Addiction Recovery: A Social Model

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If you are new to addiction recovery there is a good chance that you have been scratching your head about many things. Which is more than common. You may be trying to understand how the program works. when nothing else that you tried in the past helped. Looking around the rooms you see scores of people, many of whom with smiles on their face—when you can hardly find anything to be happy about. Our hope is that you do not become discouraged, how you are feeling will in time pass and before you know it early recovery will be long behind you.

It is of the utmost importance that you try your hardest to not overthink the program, to not harp on things that seem to make little sense. Or in some cases, illogical. We assure you that everything you see and hear is part of the formula which has been used to save lives for nearly a century. The keystone of the entire program is spirituality, which manifests itself via the group’s connection. You speak and are heard. Others speak and you listen. And together, we work the problem of “self.”

People often say that Albert Einstein would not have been able to recover from addiction by way of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, et al. They also say that you can’t be too unintelligent to recover, but you can be too smart. Given the fact that most addicts and alcoholics are above average intelligence, the former platitude presents some problems if you let it. The point is; however, that if your best thinking brought you to your knees and in need of the rooms of recovery, then it might be a good time to take suggestions and follow directions.

Hit the Ground of Recovery, Running

On the onset of your introduction to the program it is likely that you will still be a bit foggy. Years of substance use and abuse takes its toll on cognitive function and how you respond to new surroundings. For the first couple weeks, whether in treatment or at a 12-Step meeting, it is vital that one gives their body and mind time to flush the lingering chemicals from their system. After a couple weeks, you may still feel a little down about the loss of your good friend Jim Beam, but you will be in a much better position to be an active participant in the community of recovery.

At such time, you will have probably heard a multitude of people share their story, you may have even shared some of yours. There is a good chance that someone has shared some things about recovery that resonated with you. That may be the first person that you want to approach to discuss sponsorship. Working with another alcoholic or addict is paramount to achieving long-term sobriety. A sponsor is someone who has worked all the steps, and can in turn help you work them. They are essentially, among other things, a guide.

Sponsors also have a role in calling you on you. They will see when you may be slipping or are in a place that seems unhealthy. Giving you a chance to correct course before something bad happens, specifically relapse. Just as someone else calls them out when they appear to be risking their recovery. Together, we provide support for others, just as they provide it to you. When times are hard, and they will be, you always have someone to talk to about your feelings. Without fear of judgment. We implore you to not put off finding a sponsor. We know that you can find a million reasons to not ask someone to sponsor you, and that’s OK. But all you need to do is find one good reason, and the journey of working the steps begins and the gifts that come along with it will surely follow.

The Social Model of Addiction Recovery

Just as 12-Step programs rely heavily on community, so too does effective addiction treatment. At 10 Acre Ranch, our male clients not only go to groups and meetings together, they share a living space. As a result, our clients always have someone they can turn to for a hand, if they are feeling anxious or depressed about their life. Just like what members of AA or NA do for each other in their day to day lives.

The social model of recovery puts people in the ideal position to never leave anything in their program to chance. There is always the fail safe known as the fellowship. Whenever you find yourself in doubt about something, or going to make a life-changing decision, the hand of recovery will always be there.

If you are still out there in active addiction, please contact us today. The longer you put recovery off—the worse it gets.

Your Addiction Recovery On Memorial Day

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This is Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember all the brave American men and women who gave their lives for our great nation. And like most American holidays, it also a time when friends and family gather to celebrate during the three-day weekend. If you are working a program of recovery and plan on attending such gatherings, it is important that you talk about it with your sponsor beforehand and have plan in place if things get shaky.

You do not have to be in early recovery to experience cravings when you are around alcohol. Individuals with significant lengths of time, people who thought their program was strong, have convinced themselves that having just one or two beers at a barbeque was OK. And while such a slip may not lead to a full blown relapse that goes on for an extended period of time, such is often the case. Relapsing is easy, plugging oneself back into the program, having to identify as a newcomer once again is no small feat. But your life depends upon it.

With that in mind, let’s discuss a few things you can do to protect your recovery over the weekend.

Holidays Can Be Hard In Recovery

Whether it is Christmas, New Year’s Eve or Memorial Day—navigating any major holiday can be a real challenge and test in recovery. Even though we all want to believe that our program is secure enough to go anywhere and not pick up a drink or drug, such a belief can be a slippery slope. There is a reason why we talk about the various obstacles in our life on weekly basis with our peers in recovery. In many ways, it serves as a barometer, showing you if you are doing enough for your program. If you are not, your sponsors or others in your homegroup will enlighten you about what else you could be doing. They may ask you if you are volunteering? Are you extending your hand to newcomers? Are you spending enough time around people who have common goals? If not, some changes are likely in order.

If you answered “no” to any of those questions, it is a safe bet that you may not want to be in place or events typified by alcohol use. If you have committed yourself to attending a Memorial Day barbeque, you would be wise to ask another person in the program to go along with you. What’s more, your addiction does not take holidays. Make sure you get to at least one meeting, either before or after attending an event that involves alcohol. There is never any harm in going to two meetings in one day.

Have your phone charged and always by your side. Finding yourself on uncertain ground without a lifeline is precarious to say the least.

Relapse Back to Recovery

Sadly, there will be people in the program who do not take certain steps to protect their recovery this weekend. If that ends up being your story, please do not make the problem worse due to guilt or shame. That is the beauty of the program, your peers will welcome you back with open arms. Your seat at the table will always be there.

On another note, you may need to consider checking back into to treatment. Some relapses go on for a long time. If that is the case, please contact 10 Acre Ranch to for help.

Social Model of Addiction Recovery

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If you are in recovery from addiction or if you are still actively using drugs or alcohol, you are acutely aware of the fact that the disease is typified by solitude. While active users may be accompanied by others spiraling towards a similar bottom, the reality is that you are in fact alone. Nobody is going to support you in any fashion, short of maybe some friends and family members who could be enabling your destructive behavior. Perhaps you are still using and happen to be in a romantic relationship, if so there is good chance that it is unhealthy due to its codependent nature.

The point is that meaningful relationships in active addiction are virtually nonexistent. Even when you are around others, you are in every way alone. Conversely, in active recovery meaningful relationships are in abundance. The social model of addiction recovery centers around relying upon one another for support. It is such relationships that in many ways give you reasons to stay the course, you are there for others and they are there for you.

The road to addiction and beyond is a lonely road, the path to recovery involves walking side by side with others, as equals. It is often said recovery cannot be achieved on one’s own, only with the help of others. And there is plenty of evidence to support such claims.

The Social Model of Addiction Recovery

Isolation for addicts and alcoholics is a destructive behavior. In recovery, much emphasis is placed on getting out of one’s comfort zone and working hard to embrace the power of the group and its lifesaving qualities. At 10 Acre Ranch, we instill in our clients the power of the group. We know if you are feeling down others can assist you in getting back up, and vice versa.

In treatment, you and the other clients take part in groups that become the model for how you will sustain recovery upon discharge via 12 Step recovery. On multiple nights a week, clients are taken to various meetings to see and participate in a program of recovery that has helped countless individuals find a new way of living since the 1930’s.

One learns that a sponsor is not a boss or a parent, but rather a friend who can guide you through the Steps and can give you suggestions for overcoming situations that, left to one’s own devices, could lead to relapse. It isn’t a secret that people with substance use disorders don’t respond well to orders and commands, which is why the social model is so effective. In recovery we are all equals, there is no hierarchy. Through such a format, people can learn what a healthy relationship looks like, they can learn the value of open and honest lines of interpersonal communication.

Recovering Without Distraction

At our Southern California treatment facility, we understand that in early recovery distractions can be counterproductive. The greatest distraction for men is without a doubt the fairer sex. Once the drugs and alcohol are out of your system, people often remember what a sex drive is. How appealing being in the company of women is after years, decades even, of being in a fog. One of the most common routes to relapse in early recovery is without a doubt romantic attachments.

Being in a home surrounded by other males, gives you time to form lasting bonds with other men. It is not uncommon for men who go through treatment together to be friends for the rest of their lives, even if they reside in opposite ends of the country.

If you are still in the grips of addiction, we hope that you will contact us as soon as possible. We can help you break the cycle of addiction and give you the tools necessary for living a life in recovery. Please take a moment to watch a short video below:

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