The Importance Of Support Groups
Part of achieving proper and healthy recovery is being in the right environment, surrounded by the right people. Dr. Ashish Bhatt, MD talks about the importance of support groups for those who are suffering from substance use disorders.
Transcript
Dr. Bhatt: Hi, this is Dr. Bhatt with AddictionCenter.com. I want to bring you a brief moment from Straight Talk With The Doc. One of the topics I want to address today is the importance of support groups with those who suffer with substance use disorders in terms of achieving sobriety and long-term recovery. Addiction is a multifactorial illness, it has influences from biological, psychological, and social components. Ultimately, environment mixed with our underlying genetics has a huge interplay between if somebody’s going to become addicted or not.
Part of achieving proper and healthy recovery is being in the right environment surrounded by the right people, and that’s where support groups come in and be an important factor in achieving that long-term sobriety. Support groups can be 12-step based, SMART recovery, faith based, there’s many different types of support groups that fit different individuals. The purpose of this is it’s non-judgmental. People get to share their experiences, be around other people who are healthy and sober, and leading adaptive and healthy coping mechanisms in their lives.
The point is, is that when you see people that can avoid relapse or who have come back from relapse and achieved sobriety by engaging in support groups, this is scientifically proven and many studies have shown this. Having a support group, a sponsor, helping people around you, is an important part of achieving life-long sobriety and recovery. So, if you or a loved one want to have a comprehensive aftercare plan or have a better chance at achieving a drug-free life, try and incorporate a support group to help you have positive people around you.