You know the feeling you have when you’re with your friends? Knowing you’re a part of something, sharing your thoughts, and having shared experiences? That’s what being in a substance addiction alumni group is like. You know you’re safe when you share and spend time with each other.
Life in Recovery
Whether you have completed or are about to complete alcohol or drug addiction treatment, you should be proud of yourself. You decided to change your life by removing unhealthy influences. As you get closer to the end of your treatment, you can discuss with your therapist what life after treatment may look like for you. You may not have a healthy environment to return to after you leave. Consider entering a sober living residence to help you transition from treatment and find a healthier environment. Sober living homes can also be a place where you can establish your new life through finding a job and a safe place to live. While you’re in sober living or transitioning into your previous life, consider what you want in your recovery.
Once you are back in your environment and around the same people, you have some choices to make. Pay attention to who supports your recovery, which individuals may be sabotaging your recovery, and how you feel. Recovery isn’t a chapter in your book. It is the never-ending story of your life. You will face adversity, experience pain, and have moments of joy. Life is complex, and you may not always be ready to handle what it throws at you. Participating in a 12-Step or alumni group associated with your treatment center can be beneficial for dealing with the uncertainty of life.
The stability you can find in a support or alumni group can also help you navigate life after substance addiction treatment. Structure in your life, such as a schedule, guides you in your quest to create a new normal. A healthy part of your new normal is finding a community dedicated to improving their self-esteem and mental health and sharing ways to avoid boredom. Find a tribe and become part of a recovery community.
The Perks of Being in a Community
A community makes you feel like you are a part of something special, important, or meaningful. Whatever the reason is you decided to join a sober-focused group, there are lifelong benefits. Some of those benefits are:
- The encouragement to go on, even when life trips you up
- Having emotional support in times of need
- Being challenged to become a better person
- People to celebrate the victories and good moments in your life with you
- Increased gratitude for what you have, as a result of a community that provides you with the chance to give back
Building a Support System
Building a healthy support system creates a sense of safety when things go awry. Because life is unpredictable, involvement in a 12-Step, sober-focused support group or an alumni group can aid you in coping with what may come your way. Of course, you can’t control or plan everything, but you can talk with others who have similar experiences. Your fellow group members can also guide you to understand that you need to let go.
The Importance of Fellowship
Alumni groups are examples of an aftercare program dedicated to helping you maintain your sobriety. The people in the group are there to support and motivate each other. They can keep you on track to meet your goals. If you’re wondering why you should join your treatment center’s alumni group, the answer is because fellowship works.
Alumni groups are for those who recently transitioned back into their previous lives, following addiction treatment. When you connect with your treatment center’s alumni group, you meet those who have also completed the program you went through. The goal of those with an extended recovery time is to help you go through your recovery journey. In addition, they are there to keep you connected with the treatment center’s recovery community.
The Alumni Community
You don’t have to live near your treatment center to participate in the center’s alumni group. Joining your center’s alumni group gives you access to your center and alumni groups throughout the country. College alumni chapters are similar to your treatment center’s extended group locations.
Over time, you may be asked to help someone in the group who is struggling to maintain their sobriety. You can encourage the person to remain in touch with their therapist at the treatment center and reach out when they need extra help.
When you remain involved in your alumni group, you also have unlimited resources and chances to learn about addiction, recovery, and relapse prevention. Your treatment center can offer workshops, group therapy sessions, and sessions targeted to help you remain motivated in your recovery.
An added perk of being in an alumni group is the opportunity to volunteer at events. Whether the event is at the center or near you, the chance to share your experience, get together with fellow sober friends, and help educate people is rewarding.
Alumni groups work because they provide support, encouragement, and fellowship. Whether you live near or far away from your treatment center, you can participate and connect with those who have a similar substance addiction treatment experience. Your fellow alumni are there to help you stay true to yourself and motivate you to keep on track. Their goal is to ensure you are a part of something greater than yourself. A substance addiction center that offers alumni groups as a part of their aftercare is committed to remaining in your life. At Renaissance Ranch Treatment Centers, we are committed to your recovery. We don’t leave you once you finish your treatment. Our alumni group, Band of Brothers, offers retreats and events to keep you connected to those who believe in your recovery. You can find comfort in knowing you have fellowship and resources in your community after leaving us. For more information, call (801) 308-8898 today. We welcome your questions.