12-Step Support Groups
12-Step Support Groups
The programs offered at Avalon Malibu are designed to work uniquely and cohesively within your treatment plan. But unlike other treatment centers, we offer the opportunity for continual modifications as your needs evolve. Our boutique approach, where we help you create a custom-fit treatment plan, is what makes our holistic recovery solutions so effective.
One option that may serve as a part of your treatment plan is 12-step support groups, which your therapist will help you arrange.
What Are 12-Step Support Groups?
While no two people heal from substance use and mental health concerns in exactly the same way, 12-step support groups are a time-honored tradition that has helped many people achieve lasting recovery and peace of mind over the years. Founded in 1935 as part of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program, 12-step techniques have since been adapted to help individuals with a variety of behavioral health issues. Today, there are 12-step groups for people struggling with drug use, gambling and process addictions and more.
At Avalon Malibu, our therapists will help match you with a 12-step group that meets your unique needs. If a particular group or meeting isn’t working for you at any time in your recovery, or if you’ve reached a point where you require an alternative focus, we will modify your treatment plan to better address your concerns and improve your progress.
The Tenets of the 12-Step Program
Although the 12-step program was inspired by religious beliefs, most programs today are non-denominational and not specific to any religion. However, the principles can be considered spiritual in nature and focus on the larger ideals of faith, humility, honesty, community and repentance. Throughout the program, each of the 12 steps are acknowledged and discussed as mantras for successful recovery, but you can refer to any step in any order.
The 12 steps are meant to provide you with key points in your recovery and outline a path to renewed health and wellness. The steps will also help you understand the reasoning behind your actions and reconcile with the people you care about by making amends.
What to Expect in 12-Step Support Groups
The 12-step program is built upon the principles of spirituality, personal responsibility and mutual support. It also encourages individuals to connect with a “higher power” of their own choosing. While many people associate a higher power with God or religion, the concept is much broader than that and can be anything that brings you joy, purpose and peace.
We encourage all who are on the path to recovery to participate in discovering their personal higher power. Doing so can provide you with a much-needed sense of meaning and hope and help you connect with something greater than yourself. For many people, a higher power becomes an important source of inspiration and motivation on their journey to recovery.
For those who resonate with the 12-step program’s methodology, there are various groups available each week that allow you the chance to build lasting bonds with your peers and strengthen your spiritual center. Our therapists will help to place you in those meetings.
12-Step Principles
- Acknowledge that you have an addiction, and that you are powerless to overcome it without help.
- Be spiritually open and foster that spiritual belief within yourself.
- Accept a higher power and receive the assistance and peace of mind that power will offer you.
- Become self-aware and acknowledge your past inability to weigh morality.
- Reconcile your actions and understand how they came to be.
- Accept your path to recovery and be committed to making progress.
- Through spiritual means, contemplate ways to be better. Make the effort to be better.
- Create a list of loved ones whom you have harmed in the process of your addiction.
- Believe in yourself and look to spirituality to give you strength.
- Become fully immersed in recovery and follow the steps you have set for yourself.
- Believe in your recovery.
Non-12-Step Support Groups
As you continue on your path to recovery, you’ll find that some treatment options better align with who you are as a person. That may or may not be the 12-step program. However, it’s not enough to offer only one type of support group and expect everyone to adhere to its tenets and ideals. It’s more important that you’re able to choose one that best suits you.
At Avalon Malibu, we offer alternatives that respect various belief systems. During a personal and confidential evaluation process, you and your therapist can determine whether a traditional 12-step support group or a non-12-step approach is right for you. No matter what you decide, your therapist will help place you in meetings that reflect your values.
What Are My Non-12-Step Options?
The non-12-step approach to recovery is just a different treatment option that allows you to address your mental health or substance use concerns in a way that you can identify with. One popular alternative to 12-step groups is SMART recovery, an abstinence-based support program that incorporates aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based techniques to help people make positive, lasting changes.
What to Expect from Non-12-Step Support Groups
The non-12-step approach to addiction treatment alters the underlying motivation for recovery. Depending on your personal beliefs, you may be driven to become sober due to the presence of a higher power or because you have decided to take personal responsibility for your current lifestyle. Either belief is acceptable, but non-12-step support groups focus on the latter.
Within a non-12-step program, you’ll be prompted to consider your personal journey and place control of your sobriety into your own hands. In SMART recovery meetings, for example, which stands for “smart management and recovery training,” emphasis is placed on the concept of self-management and the power to enact positive changes in your life.
Support groups are designed to help you understand your experiences and apply new solutions to present and future challenges. With the help of your peers, they can also provide insights into your behaviors and increase your chances of maintaining life-long sobriety.
If you and your therapist find that you benefit from intrinsic motivation, we may recommend the non-12-step approach to help you make progress in your recovery. However, particular motivators should be present within you to ensure that your treatment is successful. If they aren’t, then a different modality or a combination of programs may be of better use.
Support Sessions
Whether you’re part of a 12-step program or a non-12-step program, both options provide a safe space for you to share your experiences with others who are working through their own personal treatment plans. Support groups like these help you heal from addiction or mental health concerns by allowing you to connect with a community of peers to help you through it.
One of the most important aspects of support group meetings in your recovery program is that you’ll feel comfortable engaging with these groups outside of treatment as you begin a sober lifestyle. Integration into a 12-step program will prepare you to utilize the sponsors and group sessions that are available after your intensive program ends at no cost to you.
While 12-step groups are a great way to share with peers and take responsibility for your role in recovery, they are not made to stand alone. These groups are an extension of the support that helps you believe that recovery is possible. If you make the honest effort to use them as intended, 12-step support groups can help you succeed in a sober lifestyle.
Your Options Are Always Flexible
Your treatment plan at Avalon Malibu is highly individualized, which is part of the reason our clients have found so much clarity and relief during their time with us. We have treatment options available for a diverse range of individuals, which means that you can expect your recovery to be designed especially for you. We are always working tirelessly to practice therapies that will benefit your personal well-being now and in the future.
Combinations of various treatments may also be beneficial, as they can each provide different means of support for you. While some may focus on building meaningful relationships with peers, which is crucial for communication skills outside of treatment, other programs are tailored to underlying mental health issues that can contribute to addiction.
Treatment with Avalon Malibu is flexible and can adapt to the many changes you will undoubtedly experience throughout your time here. It’s hardly ever effective to use the same treatment modality for every individual because recovery is never that simple. The programs and therapeutic approaches that you participate in must incorporate several components that address all aspects of your substance use or mental health concerns.
Contact Us to Learn More
Learning about your options in recovery will further support your success. For more information about 12-step groups or non-12-step groups and how we help to match clients with the program that’s right for them, please contact Avalon Malibu at 888-958-7511 to schedule a personal assessment and finally get the care you need.
