Why are meetings and support groups so important during treatment and recovery? The answer can vary a bit, depending on the person, but they are always a good idea. There is no limit to how many meetings you can attend, and there is never any cost.
You can attend anonymously and can choose to engage as much or as little as you wish. Sometimes, you may feel the need to share what you are thinking or struggling with. Other times, you may choose to listen to others’ stories and find encouragement through their experiences.
Meetings allow you to remain connected during treatment and throughout recovery as you resume normal life obligations and activities. As you know, it is critical to continue to focus on your recovery even after completing treatment.
Meetings can serve as the perfect prompt or reminder to stay on track and can remind you of why you make the decision each day to stay clean. They are a free, accessible resource to help you stay focused on your recovery goals.
Accountability
Perhaps one of the most beneficial things about making it to meetings frequently is the accountability that can be established. Many outpatient programs require meeting attendance regularly as part of the treatment plan. Even if not, it is often encouraged to attend meetings on a consistent basis.
This suggestion is partly due to the encouragement you can receive from others who are also in recovery. When you attend meetings regularly, you develop a support network of like-minded people who can motivate and uplift you when you need it.
Friendships can even develop through attending meetings. Upon entering treatment, it can be common to lose friends as a result of your new, sober lifestyle. It is incredibly important to surround yourself with people who will support you and encourage you to do the right thing following treatment and throughout recovery. This can mean avoiding certain people you used to hang out with and avoiding certain places or environments. Meetings and support groups provide excellent opportunities to build new, positive relationships with others who are also striving to maintain sobriety.
Focus and Priority
Prioritizing treatment and recovery can sometimes be difficult if you live a busy life and have many distractions and obligations. Following inpatient treatment, everyday life picks back up and it can be difficult to continue to devote the same level of focus to your sobriety and recovery.
During outpatient programs, because they are designed to allow for flexibility, it can be easy for distractions to pull your focus away from the services recommended to you. While these programs are designed to allow you to continue with your daily life activities, you still must prioritize your treatment plan and services.
By attending meetings and engaging in discussions about your struggles, you can be reminded of what is really important. Even after a long day of work or school, making the effort to attend a meeting or group is well worth the trouble. Studies show that attending meetings can drastically increase the likelihood of long-term sobriety.
Support and Community
Support groups and meetings offer a sense of community. Addiction and recovery can leave you feeling very isolated at times, thinking that others just do not understand what you are going through. Surrounding yourself with others who have been through similar situations and hearing their methods of coping can be very helpful.
Meetings can also be a safe space for sharing negative thoughts or discussing what you may be struggling with. Others are there to help give advice, support, and hope based on their personal experiences.
Everyone has good days and bad days in life. During recovery, the bad days can make relapse more probable, particularly if the bad days are feeling a little too consistent. Getting support from others by attending meetings can help keep you motivated and optimistic, despite difficult times.
Meeting Finder
Finding meetings to attend can often serve as a barrier for some. Whether this serves as an excuse or is actually a difficulty, there are ways to find meetings near you easily.
Using a recovery app with a meeting finder feature, you can quickly locate meetings within close proximity to your exact location. Let’s say you are out of town for work or enjoying a family vacation and find yourself in need of some support. Don’t let unfamiliar territory deter you from getting the help you need. By entering your location in the app, you can easily access options and important details pertaining to meetings available near you.
Making it to meetings or support groups regularly is critical to your recovery success. Maintaining that connection to the process following treatment or as part of an outpatient program is critical to staying focused and on track. By prioritizing meeting attendance, you can significantly increase your likelihood of long-term sobriety. Renaissance Ranch offers a variety of group therapy services and educational groups to address your needs. After completing our inpatient treatment program, we encourage continued engagement through our group therapies, as well as participation in alumni activities and programs. If you or someone you care about is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and could benefit from one of our treatment programs or services, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let us provide you with the long-term support you need to turn your life around and stay on track throughout recovery. To begin your journey to recovery, call (801) 308-8898 today.