Helping Others in Treatment
The 12-Step method to recovery developed by Alcoholics Anonymous has a proven track record of improving the lives of addicts and helping them to achieve and maintain a sober lifestyle. Getting sober is the first step on a path to a new and healthier lifestyle, but it is important to remember that the work does not stop there. In fact, the work has really just begun.
Although exact figures on the success rates of 12-Step programs are hard to come by due to the programs adherence to maintaining anonymity, the Steps do a more than decent job of providing recovering addicts with a set of guidelines that can provide accountability, support, and a stronger hold on their sobriety.
The 12-Step method is not only influential in helping recovering addicts approach their substance misuse disorders long after initial inpatient or outpatient treatments, it also provides the foundation for a community of like-minded recovering addicts. Through stories and personal connections, recovering addicts are given an opportunity to belong to a supportive community while they work their way to creating a solid foundation of love and understanding.
Although rigorous observance of going through each of the 12 Steps is not always necessary, one pillar of the 12-Step method that Choice House actively promotes is the 12th Step. This final pillar or step of the program focuses on helping other addicts in their recovery process through shared stories, sponsorship, or by simply setting a good example of healthy sober living.
Of course it goes without saying that none of the 12 steps in any form or program would be mandatory and that self-care and preservation is of the utmost importance; maintaining your own sobriety is the number one priority. However, once you get a handle on your own sobriety and get even just a taste of what it is like to give back by helping fellow addicts recover, we feel giving back will automatically seem as if it were already compulsory to you.
The Benefits of Giving Back
Giving back as a compulsory behaviour? That’s a pretty big statement and we at Choice House believe that the benefits to yourself and others are proof enough to back up such a grandiose word choice. Gratitude is such a huge part of the sobriety experience that it goes hand-in-hand with giving back to others.
Many patients who experience sobriety for the first time are overwhelmed with this feeling of gratitude. After struggling for so long to manage an unmanageable addiction, any form of sobriety, a calm in the storm that has been your life, is such a huge relief. As such, sharing these amazing feelings of gratitude with others who have experienced similar struggles seems only natural.
Gratitude in the form of giving back can ease stress and anxiety both physically and emotionally, while also reducing the chances for negative thoughts and behaviours. These negative thoughts and behaviours can create potential triggers and relapses, especially early on in recovery, and reducing those ways of thinking and acting can be one of the most helpful tools along your path to recovery.
How Choice House Facilitates an Environment to Help Recovery Patients
Choice House’s staff is well trained and experienced in assisting recovery patients in their recovery. Choice House also has uniquely set up their programs and various therapeutic modalities to create a welcoming environment for recovery patients to bond and assist one another in the process. Indoor and outdoor group therapy sessions provide the men at Choice House ample opportunities to assist each other in the recovery process through discussion or physical activity.
Aside from the therapy sessions, Choice House’s sober living campus is also ideally set up to create a community of recovering men whose sole purpose is to promote growing independence and a stronger grasp on sobriety. After completing initial treatment and achieving sobriety, men can transition by entering the programs sober living campus. Perhaps an imperfect analogy would describe the campus as a form of training wheels for re-entering society and a more independent lifestyle. This active community is just one more way that Choice House sets up men in recovery to give back through tangible efforts like sharing their story, setting a good example, or even just listening.
How Can You Assist Individuals in Recovery
We have mentioned briefly a few of the methods that can help fellow addicts in recovery, but probably the most effective tool, especially for those in early recovery, is to simply listen. Being supportive and making others feel as welcome as possible goes a long way in helping those new to sobriety better find their footing in recovery.
Later on in recovery, once you have a better handle on sobriety, you may look into speaking at a meeting to share your story or even eventually become a sponsor for someone else . Even then, the greatest gift you can give a fellow recovering addict is still just lending an ear, and by simply listening, you let them know that they are not alone.
If you are interested in giving back on your path to recovering from an addictive disorder and substance misuse, Choice House may be the program that you have been looking for. Located in Boulder County, Colorado, Choice House is uniquely set up to provide men a safe space to not only achieve sobriety but also maintain a sober lifestyle as they transition back into the community. Choice House uses a variety of therapeutic modalities including group therapy options, art therapy, and outdoor wilderness therapy. With the Rocky Mountain State Park literally in Choice House’s backyard, recovery patients have plenty of opportunity to explore and bond with fellow men in recovery through rewarding physical and outdoor activities. We offer a 90 day inpatient treatment program as well as intensive outpatient services that can help you get a handle on addiction and jumpstart the recovery process. Once sober, Choice House’s sense of community involvement does not stop there; with our sober living campus, men can opt to stay in an active recovery community and continue their treatment program without missing a beat. We feel sobriety is achieved through personal bonds that help create the solid foundation for sobriety and we would like to give back and share that experience with you. For more information about Choice House’s paths toward sobriety, please call us at (720) 577-4422.