Recovery is an arduous process, and going it alone is a recipe for relapse. Recovery support systems provide the network of support and encouragement that is vital to recovery and overall well-being. If you or someone you love struggles with recovery, an adolescent substance abuse treatment program can be instrumental in recovery support.
At Fort Behavioral Health, we can help you create a strong recovery support system. Contact us today at 844.332.1807.
What Is a Recovery Support System?
Recovery support systems exist to help teens and young adults who struggle with mental health issues or substance abuse. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes many invested and caring individuals to help someone recover from addiction or mental illness. A recovery support system for an adolescent may include but is not limited to: family and friends, school staff, counselors, peer support groups, pediatricians, and other medical professionals.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Recovery Support System?
Recovery support systems are vital to a healthy recovery. Parents and carers can play an essential role in helping adolescents recover, but they shouldn’t go alone. They are the heart of the recovery process. Their support accelerates recovery and builds resilience.
The primary benefit of a diverse recovery support system is that it builds a strong foundation for recovery without putting all of the pressure on a single person or method.
How to Find the Right Recovery Support System for Your Adolescent
Recovery support systems demand that we look beyond the symptoms of substance abuse and address the underlying issues that may be causing the user to engage in substance use in the first place. For example, adolescents often use substances to cope with anxiety, stress, self-esteem, depression, and other issues.
Recovery is tough. It can be lonely and isolating at first. However, it can also be the most rewarding experience of your life. A recovery support system is a group that helps individuals recover from addiction/alcoholism using various strategies such as peer support groups, behavioral therapies, art therapy, family counseling, inpatient treatment, and self-help books.
What Are the Components of a Recovery Support System?
A recovery support system includes all the components necessary to help someone recover from addiction/alcoholism:
- A group of friends or family members you trust who understand the severity of your problem
- Residential treatment
- Individual counseling
- Behavioral therapies
- Peer Support Groups
- Self-Help Books
- Treatment Centers
- Counseling Services
- Caregivers
- Rehabilitation Programs
- Housing and Healthy Food
- A physical exercise routine or yoga practice
- Multimodal therapies (equine, service, nature, dance, or art therapy)
- Creative outlets
A Recovery Support System should also be flexible enough so that users may change its structure if needed when confronted with new addictions/alcoholism problems. The Recovery Support System should also include resources for relapse prevention and resources for obtaining additional assistance if needed.
Residential rehabilitation programs (RRP) are viable options for young people with severe substance abuse disorders or who struggle with recovery while living at home. RRPs are usually formed by businesses that want to help their workers with substance abuse issues by giving them supervised activities to prevent them from relapsing into old patterns and habits while at work.
Community-based supports such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), narcotics Anonymous (NA), etc., are free and a great complement to other recovery support measures.
Contact Fort Behavioral Health for Recovery Support Today
At Fort Behavioral health, we have decades of experience helping families construct effective recovery support systems that target the root causes of addiction and help young people live their most whole and healthiest lives possible.
To learn more, contact us today at 844.332.1807.