Benefits Of Addiction Recovery Alumni Programs

Anyone can develop an unhealthy relationship with drugs or alcohol under the wrong circumstances. And the risks are especially high when one is dealing with certain risk factors for substance abuse and addiction including poor mental health, physical pain, social pressure, and genetic predispositions. 

But, just as addiction and dependence can happen to anyone, everyone who struggles with some form of substance use disorder (SUD) can also get help and recover. In fact, around 72% of all Americans who have ever experienced some form of SUD are now in long-term recovery, according to recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that overcoming an SUD is easy or a sure thing. In fact, addiction recovery is one of the most courageous and most difficult experiences a person can go through. And even with professional assistance and ongoing support, people in recovery tend to experience a high risk of relapse, especially during periods of stress, boredom, and loneliness. 

Thankfully, you do not need to face these challenges alone. Ark Behavioral Health’s treatment centers, and others like us, are available to help you through the early stages in recovery with residential addiction treatment programs and through the later stages of recovery with addiction aftercare coordination and fun, uplifting alumni recovery programs. 

What Is An Addiction Recovery Alumni Program?

An addiction recovery alumni program is an organized group of people in recovery from a drug or alcohol use disorder who have participated in treatment services with a particular treatment center or organization. While “alumni” may suggest that these programs are limited to clients who have fully completed their treatment, these groups are usually available to everyone who participated in a particular treatment program, as long as participants are still committed to recovery.

As part of an alumni recovery program, you will have access to peers who have also been involved in the treatment process. And you may receive invitations to attend a wide variety of scheduled alumni events, ranging from holiday parties to baseball games, runs, exercise classes, networking events, and more. 

This opportunity to connect with others with whom you share something in common can be extremely important for maintaining recovery, meeting our human need for belonging and providing those in recovery with an opportunity to be social without using drugs or alcohol. In fact, alumni groups can be so meaningful and important that they are often considered a key form of addiction aftercare for people who have completed an initial course of treatment. 

What Are The Benefits Of Alumni Recovery Programs?

Not sure if your treatment center’s alumni program really is for you? Here are seven reasons why an alumni group may be exactly the resource you need in your life after attending a personalized drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.

Help With The Transition

Oftentimes, people feel like they lose themselves when they have been struggling with a substance use disorder. After all, drugs and alcohol can change the way a person thinks and feels, what they are interested in, and how they see themselves. 

Addiction treatment aims to reverse these distortions and help people once again get in touch with their inner selves. But this transition can be jarring, and, especially after leaving the safety and structure of the treatment center, it’s common for people in recovery to feel unmoored, confused, and alone. 

An alumni group can help put you in touch with people who have already made this transition and lay out structured, treatment-related events to help anchor your coming weeks and months as you navigate the transition back to everyday life and everything that comes after it. 

Maintain Contact With Mentors

Just because your program is over doesn’t mean you must lose touch with the people who meant something to you during treatment. Alumni events can be a good way to maintain contact with the staff and peers you worked with during your treatment program, sustaining these relationships and helping keep you in the recovery mindset from event to event. 

You can also meet new people who have also successfully walked through the treatment process and who are willing and excited to give back to others, build relationships, and offer you practical advice and guidance. 

Establish A Sense Of Belonging

Making new friends as an adult can be difficult and discouraging, especially for people who have had an SUD. Often, those in this group will struggle with hangups related to their self-image, confidence, and mental health, or they may simply be out of practice when it comes to socializing without the help of drugs or alcohol. And so, many will just stay home.

But when it comes to alumni groups, you’re already accepted. You will be welcomed and will have at least one thing in common with each and every other person there. This creates a safe and positive environment to bond with people who want to be your people. 

Sharpen Social Skills

For all these reasons, alumni groups provide the perfect opportunity to work on your social skills and practice spending time with others, talking, sharing about yourself, and building up a support system, all without drugs or alcohol being in the mix.  

These are many of the same skills that are intentionally practiced in residential rehabilitation programs, and attending alumni events can be a great way to keep that energy going and continue honing these important life skills. 

Share Support

Many people have said that addiction is, in a sense, selfish. It draws people inward, focusing them on their own internal experience, struggles, and cravings at the expense of those around them, including loved ones. 

Moving past this mindset can be a challenge, but getting started is simple. By joining and actively participating in an alumni group, people have an ideal opportunity to ask for help, access local resources, and glean advice, and also to actively contribute and help others in return. 

Keep Recovery Top-Of-Mind

So often, relapses occur when someone in recovery lets down their guard, gets complacent, and allows old habits to gradually reemerge. When this happens, all it takes is one difficult situation to trigger a reset. 

By spending time with an alumni group, people in recovery may be reminded of all the different challenges they’ve gone through and the important lessons they learned. They will remember that they earned each and every day of their recovery so far, and that that achievement is valuable and worth fighting for. 

Have Fun Without Drugs Or Alcohol

While many alumni meetups will focus on recovery and checking in, these groups aren’t all business. In fact, their focus is very much on creating fun and exciting group experiences that group members can look forward to throughout the year, rediscovering the joy in life.

Just a few examples of events recently hosted by Ark Behavioral Health’s own alumni program include:

• snow tubing
• Wiffle ball tournaments
• spin classes
• golf tournaments
• 5K races / runs
• arcade nights
• trips to Six Flags and other amusement parks
• holiday-themed events
• volunteering events
• resume writing and job skills workshops

Interested in a specific event that’s not offered? You may be able to volunteer and see if it’s possible to make it happen! Getting involved is always appreciated. 

Other Options For Addiction Aftercare

Participating in an alumni group can be a meaningful part of a person’s long-term recovery, but it shouldn’t be the only form of continuing care a person receives after they complete a residential treatment program. 

Other services that may be included in a client’s aftercare include:

• outpatient treatment services, which can vary widely in intensity and provide extended care and support for people who have transitioned back home after a residential program
• case management services, in which a case manager monitors a client’s condition and provides guidance as they progress through different treatment services
• sober-living housing, which can provide safe, secure, substance-free group housing solutions for clients who do not have a stable or supportive environment waiting for them back at home
• peer support groups, including groups like AA, NA, and SMART Recovery, which bring together diverse groups of people for mutual support and accountability
• medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which combines counseling or behavioral therapy with medications approved by the FDA to treat opioid or alcohol use disorder (i.e., naltrexone, methadone, buprenorphine, acamprosate, and disulfiram)
• therapy and mental health treatment, which can help address issues like trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-harm, and many others
• family and couples counseling, which aims to restore relationships and communication patterns that may have been damaged by a person’s abuse of drugs or alcohol
• medical treatment planning for related conditions like liver damage, lung damage, dental health problems, skin damage/scarring, nutritional deficiencies, and more

Take The First Step Today

Whether you or someone important to you has never received treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, has tried treatment before, or is in recovery but needs more support, Ark Behavioral Health can help.

Reach out to our staff today to learn more about our residential addiction treatment program, dual diagnosis programs, and mental health programs.