The people who can be by your side and encourage you through the ups and downs of your recovery journey are called a support network. These are people you feel comfortable around, trust, and have contact with regularly. Some members of your support network are part of your treatment team – like your doctor or your sponsor. Other members are more personal connections—like family members or a spouse , friends and others in recovery who share your desire to stay clean and sober. Everyone’s support network looks different.
In an effort to expand your support network, we’ve had a look at 8 online social communities that deal with drug and alcohol addiction recovery. Explore a few and find one or more that appeal to you. Remember to share with your support network, there is valuable information in these web pages – and something for everyone.
In the Rooms
In the Rooms is a free resource covering a comprehensive spread of addiction recovery topics – alcohol, drugs, gambling, eating disorders and more. This site has affiliations with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Gamblers Anonymous, AlAnon and multiple other groups. If you have friends or family looking for ways to support you in addiction recovery they have many forums for sharing and support. It is the largest online social community based on the 12 steps recovery model. (Visit “In the Rooms”)
Sober Nation
Sober Nation.com, is the #1 National Recovery Resources and Addiction Treatment Centers Database on the internet. Their goal is to help the struggling alcoholic and addict while providing guidance to affected family members and friends. Aside from offering a wealth of innovative online tools to assist those struggling with addiction, they provide an extensive list of addiction treatment centers and other recovery resources that are divided into numerous categories and sub-categories. Overall, Sober Nation strives to offer a home for everyone whose life has been impacted by this deadly disease. (Visit “Sober Nation”)
Hazelden Betty Ford Social Community
Hazelden’s Social Community is a free, online social community, made possible by Hazelden, to provide support and fellowship to those touched by or concerned about the disease of addiction. Hazelden’s Social Community provides safe and confidential access to discussions, blogs, online meetings, live chat, and daily inspiration. Hazelden’s Social Community is the new home of the Sober24 community. (Visit “Hazelden Betty Ford Social Community”)
Living Sober
Living Sober is a community website designed to support people who wish to free themselves from the clutches of alcohol. Living Sober is not for profit, nor is it concerned with alcohol reform or public policy. It is about self-education and empowerment, based firmly around the concept of community.
As a non-member you have access to lots of inspiring material inside the ‘Sober Toolbox’ and on ‘Mrs D’s Blog’ page. These areas are updating constantly and you are welcome to add comments anonymously providing you keep with the site’s stated ethos of tolerance, understanding and kindness. As a non-member you can also view the ‘Faces of Recovery’ gallery, use the ‘Sober Calculator’, peruse our ‘Drink of the Week’ archives, and absorb the great information inside the ‘Getting Help’ section. (Visit “Living Sober”)
Recovery.org Lifestyle Forums
Meet others in recovery, share your stories, find resources, get help and more. Recovery.org are real people who have had experience with addiction and recovery—some of them firsthand, with others having seen the havoc it can wreak on family and friends. They have come out of the other side stronger for it, and firmly believing that recovery is possible for everyone. They realize there is no tried-and-true formula that works for every person, and that we all take different paths.
Recovery.org is an extremely active and uplifting community. Who would have thought of having a forum to recommend art, music and entertainment that can help stop drinking? Recovery.org did. Membership is free and I felt like this community really does a great job at addressing all aspects that can factor into an alcohol free lifestyle – health, fitness, emotional support and lifestyle changes. It’s great to know that there were discussion topics for all those areas. (Visit “Recovery.org “)
Hello Sunday Morning
Since 2010 Hello Sunday Morning has grown to be the largest online movement for alcohol behavior change in the world. Hello Sunday Morning is a unique social community. Operating as both an iPhone app and as a community. Fellow members post blogs, photos and words of encouragement as a means of supporting each other to take a break from alcohol, kind of like Facebook. They have a unique feature that uses an Instagram campaign where you can share your hangover free Sunday morning using hashtag – #hellosundaymorning. This is a truly non-judgmental community, no matter if you want to moderate, simply stop drinking alone or attempt an alcohol free life you are welcome at HSM. (Visit “Hello Sunday Morning”)
Soberistas
Soberistas is a social network site where you can meet people who are trying to resolve their problematic drinking patterns, and people who have successfully stopped drinking. Soberistas.com is home to a supportive community of people who have all experienced problems with alcohol. Their website can help by putting you in touch with others who are going through issues related to problematic drinking patterns, and with those who have successfully stopped using alcohol in touch and can therefore offer insight into what has worked for them.
Soberistas is a subscription website. Everyone is entitled to a free trial period before deciding whether to become a paying member. (Visit “Soberistas”)
Christians in Recovery
Christians in Recovery® is a group of men and women who are dedicated to personal one-on-one sharing of faith, strength and hope as we live each day in recovery. CIR works to regain and maintain balance and order in our lives through active discussion of the 12 Steps, the Bible, and experiences in our own recovery from abuse, family dysfunction, depression, anxiety, grief, relationships and/or addictions of alcohol, drugs, food, pornography, sexual addiction, etc. (Visit “Christians in Recovery”)
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