If you're in recovery then you're probably meeting new people every day. Every time you go to a 12-step meeting or attend a support group, you might run into someone you've never seen before but someone who shares the goals of sobriety and recovery from addiction. And if you reside at a sober living home, then you might have opportunities to interact with and form relationships all your housemates. But not everyone you meet in sobriety will be your kind of person.
Just because they are in recovery, like you, doesn't mean that you'll love everything about them. For that reason, it's important to find your tribe, your network of people that you resonate with. It's necessary to find the type of crowd that speaks your language and with whom you have more than just sobriety in common.For instance, you might be an artist. Perhaps you want to connect with other artists and uncover how being creative can support and perhaps jeopardize your sobriety. For so many artists, getting into a creative spirit meant having a drink or getting high. On the other hand, creativity might be healing and spiritually nourishing in recovery. Having a circle of artists around you who are also focused on recovery can be supportive.
Or perhaps you're lesbian or gay. Over the years, many resources have been created for the sober LGBTQ community. But it wasn't always that way. In 1969, The AT Center began after 6 gay men met for an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting and decided to call themselves "Alcoholics Together". Membership quickly grew through the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, throughout Southern California and even in cities far away such as Boston and New York, the acronym “AT” became synonymous with gay AA. Today, the gay Los Angeles sober living community now knows The AT Center as a significant place for refuge.Another growing community within sober living groups is one that is focused on wellness.
Many recovering addicts place emphasis on yoga, meditation, acupuncture and other holistic practices in their recovery. In fact, some would say that their recovery wouldn't be what it is without these practices. And along the same lines, many men and women in recovery rely heavily on their spirituality. They may find their support for sobriety through their church by attending church-related 12-step meetings or bible studies for recovering addicts. They may resonate highly with the emphasis on spirituality in each of the 12-steps.
Community is an essential component to recovery for many men and women. It's the primary reason behind the recommendation to attend 90 AA meetings in 90 days for new recovering addicts. Men and women find support in the personal stories that reflect obstacles and challenges faced by many in the group. And those stories are strengthened and may have more meaning when there's a shared worldview or common interests. If you're new to recovery, don't just look to spend time with those who are sober, but find your own unique tribe within the sober living community.
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