Alternatives to AA for Addiction Support

The Sober Mommies Facebook Page provides a safe, understanding and judgment-free platform where women balancing recovery and parenting can share encouragement, support and resources. The Facebook page, which has over 17,000 followers, offers daily inspiration, articles, and conversations about mothers in recovery. Hello Sunday Morning’s blog provides inspirational and informational articles, and its website offers helpful information and resources concerning alcohol, addiction, and recovery. They welcome and embrace anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ in the AA fellowship for meetings, providing that extra little bit of helpful support. They also feature a newsletter and plenty of resources for those who want some additional information online.

She says while people want to avoid shaming or labeling, there can be therapeutic value in “owning the term” and identifying as an “alcoholic”, a tenet of AA. But Benton says it makes sense that people like Smith, who admit they lose control at times over their drinking but don’t feel they are alcoholics would hesitate to join AA. Sober Mommies is a 501 non-profit organization that supports women in recovery by offering encouragement, information and resources.

Zemore SE, Subbaraman MS, Tonigan JS. Involvement in 12-step activities and treatment outcomes. Timko C, DeBenedetti A, Billow R. Intensive referral to 12-step self-help groups and 6-month substance use disorder outcomes. Saha TD, Compton WM, Chou SP, Smith S, Ruan WJ, Huang B, … Grant BF. Analyses related to the development of DSM-5 criteria for substance use related disorders 1. Toward amphetamine, cocaine, and prescription drug use disorder continua using Item Response Theory. Kelly PJ, Deane FP, Baker AL. Group cohesion and between session homework activities predict self-reported cognitive-behavioral skill use amongst participants of SMART Recovery groups. Kelly JF, Magill M, Stout RL. How do people recover from alcohol dependence?

Addictions

A related limitation is that, because of our reliance on internet data collection, our data may include fraudulent cases (i.e., multiple surveys completed by the same respondent). Although we employed extensive measures to eliminate such cases, we cannot be sure that we were entirely successful. The most likely consequence of data fraud is probably attenuation of effects.

AA has helped numerous people recover from an alcohol addiction, and its sister organization, Narcotics Anonymous, or NA, has helped numerous people recover from a drug addiction. Is free, as well as a new membership program that offers more virtual meetings, a community forum, group coaching, and more. If you’re a sober mom in need of help and extra support, this may just be the place for you. Check on rehabnearme.

Women-Led Communities

One of the self-help programs offered by WFS is the New Life Program. With New Life, participants follow the thirteen acceptance statements of the program. You can even participate in New Life as a stand-alone program if you wish.

Cloud RN, Besel K, Bledsoe L, Golder S, McKiernan P, Patterson D, Ziegler CH. Adapting Motivational Interviewing strategies to increase posttreatment 12-step meeting attendance. Mutual help group participation, satisfaction, and cohesion by primary group in the PAL sample. Those experiencing depression and anxiety can develop self-management techniques learned in therapy. Speaking with a psychologist can help you better understand your alcohol addiction.

However, each group has its own terminology regarding that role (e.g., the term is “moderator” in WFS and “facilitator” in SMART), and conveners may have slightly different functions. For example, conveners may take a more or less active role in facilitating the discussion; may or may not present readings and other didactic material; and may or may not perform other services, such as assisting with the annual conference. Qualifications and training requirements also differ across groups.

Sober Black Girls Club

A search bar on the website helps you find GaL-AA meetings in your area. An online chat room, accessible through the forum, to offer real-time support. Online support group meetings, facilitated by certified moderators and chat leaders. Women for Sobriety is a 501 non-profit organization founded in 1975 to help women find happiness in recovery.

Meanwhile, findings for high levels of participation, satisfaction, and cohesion among members of the mutual help alternatives suggest promise for these groups in addressing addiction problems. The positive aspects include support from others who are going through the same thing, a sense of community, and a focus on abstinence. The negative aspects can include the fact that some people find the program too religious or preachy, and that it can be difficult to find an AA program that fits with your specific needs. Overall, AA programs can be an excellent option for many people struggling with alcoholism, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before deciding if it’s the right choice for you. Utilizing a research-based foundation instead of using a spiritual approach, the SMART Recovery program developed techniques and methods using scientific research and evidence to support its members.

12-step groups are beneficial because you follow clear steps that allow you to observe your progress. However, many 12-step groups have their own rules for you to follow or guidelines that may be slightly different from other recovery programs. Elena Hill, MD; MPH received her MD and Masters of Public Health degrees at Tufts Medical School and completed her family medicine residency at Boston Medical Center. She is currently an attending physician at Bronxcare Health Systems in the Bronx, NY where she works as a primary care physician as well as part time in pain management and integrated health. Her clinical interests include underserved health care, chronic pain and integrated/alternative health.

3. Mutual Help Group Participation, Cohesion, and Satisfaction

This means that it is difficult to rule out possible self-selection biases. Additionally, it was not possible to recruit directly from 12-step groups in the way that we did for WFS, LifeRing, and SMART, as AA and its counterparts do not participate directly in research. Thus, we used an internet sample for 12-step comparisons here that may differ in some ways from 12-step members broadly.

• With a Reddit account, you can protect your privacy and stay anonymous.
• Further, results are generalizable only to individuals with a lifetime AUD.
• Hypotheses were partially informed by the most recent available data from internal surveys conducted by AA , WFS , LifeRing , and SMART .
• Additionally, it was not possible to recruit directly from 12-step groups in the way that we did for WFS, LifeRing, and SMART, as AA and its counterparts do not participate directly in research.
• No higher power is required in the LifeRing Secular Recovery system.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a well established program for maintaining sobriety and has been so prevalent in the recovery community that it has become synonymous with recovery. An estimated 2 million members work through the 12 steps worldwide, and AA literature has been translated into more than 100 languages. Loosid is a full-service sober app for people in recovery to find a like-minded community of over 140,000 individuals. The app features recovery tools, including a dating app and daily sober tips. Also known as TLC, The Luckiest Club is an online recovery community where members get access to daily sobriety meetings, a members-only forum, monthly workshops and group coaching with trained leaders. Whether you choose a more traditional support group like AA or go another route to help you achieve long-term recovery goals, research backs the effectiveness of finding a community of like-minded people.

This means that those with good access to the internet are likely to be over-represented in our sample. We took several measures to obtain the most representative samples possible given these constraints, such as using a wide range of recruitment strategies for our mutual help alternatives that included recruitment from in-person meetings. We also compared our data to internal survey data, finding few major differences in key demographics—with the important exception of over-representation of women in our 12-step sample.

They offer support groups both online as well as in person, and have volunteers who do one-on-one support over the phone. It’s a great place to connect with fellow ladies for some support in sobriety. Café Re acknowledges that it is very difficult to quit drinking by yourself. That’s why alcoholism treatment & alcohol rehab this community is a private, confidential Facebook group for those who want to find a new life. Its goal is to get rid of the stigma surrounding alcohol use disorder for everyone who wants to quit, including those who have failed once or twice before (like the community’s founder, Paul).

rehabs.com

LifeRing welcomes people of all faiths and supports recovery methods that rely on the effort of the individual rather on divine intervention. 12-Step recovery groups provide new members with a 10 most common reasons for addiction relapse sponsor who is active in the group, has worked the 12 Steps, and can provide a high level of support at any time. The sponsor becomes the key contact during a relapse or high-risk situation.

They are further encouraged to repeat these statements each morning, reflect upon them during the activities of their day, and to evaluate how you are integrating them into your life in the evening. Sober Black Girls Club holds group meetings for Bipoc and queer participants, offers a mentorship program similar to AA’s sponsorship system, and manages a medical fund to help members with rehab-related healthcare expenses. Membership is free, and the group’s operational costs are paid for with donations and Oluwatoyin’s personal funds. To sustain the community that soon formed, McKowen implemented a subscription fee and hired employees to lead more meetings; currently, access to The Luckiest Club’s group sobriety meetings is $22 a month. Sarah Allen Benton is a clinical consultant at the Strathmore House, a sober living program in Boston, Massachusetts.

Unlike many support group-based programs, your Ria Health journey is led by healthcare professionals and addiction experts. They can customize treatment to your personal goal, whether that’s drinking less tips on how to stop drinking alcohol or not at all. LifeRing was founded approximately 20 years after WFS, though it has roots in the older and now mostly inactive Secular Organization for Sobriety , founded by James Christopher in 1985.

An earlier version referred to Sober Mom Squad having a membership “into the thousands” by the time it introduced a monthly fee; to clarify, it had social media followers in such numbers but the group says those attending meetings were in the hundreds. It was also amended on 22 September to include a comment from Emily Lynn Paulson and to add that detail that, between the time of interview and publication of the article, Kristi Tanner launched her own business relating to women and sobriety. The She Recovers Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization dedicated to providing in-person opportunities for women in recovery to connect at a local level. She Recovers Together Meetup Groups are facilitated by local volunteers and are generally free, although a minimal donation may be requested for space rental fees. Yearly retreats provide opportunities for women in recovery to meet up in exotic locations for a weeklong, intensive recovery and support program.