The beginning of recovery from addiction can be a lonely place.
As one works to change their behavior, they may find themselves with a lot of time on their hands that was previously spent drinking, getting high, or acting out on their addiction. Social networking is important because it helps build a foundation of support for those in recovery from addiction. Making new friends who are on the same path of healing can open up a new world of peace and joy in the freshly sober life.
A great place to start building a support network is at recovery meetings. All 12-step meetings are based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are meetings for just about any type of addiction. Below is a list to help you find information and geographical locations of meetings in your area for the group or groups that fit your particular needs.
AA – Alcoholics Anonymous
ACOA – Adult Children of Alcoholics
CA – Cocaine Anonymous / Cocaine Anonymous Family Groups
CoDA – Co-Dependents Anonymous
CEA – Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
EA – emotions Anonymous
FA – Families Anonymous (for family and friends of people suffering from addiction)
FAA – Food Addicts Anonymous
GA – Gamblers Anonymous
HA – Heroin Anonymous
LAA – Love Addicts Anonymous
MA – Marijuana Anonymous
NA – Narcotics Anonymous
NicA – Nicotine Anonymous
OA – Overeaters Anonymous
PA – Pills Anonymous
SA – Sexaholics anonymous
SLAA – Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
SMA – Self- Mutilators Anonymous
Celebrate Recovery – Christian based meetings for addiction recovery
Al-Anon/ Alateen
In today’s world of global technology, there are many options for staying connected. If you are feelings lonely in between meetings, there are plenty of recovery sites online.
- INTHEROOMS is the world’s largest online social network for recovery.
- 12 Step Recovery Forums
- SMART Recovery
- Addicted to Addicts: Survival 101
- Online Intergroup for AA
- The Fix
- RENEW Everyday
- The Buddhist Recovery Network
- Addictions Unplugged: Understanding Addiction, Food Addiction, and Obesity
- 12 StepMe.org
These are only a few of the sites that are accessible online. These sites will lead you to more information where you can join chat groups, be involved in online meetings, and make new friends. With all that the world has to offer, you never have to be alone in recovery!
