You may feel ready to continue your recovery on your own, especially if you have already attended alcohol rehabilitation treatment. However, attending an alcohol support group can assist you in continuing where treatment left off and be extremely beneficial to your sobriety. In spite of the fact that it might appear to be pointless in the wake of going to a recovery program, these care groups are really one of the most mind-blowing choices for aftercare (and, surprisingly, as an option in contrast to customary treatment for certain people).
Making Friends and Meeting New People
In the early stages of your alcohol abuse recovery, traditional rehab is an excellent way to receive medications, therapy, and other treatment options. However, these kinds of programs, especially those that involve outpatient treatment in which all patients leave the facility and go home every night, can make it difficult for many people to make friends and meet new people. They typically attend group therapy sessions together, but unlike support groups, this type of interaction does not foster relationships.
“Studies show that people involved in MHGs [mutual-help groups] had more friend support resources than those in outpatient programs,” states the NIAAA. This distinction is especially significant because, during treatment and/or recovery, those who do not have a strong social support system typically experience greater difficulties. When people go to a support group, they can make more friends and connections, which can give them more people to turn to for help.
Flexibility
These particular programs’ adaptability makes it simpler for people to participate in and attend meetings. It can also be especially helpful to those who are having trouble keeping their sobriety up and require comfort at a particular time. People frequently have the option of attending MHGs at convenient times, such as the evenings and weekends, when they are more likely to relapse into drinking. Meeting attendance is also made simpler for people who work or go to school as a result of this.
These programs are more adaptable because of their anonymity and absence of attendance restrictions. “People can attend MHGs as frequently and for as long as they want without… divulging personal information,” according to the NIAAA. Many people may feel more at ease attending meetings and be more likely to return because they won’t be pressured to share if they don’t want to.
In contrast to many other types of treatment, alcohol support groups allow members to attend for as long as they need to. After a long absence, individuals can rejoin these kinds of groups if they discover that attending is essential to better safeguard their sobriety. A person’s overall recovery greatly benefits from meeting times’ adaptability.
Cost-Effectiveness
If you have used what you had to pay for treatment at a rehab center, you probably don’t want to go to more expensive treatments. You may also not have been able to afford to attend a rehabilitation center because of this issue.
Alcohol support groups, on the other hand, are free and do not require insurance. Free programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Secular Organizations for Sobriety, which help patients continue or begin alcohol treatment when they otherwise would not have been able to afford it, attract a large number of people worldwide.
Even if you have already been to rehab, this will be very good for your sobriety because continuing your treatment will only make your recovery stronger. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states, “The provider should ensure a transition to less intensive continuing care to support and monitor individuals in their ongoing recovery” after an intensive treatment program. A support group can help with this for free.
A general support group can help a lot of people, but there are also specific groups for certain groups of people who will benefit from being close to others who have gone through something similar. Some examples include:
Women, teens, LGBTQA people, people who have been incarcerated or abused in the past, and people whose loved ones struggle with alcoholism and dependence can join specific support groups. Al-Anon and Alateen are two groups that are especially good at helping people in these kinds of situations. They can actually make it easier for your friends and family to deal with how they feel about your alcohol problems and make them more likely to be helpful to you when you get sober.
Good Comparison to Formal Addiction Treatment
According to the NIAAA, “AA participants in a 16-year study did as well in achieving abstinence at the 8-year mark as those in formal treatment (approximately 50%), and a group that participated in both AA and formal treatment performed better at years 1 and 3 than formal treatment alone.” As a result, support groups can be used in place of formal treatment for alcohol abuse, and attending both can be even more beneficial than attending just one. A care group can totally help your moderation either all alone or with formal dependence treatment.
Additionally, patients are encouraged to seek the other type of treatment, which is excellent for establishing sobriety. After completing formal treatment, patients often join a support group, and those in support groups may be encouraged to attend other types of counseling, particularly if they are struggling with dual mental disorders.
For alcohol use disorders, support groups receive more requests than any other type of treatment. However they generally are not as viable for those with serious addictions or comorbid issues (like discouragement and bipolar problem), an individual can progress into a care group in the wake of getting more concentrated care and treatment for one of these circumstances.
Helpful Resources
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre