There are very few places in the world, where you will find more honesty, support and courage than in an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting.
Attending a 12-step meeting is one of the most life-changing experiences you can have.
Step groups are an incredibly important resource during your addiction recovery, and they have helped millions of people overcome situations and addictions they never thought they could.
Additionally, AA and NA meetings are free, making them available to anyone wanting to take charge of their life.
There are several types of recovery supports available at Step Away. These include doctors, therapists, addiction counselors, and our support meetings.
Firstly, attending a meeting gives you the opportunity to decide whether you have an addiction or not. Hearing other people’s stories also helps you to find similarities between your life and theirs.
Additionally, they also give you the opportunity to overcome your denial about addiction.
They show you that addiction can affect anyone. Good people, with loving families, successfully jobs and the world at their feet, can have an addiction.
Support groups comfort you in knowing you are not alone.
The amazing thing about 12 step groups, is that you meet people who are going through the same thing you are.
You will see that you feel stronger and more confident when you belong to a group of people going through the same thing.
Naturally, our first reaction is to try deal with our addiction by ourselves, addiction is an isolating disease.
Step groups give you the chance to reach out to others and ask for help.
Anonymous meetings help you believe that recovery is possible. You get to meet people who have recovered from addiction, which helps to develop confidence in your own recovery.
Additionally, realise that these people recovered by following the programme, giving assurance that you too can recover by following the steps.
In addition, these groups are a great learning space, where you can adopt and adapt other people’s recovery techniques.
They provide you with a space where you can ask other how they coped with certain situations.
On days where you feel like using, it’s good to know others have gone through the same urges and to know how they dealt with them.
A common fear many addicts have, is that their lives will be dull or irrelevant without substances.
Step groups also give you the chance to meet people whose lives have become better, fuller and more even more interesting since they stopped using.
Most people have difficulty sharing their true emotions, because they are afraid that no one will understand them, and partly because they are afraid that someone will judge them.
Consequently, we bottle everything up, making us want to use even more.
12 step groups are judgement free spaces, where no member will criticise you, mostly because they have heard it all before.
Relapse usually occurs after 6 to 12 months. This is because, after being clean for so long, you’ll feel stronger and more in control than you have in years.
That’s when the voice of your addiction will try to tell you that you can control your using and this time will be different.
During 12 step meetings, you will hear stories of people who have relapsed and are returning to the programme.
And they will tell you the same thing, they felt they were in control of their use.
However, if you could control your use, you wouldn't be sitting where you are today. 12 step meetings remind you of that.
Often, relapse is triggered by stress or bad situations, group meetings provide a safe space, where you can spend a couple of hours knowing that you won’t be able to use.
Often, by the end of the meeting, you'll feel better and more motivated for recovery.
Every Monday night from 19:00 to 21:00, Step Away holds step meetings for our member.
Our in-patient rehab centre has helped many people recover from addiction. Our programme, coupled with our trained staff and professionals, gives you the foundation you need to build a life from addiction.
For more details about our rehab centre, please contact us.
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