovery is NOT
- Criticizing another's path to sobriety
- Claiming to be an expert about recovery, and which approach works best
- Preaching from the recovery pulpit
- Spreading resentment, anger and hate
- Beating one another over the head with our own beliefs and opinions
- Talking the talk without walking the walk
Recovery is
- Acceptance of our own flaws and weaknesses, as well as those of others
- Open-mindedness to views different from our own
- Humility - one of the greatest gifts we can receive as recovering addicts, along with learning to appreciate the true meaning of words like gratitude, serenity, inner peace, and forgiveness
- Moving forward in a positive direction, while helping others do the same
- Respect - for ourselves and for others
One thing most addicts in recovery can agree with is that addiction is a cold, lonely pit of darkness, at least for those that have hit bottom. Rather than climbing over one another to escape the pit, we ought to join hands and help pull one another to safety. That is the true meaning of recovery.
Phases Of Recovery
Here are phases of recovery, milestones to mark your progress. Addiction recovery can be thought of as moving through these five phases:
Admission of a problem
This is the key starting point. If there is no addiction problem then there certainly is no need for a solution to addiction. There is a certain logic to that.
Compliance
What is meant by compliance here is going along with the most important seeing and agreeing to the concept of abstinence. This early phase of recovery usually involves little emotional insight into the whys of the addiction; the concentration is simply on ‘don’t do it? on a daily basis. Once we accept compliance as a necessary part of recovery, we can move toward the whys and wherefores
Acceptance
People who are accepting are generally less defensive and have a greater sense of emotional and personal identity. Acceptance is the first step toward beginning to trust yourself and others, and open the possibilities of self-evaluation.
Defiance
Defiance can rear its head in several ways the most damaging is in the form of believing that the terms of addiction don’t apply to me. Picking and choosing what is to be done and not. done An example of defiance can be becoming engaged in anger toward others who do not have your affliction or getting on the pity pot with the ‘poor me’s’. Defiance and anger can also be a block toward connecting and resolving with your emotions and feelings that underlie the blanketing emotion of anger.
Surrender
We are not talking about submission but rather surrender they are very different. Submission is a temporary yielding, it tends to leave the escape hatch of returning to the addiction open. There is an implication of force being used or submitting against your will. Surrender can be thought of as wholehearted acceptance and compliance. It is a voluntary action and does not mean being defeated as does submission, but rather a conscious decision not to participate. A boxer who has been knocked out has submitted to the power of his opponent. A boxer who has retired and does not climb in the ring any more has surrendered to the idea that he no longer chooses to fight.
So where to start?
Because addiction has both physiological and psychological components that need to be addressed, it is important to understand that the psychological components are not easily accessible until the physiological components are being addressed. This means a period of detoxification (Detox) must be endured. This is not an option. Regardless of the approach, recovery begins with some degree of reduction in use; any reduction will have its impact on both the mind and body.
Regardless of the option or options chosen, this is where ‘recovery’ begins.
Treatment Options
Residential Treatment Centers (RTC)
Residential Treatment Centers go by many names, and offer a variety of treatment approaches. They are sometimes called clinics, rehabs, recovery homes or houses, retreats, halfway houses, or sober homes. The most common approach used by RTCs is one that addresses the medical needs of the individual while offering a 12 Step program that includes workshops, group meetings and individual counseling. The inclusion of the 12 Step component is sometimes, but not often, omitted as there is controversy regarding the definition and interpretation of the 12 Steps’ use of the words ‘God’ and ‘Spirituality’. Get options for UK treatment centres here: https://www.abbeycarefoundation.com/rehab/
What does it mean to be "in addiction recovery"?
So what, exactly, is addiction recovery? That’s a tough one. Recovery means different things to different people, depending on what level of sobriety each of us has reached. Someone that quit drinking or using drugs three weeks go is just beginning to view life with a new perspective, while someone with 27 years in recovery has moved way beyond that point.
Or, should have, at least. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Addiction recovery is a process. Becoming an addict doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does recovery.
Out-Patient Facilities
Out-patient facilities serve individuals who can’t afford the time or expense of a residential treatment facility. They often offer a wider range of choices for both addicts and their families. These choices can include counseling, group meetings, family support, crisis support, relapse prevention workshops, as well as support and training for school staff, employers, pregnant women, and parents with addiction issues.
Individual Counseling
Most counselors combines cognitive-behavioral, motivational, insight, and goal oriented therapies.
The process will look something like this: You and the counselor will examine your challenges, you will determine what you want from the therapy, goals will be described and set, and a course of action will be implemented. This will be sustained with on-going sessions until you and the counselor determined otherwise. Counselors are also able to recognize physical and psychological issues that are beyond their training, and direct you to the help you might need.
A skilled and well-trained counselor will approach each client as a unique individual with challenges that require a custom fit. If a counselor states or implies that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to addiction recovery, then they are neither skilled nor well-trained. Their therapeutic style must be empathic, client centered, and flexible regardless of whether they accept the disease model or the life-process model of addiction.
Beliefs and Understandings
Disease Model
The disease model of addiction is built upon evidence based theories. At the heart of this concept is the evidence that all drugs (cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, methamphetamine, tobacco, and…) activate pathways in the brain that control the degree to which we want something. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is released when pleasure is experienced, and all drugs activate its release. Paula Riggs, M.D. an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Colorado stated during an HBO program on drug addiction that drugs are 5 times more compelling than those things that we are normally compelled to want like food and sex. She states that they commandeer our brain reward system and drive our behavior. These two points, the brain reward system and the resulting behaviors, are at the heart of the disease model and the subsequent medical approach to recovery. Treatment includes medication to deal with the biological components while counseling deals with the behavioral components.
This brain-centered understanding views the biological and behavioral as inseparable. It does not challenge an individual’s free-will and responsibilities, but does explain that an addicted person’s will is contending with very powerful influences, and that without help they will most likely succumb to those influences rather than make the rational choice of discontinued use.
Life-Process Model
Proponents of the life-process model of addiction reject the disease model claiming that addiction is a habit that develops as a result of a locus of satisfaction and coping which can only be addressed by way of social relationships and life experiences. Supporters of the life-process reject the validity of recent scientific evidence, or the interpretation of that evidence, and the use of the word disease. They do not deny that physical mechanisms at play account for aberrant behaviors, but believe that the individual can regain control through strength of will and by repairing personal and social relationships.
Fellowships
In the world of substance addiction recovery, ‘Fellowship’ refers to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and any of the other groups of individuals gathering together to tell their story of addiction and to help and support each other through challenges and difficulties. There are organizations dealing with addiction to gambling, sex, cocaine, pornography, over-eating, and more. What all of these ‘fellowships’ have in common is the use of AA’s 12 Step approach to recovery.
The 12 Step approach, in a nutshell, is that the addict is powerless over their relationship with a substance or a behavior, as a result, aspects of their life have become unmanageable, unbearable, or unacceptable, and that they need help from something outside of themselves in order to recover. If they could have managed a recovery on their own, they would have done so.
So what, exactly, is addiction recovery?
That’s a tough one. Recovery means different things to different people, depending on what level of sobriety each of us has reached. Someone that quit drinking or using drugs three weeks go is just beginning to view life with a new perspective, while someone with 27 years in recovery has moved way beyond that point.
Or, should have, at least. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Addiction recovery is a process. Becoming an addict doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does recovery.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUPPORT GROUPS FOR ALCOHOLISM RECOVERY
Being addicted to alcohol is miserable, as it is a complex vicious circle that leads to mental problems besides physical damages. Those who are alcoholics will need more than just treatment. Treatment will be meaningless if the addict starts drinking again and so, in addition to therapists, there are many other health institutions that offer viable outpatient treatment programs. The institutions can be quite effective if the patient is willing to get rid of this addiction and also has family support. Recovering addicts that do not want twenty four hour supervision, can opt for counseling to help cure them of this mental disease.
Also apart from counseling, support groups have proved very effective in the recovery process. One should note that this is not a single part process that works in exactly the same way for everyone. Lots of individuals have different reasons for this addiction and if the cause is addressed properly then it becomes easier to treat this disease.
Finding the contact information for interactive support groups and other similar programs on the internet is easy. These programs are excellent choices for those in rational recovery especially for those who are heavy drinkers. The really good programs can help you at any given point within your recovery process. The whereabouts of such groups can be found easily
At times during group therapy sessions, a group could be moderated by professionals. There are also support groups that hold self help or support meetings free of charge. Either of the two cases, the group therapy sessions are very helpful for the patients suffering from addiction. These meetings can also be a part of clinical therapy where patients having the same problem as you, share their issues regarding addiction.usually it is through thses discussions that alcoholics realize that there are a lot of similarities as to how you and other members of the group suffer addiction. This method helps them learn different coping strategies from each others’ experience.
Right there in the support group, there are people who have come a long way through the recovery process. It is through these meetings, that you would realize that someone initially might have had the same problems as you might be having now. Knowing this will boost your hope and give you an incentive to stay in the recovery and it will take some time before you can completely get rid of this addiction.
And so you are presented with a platform where you can get some of the things off your chest for example, if you never had a family with whom you could share your problems then this is the place where you can say it all. Most times though, it is not so easy for your family to understand problems of your addiction but the people who had the same experience as you, would be able to comprehend it in a better way. Those who belong to a group where they can share their troubles find their burdens easier to bear.
And so thisp is the process of alcohol addiction recovery but unless you, yourself, are not willing to improve your condition, nothing can be done to help you. But if you are are determined to rid yourself of this habit, there are some of the best group sessions offered by local professional or rehab programs that have an outstanding reputation.
Types of Support Groups
One can find several kinds of support groups and recovery programs. Lots of individuals begin participating as part of a structured addiction treatment program and continue attending the same groups after treatment concludes. Below are examples of the most common recovery support groups include:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most well-known recovery support groups, AA is a self-help peer support organization open to anyone who battles alcohol abuse concerns and wishes to remain abstinent. Alcoholics Anonymous program follows a 12-Step format that asks its members to admit that alcohol has been in control of their lives and to turn themselves over to a higher power. For those who decide to follow with the 12 Steps, members will list their faults and apologize to those who they may have wronged on their path to redemption. Once you are done with the 12 Steps, members are then encouraged to share their journey, offering their service to others in recovery, potentially as a sponsor for someone else who is new to the program.
Avoiding alcohol completely is the only requirement for membership in AA. Alcoholics Anonymous support group accepts all people of all religions, genders, races, and ages, and is open to all who wish to remain sober. You should note that AA is highly spiritual, although it is nondenominational and nonprofessional. Joining the group is free, and privacy is protected; all groups are anonymous and do not share membership information with others.
It is reported to have 2 million members and more than 100,000 groups meeting in 181 countries, AA is a massive organization with various different groups, meeting formats, and options available to support recovery.
SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) Recovery
This group is a non-12-Step program, SMART Recovery focuses on a Four-Point Program that helps individuals to build motivation; manage cravings, emotions, and behaviors; and learn how to live a well-balanced life. It is known that SMART helps people to become self-reliant and uses researched-based techniques to foster and sustain recovery.
Those who want to participate can join a local group and attend face-to-face meetings as well as receive online and virtual support. This group is a nonspiritual alternative to AA, SMART Recovery programs help individuals learn and develop skills for positive lifestyle changes to aid in sustaining recovery and sobriety.
Moderation Management (MM)
Known as a support group that takes a different approach to recovery, which is different from many support groups as it does not expect full abstinence but, members are able to continue to drink alcohol in moderation. Moderation Management aims at eliminating problematic drinking and negative behaviors associated with them through the Steps of Change. Those who join are asked to keep a drinking diary at first and then to undergo a 30-day period of complete abstinence from alcohol. When the 30 days have elapsed, individuals are then able to reintroduce alcohol in a responsible manner.
MM holds the belief that not drinking at all may not be practical for everyone and holds that drinking in moderation may be acceptable. They provide members with tools for managing problem drinking and how to control it. This group can cinduc both virtual and face-to-face meetings as well.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)
This support group is a nonprofit organization, SOS hosts both online and in-person recovery support group meetings for individuals seeking sobriety and those in recovery. Joining this group is free and anonymous with the sole goal being for members to support each other in sustaining sobriety.
This support group is autonomous, free, and open to anyone who wishes to achieve and/or maintain abstinence. They’re not religious in nature and therefore not attached to any religion or spiritual group. They are also not governed or connected to any outside groups or organizations.
Women for Sobriety (WFS)
WFS is one nonprofit organization focused specifically on the needs of women in recovery, WFS hosts a New Life Program that uses 13 acceptance statements to help women modify self-destructive thoughts and behaviors for a full and healthy life free from alcohol and drugs. Those who join are to spend time each morning and each evening thinking about the 13 acceptance statements and how they apply to their lives. These purpose of these statements is to help women to think more positively about themselves and to help them take ownership of their own lives and recovery.
Their meetings do provide peer support and aid in changing negative thoughts to more positive ones, thus helping to make changes for the better. They believe that by providing a better understanding of the one, a person can then have a more full and balanced life. Participants are taught coping skills and stress management through a WFS recovery support group program.
Al-Anon
Al-Anon, is not really for alcoholics, but is a support group for family members of alcoholics. The effects of alcoholism usually results in emotionally destructive behavior, and spouses and children often endure the bulk of these outbursts. Although there may be no abuse, it can be extremely difficult to watch a loved one spiral out of control. This group tries to offer a supportive environment to discuss and share feelings about this painful disease.
Alcoholic support groups and programs can be highly beneficial in sustaining sobriety and helping to minimize relapse. Research data shows that actively participating in AA makes a person twice as likely to remain abstinent.
Because there are a lot of support groups out there, people can choose one that fits them best. Getting membership to these groups can provide a sense of belonging to help dispel the isolation that addiction can often instill. Belonging to a sober community is important in recovery, and it can be very helpful to surround oneself with others who share similar experiences and goals for the future. At the end of the day, recovery support groups provide a nonjudgmental environment for fellowship and healing.
Treatment Options
Residential Treatment Centers (RTC):
Residential Treatment Centers go by many names, and offer a variety of treatment approaches. They are sometimes called clinics, rehabs, recovery homes or houses, retreats, halfway houses, or sober homes. The most common approach used by RTCs is one that addresses the medical needs of the individual while offering a 12 Step program that includes workshops, group meetings and individual counseling. The inclusion of the 12 Step component is sometimes, but not often, omitted as there is controversy regarding the definition and interpretation of the 12 Steps’ use of the words ‘God’ and ‘Spirituality’.
Residential Treatment Centers (RTC):
Residential Treatment Centers go by many names, and offer a variety of treatment approaches. They are sometimes called clinics, rehabs, recovery homes or houses, retreats, halfway houses, or sober homes. The most common approach used by RTCs is one that addresses the medical needs of the individual while offering a 12 Step program that includes workshops, group meetings and individual counseling. The inclusion of the 12 Step component is sometimes, but not often, omitted as there is controversy regarding the definition and interpretation of the 12 Steps’ use of the words ‘God’ and ‘Spirituality’.
Out-Patient Facilities:
Out-patient facilities serve individuals who can’t afford the time or expense of a residential treatment facility. They often offer a wider range of choices for both addicts and their families. These choices can include counseling, group meetings, family support, crisis support, relapse prevention workshops, as well as support and training for school staff, employers, pregnant women, and parents with addiction issues.
Individual Counseling:
Most counselors combines cognitive-behavioral, motivational, insight, and goal oriented therapies.
The process will look something like this: You and the counselor will examine your challenges, you will determine what you want from the therapy, goals will be described and set, and a course of action will be implemented. This will be sustained with on-going sessions until you and the counselor determined otherwise. Counselors are also able to recognize physical and psychological issues that are beyond their training, and direct you to the help you might need.
A skilled and well-trained counselor will approach each client as a unique individual with challenges that require a custom fit. If a counselor states or implies that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to addiction recovery, then they are neither skilled nor well-trained. Their therapeutic style must be empathic, client centered, and flexible regardless of whether they accept the disease model or the life-process model of addiction.
Individual Counseling:
Most counselors combines cognitive-behavioral, motivational, insight, and goal oriented therapies.
The process will look something like this: You and the counselor will examine your challenges, you will determine what you want from the therapy, goals will be described and set, and a course of action will be implemented. This will be sustained with on-going sessions until you and the counselor determined otherwise. Counselors are also able to recognize physical and psychological issues that are beyond their training, and direct you to the help you might need.
A skilled and well-trained counselor will approach each client as a unique individual with challenges that require a custom fit. If a counselor states or implies that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to addiction recovery, then they are neither skilled nor well-trained. Their therapeutic style must be empathic, client centered, and flexible regardless of whether they accept the disease model or the life-process model of addiction.
Beliefs and Understandings
Disease Model:
The disease model of addiction is built upon evidence based theories. At the heart of this concept is the evidence that all drugs (cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, methamphetamine, tobacco, and...) activate pathways in the brain that control the degree to which we want something. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is released when pleasure is experienced, and all drugs activate its release. Paula Riggs, M.D. an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Colorado stated during an HBO program on drug addiction that drugs are 5 times more compelling than those things that we are normally compelled to want like food and sex. She states that they commandeer our brain reward system and drive our behavior. These two points, the brain reward system and the resulting behaviors, are at the heart of the disease model and the subsequent medical approach to recovery. Treatment includes medication to deal with the biological components while counseling deals with the behavioral components. This brain-centered understanding views the biological and behavioral as inseparable. It does not challenge an individual's free-will and responsibilities, but does explain that an addicted person's will is contending with very powerful influences, and that without help they will most likely succumb to those influences rather than make the rational choice of discontinued use.
Life-Process Model:
Proponents of the life-process model of addiction reject the disease model claiming that addiction is a habit that develops as a result of a locus of satisfaction and coping which can only be addressed by way of social relationships and life experiences. Supporters of the life-process reject the validity of recent scientific evidence, or the interpretation of that evidence, and the use of the word disease. They do not deny that physical mechanisms at play account for aberrant behaviors, but believe that the individual can regain control through strength of will and by repairing personal and social relationships.
Fellowships
In the world of substance addiction recovery, ‘Fellowship’ refers to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and any of the other groups of individuals gathering together to tell their story of addiction and to help and support each other through challenges and difficulties. There are organizations dealing with addiction to gambling, sex, cocaine, pornography, over-eating, and more. What all of these ‘fellowships’ have in common is the use of AA’s 12 Step approach to recovery.
The 12 Step approach, in a nutshell, is that the addict is powerless over their relationship with a substance or a behavior, as a result, aspects of their life have become unmanageable, unbearable, or unacceptable, and that they need help from something outside of themselves in order to recover. If they could have managed a recovery on their own, they would have done so.
Different types of support groups
for alcoholism recovery
Being addicted to alcohol is miserable, as it is a complex vicious circle that leads to mental problems besides physical damages. Those who are alcoholics will need more than just treatment. Treatment will be meaningless if the addict starts drinking again and so, in addition to therapists, there are many other health institutions that offer viable outpatient treatment programs. The institutions can be quite effective if the patient is willing to get rid of this addiction and also has family support. Recovering addicts that do not want twenty four hour supervision, can opt for counseling to help cure them of this mental disease.
Also apart from counseling, support groups have proved very effective in the recovery process. One should note that this is not a single part process that works in exactly the same way for everyone. Lots of individuals have different reasons for this addiction and if the cause is addressed properly then it becomes easier to treat this disease.
Finding the contact information for interactive support groups and other similar programs on the internet is easy. These programs are excellent choices for those in rational recovery especially for those who are heavy drinkers. The really good programs can help you at any given point within your recovery process. The whereabouts of such groups can be found easily.
At times during group therapy sessions, a group could be moderated by professionals. There are also support groups that hold self help or support meetings free of charge. Either of the two cases, the group therapy sessions are very helpful for the patients suffering from addiction.
These meetings can also be a part of clinical therapy where patients having the same problem as you, share their issues regarding addiction.usually it is through thses discussions that alcoholics realize that there are a lot of similarities as to how you and other members of the group suffer addiction. This method helps them learn different coping strategies from each others’ experience.
Right there in the support group, there are people who have come a long way through the recovery process. It is through these meetings, that you would realize that someone initially might have had the same problems as you might be having now. Knowing this will boost your hope and give you an incentive to stay in the recovery and it will take some time before you can completely get rid of this addiction.
And so you are presented with a platform where you can get some of the things off your chest for example, if you never had a family with whom you could share your problems then this is the place where you can say it all. Most times though, it is not so easy for your family to understand problems of your addiction but the people who had the same experience as you, would be able to comprehend it in a better way. Those who belong to a group where they can share their troubles find their burdens easier to bear.
And so thisp is the process of alcohol addiction recovery but unless you, yourself, are not willing to improve your condition, nothing can be done to help you. But if you are are determined to rid yourself of this habit, there are some of the best group sessions offered by local professional or rehab programs that have an outstanding reputation.
Types of Support Groups
One can find several kinds of support groups and recovery programs. Lots of individuals begin participating as part of a structured addiction treatment program and continue attending the same groups after treatment concludes. Below are examples of the most common recovery support groups include:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most well-known recovery support groups, AA is a self-help peer support organization open to anyone who battles alcohol abuse concerns and wishes to remain abstinent. Alcoholics Anonymous program follows a 12-Step format that asks its members to admit that alcohol has been in control of their lives and to turn themselves over to a higher power. For those who decide to follow with the 12 Steps, members will list their faults and apologize to those who they may have wronged on their path to redemption. Once you are done with the 12 Steps, members are then encouraged to share their journey, offering their service to others in recovery, potentially as a sponsor for someone else who is new to the program. Avoiding alcohol completely is the only requirement for membership in AA. Alcoholics Anonymous support group accepts all people of all religions, genders, races, and ages, and is open to all who wish to remain sober. You should note that AA is highly spiritual, although it is nondenominational and nonprofessional. Joining the group is free, and privacy is protected; all groups are anonymous and do not share membership information with others. It is reported to have 2 million members and more than 100,000 groups meeting in 181 countries, AA is a massive organization with various different groups, meeting formats, and options available to support recovery.
SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) Recovery
This group is a non-12-Step program, SMART Recovery focuses on a Four-Point Program that helps individuals to build motivation; manage cravings, emotions, and behaviors; and learn how to live a well-balanced life. It is known that SMART helps people to become self-reliant and uses researched-based techniques to foster and sustain recovery. Those who want to participate can join a local group and attend face-to-face meetings as well as receive online and virtual support. This group is a nonspiritual alternative to AA, SMART Recovery programs help individuals learn and develop skills for positive lifestyle changes to aid in sustaining recovery and sobriety.
Moderation Management (MM)
Known as a support group that takes a different approach to recovery, which is different from many support groups as it does not expect full abstinence but, members are able to continue to drink alcohol in moderation. Moderation Management aims at eliminating problematic drinking and negative behaviors associated with them through the Steps of Change. Those who join are asked to keep a drinking diary at first and then to undergo a 30-day period of complete abstinence from alcohol. When the 30 days have elapsed, individuals are then able to reintroduce alcohol in a responsible manner. MM holds the belief that not drinking at all may not be practical for everyone and holds that drinking in moderation may be acceptable. They provide members with tools for managing problem drinking and how to control it. This group can cinduc both virtual and face-to-face meetings as well.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)
This support group is a nonprofit organization, SOS hosts both online and in-person recovery support group meetings for individuals seeking sobriety and those in recovery. Joining this group is free and anonymous with the sole goal being for members to support each other in sustaining sobriety. This support group is autonomous, free, and open to anyone who wishes to achieve and/or maintain abstinence. They're not religious in nature and therefore not attached to any religion or spiritual group. They are also not governed or connected to any outside groups or organizations.
Women for Sobriety (WFS)
WFS is one nonprofit organization focused specifically on the needs of women in recovery, WFS hosts a New Life Program that uses 13 acceptance statements to help women modify self-destructive thoughts and behaviors for a full and healthy life free from alcohol and drugs. Those who join are to spend time each morning and each evening thinking about the 13 acceptance statements and how they apply to their lives. These purpose of these statements is to help women to think more positively about themselves and to help them take ownership of their own lives and recovery. Their meetings do provide peer support and aid in changing negative thoughts to more positive ones, thus helping to make changes for the better. They believe that by providing a better understanding of the one, a person can then have a more full and balanced life. Participants are taught coping skills and stress management through a WFS recovery support group program.
Al-Anon
Al-Anon, is not really for alcoholics, but is a support group for family members of alcoholics. The effects of alcoholism usually results in emotionally destructive behavior, and spouses and children often endure the bulk of these outbursts. Although there may be no abuse, it can be extremely difficult to watch a loved one spiral out of control. This group tries to offer a supportive environment to discuss and share feelings about this painful disease. Alcoholic support groups and programs can be highly beneficial in sustaining sobriety and helping to minimize relapse. Research data shows that actively participating in AA makes a person twice as likely to remain abstinent. Because there are a lot of support groups out there, people can choose one that fits them best. Getting membership to these groups can provide a sense of belonging to help dispel the isolation that addiction can often instill. Belonging to a sober community is important in recovery, and it can be very helpful to surround oneself with others who share similar experiences and goals for the future. At the end of the day, recovery support groups provide a nonjudgmental environment for fellowship and healing.