Community and Recovery

Why is community so important to recovery?  A saying in recovery meetings “No one ever gets sober for long alone.”  I see that as truth.   The people that for which we provide treatment have longer sobriety if they are involved with people who support their recovery, be it through recovery meetings, church or even mentors.  Recovery meetings provide lists of names and phone numbers of people who are willing to be called if someone dealing with addiction needs to talk to someone who has been through the same thing and come-through the other side.   Many people in recovery will serve as a sponsor to help guide them through the recovery process and serve as a lifeline for sobriety.   This type of community connection is vital as substance use disorder is chronic, incurable disease for which recovery has to be a life-long practice in order for a person to stay in remission.  

One of the most important evidence-based treatment practices is group therapy which The Virtue Center provides.   People are able to connect with other people in recovery, learn from them, share on the deepest emotional level and make friends for life who understand and are supportive of recovery.  As denial is an aspect of the disease which keeps an individual sick, the community in group therapy provides the honesty and acts as a mirror to help the client see things more clearly.   This type of community in a treatment setting is invaluable to each person’s success.  

Community is also important to The Virtue Center.   Without our community partners, we would not be nearly as successful in providing help and hope.  We work with many social service agencies, schools, governmental agencies as well as others in order to provide the best possible services to our clients.   Together, we make life-changing differences for thousands of people and their families.   The lives saved are countless.  

Will Warner