5 Things You Should Know About Support Groups For Alcoholism

To recover from an alcohol addiction, you go through a treatment program designed for your situation. Each person will have a slightly different experience, but they’ll all need various types of counseling sessions to help them to beat the addiction, initially. Once you get past the first stage of being sober, you will need recovery maintenance to help you stay on track. Counselors may request you take part in support groups for alcoholism. However, there seems to be some negativity towards these kinds of groups. To help you better understand how beneficial support groups are, let’s explore 5 things you should know about them.

Support Groups for Alcoholism Show You’re Not Alone

Alcoholism affects many people, from all walks of life. Support groups allow some of these people to meet together, get to know each other and feel a sliver of hope knowing there are others out there going through the same thing. Just meeting those in the same boat as you are, can be enough to motivate your drive for an alcohol-free goal. It’s uplifting to know you alcohol didn’t single you out for this problem; it didn’t just pick you.

Others are right there with you, experiencing the same struggles every day. Imagine having a group of people that have gone down the same path as you and know exactly what you’re feeling or experiencing. And, like you, they all felt alone, at some point in their recovery, as well. You’re not alone in this struggle, alcoholism is a problem for many. Support groups help you find each other so you can support one another as you work towards an alcohol-free life.

A Support Group Provides Emotional Support and Inspiration

A support group for alcoholism is your best line of defense against low self-esteem and depression. An alcoholic addiction can make you feel like you’re a terrible person like you’re too far gone to be saved. When you open up to others, who know exactly what you’re going through, you get people that will offer advice, cheer you on, or even give you a shoulder to cry on, if that’s what you need. Having that kind of backup from people that really understand what you’re feeling, can be inspirational.

Your alcoholic addiction doesn’t seem as challenging as it looked before. The advice you receive from them holds more weight, with you, because it comes from people who have been there and done that. It’s comforting to know others have gone before you and either had success or had to turn around and find another strategy. If they’re not giving up on their goals, why should you?

Support Groups Offer Accountability for Your Alcoholism Recovery

Support group peers become your recovery friends. Not only will they listen to you with non-judgemental attitudes, but they’re there for you when challenges arise. Each person knows the frustrations any given day can bring, so they become your accountability partners. They want to find success in their own addiction recovery, and they want you to succeed as well. They can help you by holding you accountable for:

• Attending all meetings and counseling sessions
• Making better choices when faced with temptations
• Meeting all the steps you have toward meeting your goals

When left to your own devices in the recovery process, it’s too easy to justify to yourself that one drink won’t matter. It’s too easy to skip one counseling session because you’re too tired. Having partners to hold you accountable, to nudge you out the door, or to stop you from having that one drink, is invaluable. Accountability means that people care about you and your recovery process. You can only get that kind of care from support groups.

Support Groups Give You the Chance to See How Alcoholism Affects Others

Alcoholism can play tricks with your mind. It can make you believe those close to you are just blowing it up out of proportion. That you don’t really have the problem, they say that you have. Alcohol hides the dangers it causes to your relationships, so you may not realize just how far into your addiction you really are. Hearing the stories that the others share in the group, can help you see Alcoholism for the problem that it is.

Your eyes will open to just how much your loved ones are hurting by your actions and by seeing you in this state. Or, you could see how much alcohol damaged someone else’s relationships and it will inspire you to succeed so you don’t have to experience that in your life. Knowing what someone else went through may just be the push you need to fight toward your alcohol-free goal.

Boosting Self-Confidence by Supporting Others

A support group for alcoholism is a great tool for helping you to achieve your goals. Receiving support helps tremendously, but so does supporting others. Having the chance to give back to new members boosts your own self-confidence and can inspire you to try even harder to beat your own alcoholic problem. Sharing your story with new members or others helps to validate your experience to yourself, which, in turn, inspires them to take that first step towards their own goal.

Also, offering support to your peers in the group shows that they’re just human like you are. They aren’t perfect and they fall behind a few steps now and then. You’re not the only one to experience bad days and challenging times. Understanding that helps you want to succeed because your triumph might encourage them. By helping others, you’re also helping yourself in the long run.

Support groups for Alcoholism are an invaluable asset to your recovery in more ways than one. Getting support from your counselors is great, but sometimes all you need is that extra nudge you can only get from a member or two from your group. If you’d like more information about support groups or you want to get signed up for one right away, call us at 866-754-9113