These friendships provide understanding, support, and encouragement as you navigate life without alcohol. It’s important to surround yourself with individuals who respect your decision to stay sober. If your current friends don’t support your recovery, consider distancing yourself and finding new connections through sober support groups. Staying in regular contact with your sober support network, attending meetings, and reaching out to a mentor or sponsor can help you stay grounded during challenging moments. Sober activities provide a healthy outlet for socializing and personal growth, which can be crucial for maintaining sobriety.

Creating a Social Network Based on Existing Relationships

• Dating or seeking out sexual encounters is not recommended in the first year of recovery.
• Even given these limits, the fact is that even this much alcohol consumption is not healthy.

Recovery from addiction is a journey that requires determination, commitment, and support. A solid sober support network is one sober network of the most valuable assets for recovering individuals. A sober support network is a group of individuals who understand the challenges of recovery and provide emotional, psychological, and practical support throughout the journey.

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorders and Alcohol Abuse

In fact, building a support network is one of the most important things to do after completing drug or alcohol rehab. Building a solid support network will provide you with a firm foundation for your continued recovery post-treatment. Although developing a sober support network is a priority during the early stages of recovery, this does not apply to dating.

Start Your Recovery with Granite

Communication is key to resolving issues and maintaining a healthy support network. A recent survey of Alcoholics Anonymous members recorded that 72 percent of participants stayed sober at least 90 days when they had abstinent friends supporting their recovery. Of AA members solely with substance-using friends, only 33 percent stayed sober this long. Early sobriety often brings a range of challenging emotions as you learn to face life without the numbing effect of substances.

• Some group members are more experienced and have completed rehab many years ago while others are more recent graduates from a drug or alcohol treatment program.
• Attending support groups can be a great way to meet other recovering addicts who understand what you are going through.
• Finding support when facing addiction can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
• It’s a personalized strategy that helps identify triggers, develop coping mechanisms, and outline steps to take in high-risk situations.
• Sober peers can help you navigate challenges and celebrate your wins as you work toward lifelong sobriety.
• Yes, many people who identify as introverts successfully build sober networks.

That’s why we’re here to help you every step of the way to regain control of your life once and for all. As drugs and alcohol become the center of your life, everything else takes a back seat. You may abandon your work, hobbies, and relationships as the addiction grows. If you’re feeling the urge to drink or use—call on your support network.

Why is Social Support Important in Recovery?

Because the fact is, the real world is ripe with temptations—ones that often stem from drug-using memories with old friends in old social scenes. Returning home after treatment inevitably carries the risk of outside influences, and the pressures to become a part of “the crowd” once again may feel unbearably heavy. If you’ve completed treatment, though, you know that using drugs to cope is no solution. Pharmacogenomics is an emerging field that examines how an individual’s genetic makeup influences their response to medications.