Many people don’t know the recovery options that are available to them when they choose to get sober. The good news is that there are many to choose from. In fact, many people utilize multiple methods of recovery. One highly effective tool in recovery is the “recovery meeting.”
Better Understanding Recovery Meetings
Recovery meetings are places where like-minded people go to get sober and help others get sober in the process. They also offer a safe space for people to open up about any struggles that they may be having.
Now, there are many types of recovery meetings. However, the most popular and well-known are 12-Step recovery meetings.
What Is 12-Step Recovery?
12-Step recovery can be critical for long-term recovery. This is because there is strength in numbers. The recovery meetings utilized in 12-Step recovery can help people relate to those who have had similar experiences and provide a safe space for discussing issues like stigma that is often faced.
These meetings are also a great place to avoid a potential relapse. The primary text of 12-Step recovery (often referred to as The Big Book) discusses how working with others is one of the best ways to avoid a relapse. The chapter, “Working With Others,” states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. It works when other activities fail….You can help when no one else can.” There are also many holistic healing methods that can help one recover while they are also going to recovery meetings.
Using Recovery Meetings and Holistic Healing
Many effective holistic healing methods can help one to recover from addiction. This includes holistic healing methods like acupuncture, massage therapy, and yoga therapy. These holistic modalities can also be highly effective when used together and with recovery meetings. Many holistic modalities can offer a myriad of benefits. These benefits can be physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. The following are just a few of those benefits:
- Increased positivity and wellness
- Improved breathing
- Better strength and posture
- Acquiring a better sense of self
- Creates empathy
- Connects individuals with new, relatable people
- Encourages spirituality
- Finding a better sense of mental balance and clarity
- Helping one connect with others and heal relationships
- A greater focus on mindfulness
- Reduces anxiety and depression
- Can help individuals who struggle with suicidal ideations
As one can see, these benefits are vast and varied. The key is finding the right types of treatments that work together and sticking to them. Holistic healing methods and recovery meetings also work well with psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
The Benefits of CBT and DBT
CBT can be particularly effective because the individuals engaged with it become more “active participants” in their own recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns…. Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”
DBT also works particularly well at specifically addressing underlying issues of co-occurring mental illness that often accompany addiction. This started with borderline personality disorder (BPD) but has since expanded to most issues. According to the peer-reviewed journal Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, “Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention with a growing evidence base in treating individuals who have received a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Over the past three decades, there have been a number of randomised controlled trials across different sites that have demonstrated the efficacy of DBT in treating individuals with this diagnosis. Results have demonstrated reductions in a number of outcomes associated with BPD, including self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and hospital admissions.”
The key is to find the right modalities that work together for you. This includes finding the right recovery meeting that works for you as well.
Our Primary Purpose at Lantana Recovery
Here at Lantana Recovery, our primary purpose is to help you recover by any means necessary. That is why all of our recovery plans are vast and varied, with a focus on the future. This includes encouraging regular attendance at recovery meetings.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then the time to recover is now. There is no more time to waste. The life you both deserve and desire is waiting. You can do this! We can help.
Recovery meetings can be critical for long-term success. However, many people don’t know what recovery meetings are, how to connect with them, or how to use them to their best advantage. The good news is that there are recovery meetings available in person and online at any time of day or night. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the benefits of recovery meetings, please reach out to Lantana Recovery today at (866) 997-2870.
