Having a strong support network is helpful for someone recovering from addiction. When we want to get over an acute addiction or have trouble going through issues by ourselves, having a recovery companion is great so the journey isn’t walked through alone. For someone who is in the middle of the recovery from addiction, they can benefit from having a relatable person to talk to, communicate their frustrations to, and lean on if other people don’t understand their experience.
There’s definitely strength in numbers and even signing up for an AA sponsor is great so you know what other people in your shoes are feeling. Let’s walk through some of the best benefits towards tackling alcohol addiction and opiate addiction in numbers.
Support Group Benefits
Contrary to popular belief, going to an AA sponsor, support group or working with a recovery companion is not as awkward as the movies make it to be. You won’t be forced to tell your deepest secrets or feel traumatized by the reckless personalities that may be in the room. In reality, the people who participate in these support groups are everyday people and just want to gain more accountability and motivation. Some of the best parts of gaining a support group or recovery companion include:
- Your assigned recovery companions are much more personalized to your needs than an AA sponsor. While the sponsor will be able to help you and respond to your texts or calls, they only work during certain hours and won’t be able to get ahold of at any time of the day. A recovery companion feels much more like a close friend who can be there for you whenever you need to them to be. They can help you sort out what your triggers are for relapse since we all might run into the problem at some point while completing treatment. With that in mind, relapse companions are fit to work.
- Your recovery companion knows exactly what you are going through and why you might be feeling a certain way during treatment. These are people who experienced painful addictions and successfully completed rehab treatment from them, so they can help you pinpoint the roots of your problem and what ways you can avoid going back to your old habits. With similar life experiences as you they not only serve as a wise resource but also a trusted connection to keep around for the long run. Having people you trust you can positively influence your lifestyle and health is critical for sobriety to last for a lifetime.
- A recovery companion is great to talk to about alcohol recovery. Often when you start sobriety your current friends and family may not understand your change of habits. If they were the people who condone your behavior, they could judge your new habits or talk down to your choices if they’re not the right people for you. Having a trustworthy recovery companion will be the opposite.Between the stresses of everyday life and the pursuit of a higher purpose to regain your health, you will face temptation as their negative words creep in to your mind. A recovery companion will help build a meaningful relationship with you since they are genuinely interested in your wellbeing and future success.
- You’ll learn about tried and true tactics to deal with withdrawal effects during your drug rehab or alcohol recovery. Sometimes the tips we read online are not always effective or can take several hours to actually work. Your recovery companion will help lend you a hand with tactics they used which helped them get rid of the headaches, dizziness, or fatigue. On the last resor, you can use medication to help with these physical symptoms but going the natural route is usually better so no additional side effects are created in your body.
- Your recovery companion will help you network with other people in the alcohol recovery community for long term growth. The recovery community overall is a very tight and well-maintained group of people who constantly seek improving their lifestyles. If you want to look for a new hobby, a new job, a new club to join in the area or simply a new group of friends, your companion will be able to connect you to key people that can help. People in recovery know what it is like to recuperate from the extensive damage that your addiction left and how you can work towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Find Your Support Growth
If you’re convinced that conquering addiction will take more than yourself, take the time to invest in a recovery companion or a support group who can connect all the dots along your treatment journey. You will have a lot of questions as you navigate sobriety in the beginning of the process as well. With their help you won’t have to feel lost in the dark, caught up in treatment mistakes, or risk falling back to addiction from temptation. They were once in your shoes or are currently in your situation so you will feel supported as much as possible. All groups relay a judgement free rule as well, so you don’t have to attend a session or speak to a stranger with the fear that they will judge your character. If someone does, you can simply leave the room and join a different group.
Look around your community to see what organizations provide recovery companions so you can get started sooner than later. If you are already seeing a counselor for an addiction, they can point you to an accredited place to find one. You never what the possibilities are for your health if you don’t get out the door and explore the opportunities!
