In 1989, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) started an initiative called National Recovery Month. Every September, this observance raises awareness about substance use and mental health disorders, serves to remove barriers to effective treatment, and celebrates the successes of individuals in recovery. It’s also an opportunity to highlight the vital importance of support found in sober communities and why they are crucial to your long-term health.
Peer Support: One Aspect National Recovery Month Promotes
According to SAMHSA, statistics indicate there are nearly 60 million individuals in the U.S. currently in recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance use disorder (SUD), and any mental illness (AMI). While this is certainly good news, there are still people in need of resources, support, and also access to effective treatment, which is why a campaign like National Recovery Month is so essential.
There are various programs associated with National Recovery Month and SAMHSA, including peer recovery support services provided through the agency’s Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP). “Research has shown that recovery is facilitated by social support, and four types have been identified in the literature: emotional, informational, instrumental, and also affiliational. RCSP projects have found these four types of social support useful in organizing the community-based peer-to-peer services they provide to recovering people.”
The agency uses the following stories, which we provide verbatim, to demonstrate how critical sober support is for people at all stages of recovery.
- Luis says he understands that his AA meeting is not the place to discuss the complications he is encountering with his hepatitis C medications. But, he needs someone to talk to because managing his response to the medications and his recovery at the same time is just too much for him to handle.
- Bodie has been in recovery for a year. He is looking for an opportunity to be of service and to strengthen his recovery by giving back to the community. He loves gospel music and also sings in his church choir.
- Elizabeth tells her treatment counselor that payday is her trigger, and that she needs an alcohol- and drug-free place to go and also socialize on Friday evenings. She adds that it would be helpful if she could bring her children.
- Roger has just been released from jail. He has been clean for the 90 days of his incarceration, and he thinks he can stay clean if he can just find a job and also a place to live with other people in recovery.
Perhaps you see yourself somewhat reflected in these stories, or maybe your circumstances are completely different. But one common factor is that we all benefit when we know we have a community we can count on. “In a peer-helping-peer service alliance, a peer leader in stable recovery provides social support services to a peer who is seeking help in establishing or maintaining his or her recovery. Both parties are helped by the interaction as the recovery of each is strengthened,” RCSP states.
If you don’t have easy access to RCSP-affiliated peer groups, hotlines, and warmlines, you can still seek out key aspects of sober connection and support—and perhaps become a peer leader in certain situations.
Reinforcing Your Sober Community
People in early recovery often need to abandon friends and social networks that once sustained SUD, AUD, and AMI, without having any alternatives to replace them. As you can see from the stories above, a sober support network is crucial to your recovery success. Here are some ideas for addressing the necessary four types of support by SAMHSA/RCSP definitions.
- Emotional
Demonstrate empathy, caring, or concern to bolster a person’s self-esteem and confidence. You can do this through different peer mentoring and peer-led mutual aid groups such as 12-Step programs, SMART Recovery, the National Alliance for Mental Health, Women in Sobriety, and also Tactical Recovery.
- Informational
Share knowledge and information and/or provide life or vocational skills training. This might include taking parenting classes, job readiness training, or a wellness seminar.
- Instrumental
Provide concrete assistance to help others accomplish tasks. Maybe you can be of service to another person in recovery who needs help with child care, transportation, or accessing health and social services.
- Affiliational
Develop contacts with other people to promote learning of social and recreational skills, create community, and develop a sense of belonging. In addition to the emotional touchstones listed above, stay in touch with alumni from your addiction rehabilitation center, get involved in a sports league, volunteer program, or another area of interest, and also use an app such as I Am Sober or WEConnect to meet other people interested in alcohol- and drug-free socialization opportunities.
Create Lasting Connection at the Sobriety Centers of New Hampshire
The Sobriety Centers of New Hampshire has three treatment centers with board-certified professionals offering an evidence-based approach to wellness:
- Recovery Mountain in Tilton, a residence for Veterans and first responders as part of outpatient programming.
- The Lakes Addiction Treatment Center in Laconia, which offers inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient rehabilitation programs for everyone.
- The Atrium House in Atrium, a detoxification and also residential treatment facility for everyone.
From inpatient and outpatient programs to family counseling and group therapy, our board-certified staff is ready to help you create lasting recovery and also affirming connections for life. Ask a member of our admissions team about the individualized care you’ll receive during and after your treatment.