In 2017, about 19.7 million Americans who were over the age of 12 struggled with addiction. If you’re in that category, you’re definitely not alone. Because so many people struggle with it, there are plenty of addiction support groups around that can help you deal with your addiction. Don’t be part of the 90% who don’t seek help for addiction.
But is it actually worth it to go? Will it help you have a successful recovery? Keep reading to find out!
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Knowing You’re Not Alone
One of the main reasons that support groups for addicts can be helpful is because it’ll confirm to you that you’re not alone.
Many people who go to their first meeting think that they’re the only ones who are dealing with addiction, even when presented with statistics like the one above.
But when they go to their first meeting, they’re surprised that the people in the group are all going through a similar experience. For some addicts, this can bring some relief to know it’s not just them. Plus, when others are going through the same thing, you can relate and find new ways to explain how you’re feeling.
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Build New Relationships
When you’re dealing with recovery, you may have accidentally pushed away some of your closest friends and family. Some of them may have even decided to leave you.
However, many people still want to hang out with friends who introduced them to alcohol or drugs in the first place. If those friends haven’t been working on recovery, it could be a dangerous trigger for you to hang out with them.
Instead, find some people who have the same sobriety goals as you do.
Recovery can be a lonely path to walk, but if you have a group of people who are all doing it at the same time, you can start building new relationships and making new friends.
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Learn New Information
In a support group, you’ll learn all kinds of new resources and tips to help deal with your addiction. They may share resources, like names of doctors or medication that could help. Some of them may even be able to share what books helped them.
While others might be able to give you coping tips or strategies that worked for them. It might not mean that it’ll work for you, but one of the things you learn might be the key to helping you recover!
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Give Back
If you are a recovered alcoholic or drug addict, going to a support group can mean that you’re willing to help someone else through their journey.
This can help you on your continued journey, but it could also be incredibly rewarding. You don’t have to do anything major, but just going to a support group and talking about your situation could be helpful to someone who was once in your position.
Keep this in mind if you ever question whether or not you still need to attend your group meetings.
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Understand Yourself Better
While going through recovery, you’ll have to do a lot of inner self-work. This might be challenging, especially if you’ve never done that before.
You’ll have to learn things about yourself, and sometimes the best way to do it is by explaining it to other people. Someone may respond in a way that helps you put all the pieces together.
You’ll also be able to learn coping strategies to handle difficult situations, gain insight into your current challenges, and find a way to help you work toward your recovery goals.
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Manage Stress
One big trigger for a lot of addicts is learning how to deal with emotional stress. If you’ve never learned how to deal with it before, a support group can help you find ways to do it.
The people who go are there to listen to you and offer you a safe space to rant and talk about whatever stressors are in your life. You can do this without having to worry about judgment from them.
They’ll also hold you accountable if you end up straying too far down the wrong path.
While they’re there to help you, they’re also there to help you celebrate good moments and milestones (like one week, month, or year sober).
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Affordable
Most people avoid going to support groups because they don’t think that they’ll have the money for it, but most support groups are actually free!
If they’re not, they’re normally available at a lower cost than individual therapy would be. If you are in individual therapy, support groups can still be a great, affordable way to fill in that gap.
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Talk With Support Group Leaders
Lastly, there are normally leaders for the support group who are there to ensure that people stay on-topic and aren’t rude to any of the other members.
But they normally have a lot of expertise and insight to share. Because of their experience and qualifications, they’ll be able to answer questions or address any concerns you have about what you’re going through.
Before you go to a support group, do a little bit of research on the leader to see what expertise they have!
Discover More Reasons Why Addiction Support Groups Are Important
These are only a few reasons why addiction support groups are important to attend, but there are many more benefits!
We know that dealing with addiction is challenging and stressful, but that’s why we’re here to help you out!
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