Most recovering addicts would tell you that the road to recovery is a long and somewhat difficult one. Among the many things that help make this road easier is belonging to drug support groups.
Community support groups, religion, and spirituality have helped many addicts stick to their sobriety while also improving the quality of their lives. In fact, one of the popular community groups – the 12-step program – employs spirituality to help addicts live free from addictions.
Drug and alcohol support groups provide a safe space for recovering addicts to share their struggles with and receive encouragement from people who have either overcome the same struggles or are going through the same thing.
The Importance of Community in Sobriety
After treatment therapy for addiction, shouldn’t recovering addicts have all they need to overcome their addiction? Why join a community?
Addiction treatment programs do most of the work, but like every recovering addict knows, sobriety is a marathon and not a sprint. Every day is a new day to choose to be sober. Sometimes, making that decision isn’t easy, and a little nudge in the right direction is all that is needed.
Although family and friends might lend their support, it wouldn’t be the same as a community of other recovering addicts. No one else would understand better the struggles of fighting off cravings than people who are struggling with their cravings as well.
Drug support groups are communities of recovering addicts who provide guidance and support for each other.
Some of the benefits of being in a support group include:
- Meeting new people who share a similar problem with you
- Accountability
- Support from other members during tough times
- Guidance and tips from other members to help conquer cravings
- The sense of belonging to a community of people who understand and share your problem and your goal. Recovery and sobriety can be a lonely journey, so belonging to a community of people with similar problems make the road less lonely.
Different Kinds of Drug and Alcohol Support Groups
There are many super programs dedicated to helping addicts stay sober. Most of them are patterned after the foundations of the first-ever support group for addicts known as the alcoholics anonymous.
The common 12-step support groups for addiction are
- Alcoholics Anonymous
This is a community group for people struggling with alcoholism who are looking to maintain sobriety.
- Narcotics Anonymous
It is a fellowship of individuals that are addicted to narcotics who want to be sober.
- Cocaine Anonymous
It is a support group for cocaine addicts who want to maintain sobriety.
- Marijuana Anonymous
Similar to cocaine anonymous, this support group is for people addicted to marijuana.
- Crystal Meth Anonymous
This support group is for individuals who want to abstain from using crystal meth.
- Dual Recovery Anonymous
Dual diagnosis is an area of addiction treatment that focuses on addictions that co-occur with other mental health conditions. This support group is for individuals who have to struggle with co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders.
Although for different addicts, these drug support groups are very similar in the way they work because they follow the same 12 steps that teach members how to master their cravings and maintain sobriety.
Other support groups don’t work with the 12 steps, and they are known as alternatives to the 12 step program. They include;
SMART Recovery
Known as self-management and recovery training, SMART is an addiction support group that bases its ideologies on science rather than spirituality like all 12 step support groups.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety
This support group is open to individuals struggling with all types of addiction. Its ideologies are based on self-empowerment rather than spirituality.
Reach Out to Hillside Mission Today for Help With Addiction
Hillside Mission Recovery is an addiction treatment center that provides top of the line care and offers aftercare treatment programs. Hillside also has one of the most serene and beautiful luxury treatment centers in Orange County.
At Hillside, we believe that the journey to sobriety starts today, so reach out to us today for help with your addiction.
