What Peer and Mutual-Help Groups Provide
Peer and mutual-help groups provide shared support to members who are recovering from alcoholism or substance use disorders. Members share their experiences, coping strategies, and successes and failures in overcoming drug abuse problems. Group participation can be useful for building and maintaining motivation, finding community and acceptance, and reducing the feelings of isolation that accompany addiction and recovery.
Peer groups can play an important role during or following professional care.
Most peer support groups are facilitated by other members of the group who share a common experience with substance abuse problems. The facilitator does not have to be professionally trained in counseling.
Peer and mutual-help groups provide shared values and common goals to help people achieve the behavioral changes they are seeking. Participants in these groups share a problem or concern and learn from each other through their interactions. These groups often serve as an adjunct to professional treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, but also can be beneficial for individuals with no formal treatment history. Mutual-help groups can offer support, encouragement, feedback, and companionship.
Groups vary widely from meeting to meeting, so it's important to try different groups until you find one that meets your needs.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) - AA meetings allow members to share personal experiences with alcoholism, discuss strategies for coping with stressors and triggers without drinking, and offer support and encouragement to one another as they work toward their recovery goals.
Twelve-Step Meetings Such as AA
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings focus on shared experiences. Group members share their personal stories of how alcohol affected their lives, and they discuss what helps them stay sober. People in recovery are encouraged to attend AA meetings regularly to gain greater insight into themselves and their actions.
AA members are also encouraged to take "steps" toward overcoming their disease: They must admit that they have a problem, make amends for the harm their drinking caused others, and live one day at a time.
There is no requirement that someone seeking help join AA or attend a meeting. However, many people find comfort in hearing similar experiences of struggle with alcohol.
A sponsor and regular attendance can provide a valuable layer of support.
If you'd like to speak with someone who has recovered from alcohol addiction, consider looking for an Alcoholics Anonymous mentor or "sponsor." A sponsor is a peer who can give you guidance based on their own experience. You'll meet with your sponsor regularly for one-on-one conversations.
In addition to AA, there are other 12-step fellowships for people with substance use disorders or alcoholism.
SMART Recovery and Non-Twelve-Step Choices
Secular and research-based groups differ from AA because they don't have a spiritual component. SMART Recovery is a self-management support program that teaches people how to overcome addictions through its four-point system: 1) building motivation, 2) coping with urges, 3) managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and 4) balance in life.
Secular and research-based groups differ from Twelve Step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). SMART Recovery is a cognitive-behavioral, nonconfrontational group that uses motivational tools to help members abstain. While many people do well in AA, those who prefer not to attribute their problems to sin or to believe in a higher power can be helped by SMART and similar groups.
Non-twelve-step choices include SMART Recovery and LifeRing.
SMART stands for Self-Management And Recovery Training. It is a 4-point program that is secular and science based. SMART offers weekly meetings where members discuss their recovery and how to apply the tools they learn in the program. Meetings are moderated by volunteers who have experience with addiction or mental health issues and receive training from SMART.
The 4 points are: building and maintaining motivation, coping with urges, managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and balancing moments of serenity with taking positive action.
LifeRing and Women for Sobriety offer alternatives that emphasize the importance of mutual support, but have different approaches from AA. SMART Recovery is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and offers a four-point program designed to empower you to change your thoughts, behavior, and emotions. The LifeRing program relies more on self-directed change through developing healthy behaviors. Women for Sobriety helps women overcome barriers to sobriety by learning how to manage emotional problems and find fulfillment in life.
This group is designed by women who are in recovery for women who are in recovery. It helps members develop their self-esteem while emphasizing positive thinking, honesty with oneself, and commitment to sobriety.
Like SMART Recovery, LifeRing focuses on secular, non-religious support groups for people in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other substances. The goal is to achieve sobriety and build a fulfilling life without the use of drugs or alcohol.
Meetings Built for Families
Al-Anon and Alateen meetings support relatives and friends whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. Al-Anon members are people just like you who share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with each other in order to solve their common problems. No one is "in charge" or is going to tell you what to do or how to run your life. The group offers no advice but provides a forum where you can find comfort, learn from others, build a support network, and reduce feelings of isolation.
You don't have to be a member of Al-Anon or Alateen to come to meetings, just willing to listen and learn.
Meetings built for families include Al-Anon and Alateen. These are peer-led mutual support groups that focus on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the experience of family members who have had a person with alcohol use disorder in their lives. Members share personal experiences and gain new perspectives.
Relatives coping with another person's drinking can feel isolated. That's why Al-Anon offers meetings that are designed specifically for them. Al-Anon is based on the 12 Steps, similar to AA, but it focuses on the needs of the family members. It provides a safe place where relatives and friends can share their thoughts and experiences in an effort to overcome feelings of shame, guilt, anger, and fear that often accompany problems with alcohol.
Family members of people struggling with addiction can play an important role in their loved one's recovery. To help you support your loved ones' efforts to stay sober, SMART Recovery hosts meetings for family and friends.
The focus is on building skills that will help you cope with the challenges involved in helping someone who struggles with alcohol or drug problems, while taking care of yourself. The program encourages participants to learn more about addiction and how it affects their loved one's thinking and behavior. This knowledge helps you better understand your loved one's behavior, which leads to more realistic expectations.
The SMART Recovery Family & Friends group provides practical support for family members of people with alcohol use disorder.
Combining Groups With Clinical Care
Medications and counseling remain clinical tools.
Peer specialists do not diagnose or provide substance use disorder treatment, like counseling or therapy.
Peer specialists are not clinicians and cannot diagnose substance use disorders, provide clinical interventions such as drug therapy, administer medical services, prescribe medication, or give medical advice.
Combining groups with clinical care keeps people focused on sobriety and helps reinforce recovery goals.
Many alcoholics who attend AA also receive treatment at professional counseling centers or clinics. Treatment programs often combine 12-step methods with behavioral therapy, individual or group counseling.
Clinical counseling and mutual-help groups can address alcohol use and other mental health issues.
Peer Recovery Support Through Georgia Public Systems
GCAL professionals provide telephonic crisis help. They can dispatch mobile crisis teams.
Additionally, GCAL will help connect individuals with a state-funded provider in their area.
Across Georgia, Community Service Boards form the basis of the safety net for behavioral health, substance use, and developmental disability services.
Peer recovery support specialists work directly with people in recovery from substance use disorders to help them live healthier lives and experience the benefits of long-term recovery.
Recovery coaches bring lived experience plus training and supervision to assist others in initiating and maintaining recovery.