The majority of individuals who struggle with substance use disorders (SUD) do so alone. The reasoning behind avoiding help for an addiction can range from lack of proper insurance to cover costs, lack of access to good treatment programs, or lack of knowledge regarding the complications that result from a prolonged SUD. Likewise, any potential withdrawal symptoms can terrify people, keeping them dependent on drugs and alcohol to get through the day.
Some people also feel highly uncomfortable with or suspicious of rehabilitation centers and their therapeutic programs. Others may lack motivation from family, friends, or their workplace that could prompt sobriety. And many individuals simply don’t connect with the predominant 12-step approach to recovery.
What Differentiates the 12 Steps From Other Treatments for Addiction?
The 12-step program created by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is based on three principles: 1) one must accept that their willpower alone can’t cure the dependence on drugs and alcohol; 2) one must yield or surrender to their notion of a higher power; 3) one must actively participate in a recovery group and abstain from all substances.
Waypoint Recovery Center in Cameron and North Charleston, South Carolina is happy to provide our patients and their families with a residential treatment program structured around 12-step principles. We believe that 12-step programs are powerful and effective, and we believe that abstinence is the best path in sobriety.
However, we also acknowledge the difficulties some of our clients can have with the spiritual aspect of traditional AA programs. That’s why we inform our clients of 12-step alternatives, like Women for Sobriety, SMART Recovery, and LifeRing. Keep reading to learn how these successful 12-step alternatives work and how our program incorporates their most important and effective aspects.
Women For Sobriety: Changing Behaviors and Embracing Acceptance
Women For Sobriety teaches that SUD is a medical disorder that needs attention. They encourage participants to internalize 13 self-acceptance statements that promote restructuring one’s life. They also emphasize behavioral changes like the following:
- Adopting positive thinking skills, as taught in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Adopting calming techniques, mindfulness and meditation, proper nutritional habits, and regular workouts
- Engaging with a recovery community
SMART Recovery: Making Good Decisions For The Long Haul
Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) Recovery is all about choosing yourself. The program is rooted in principles of CBT and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT). SMART recovery focuses on the following areas to ensure and enrich sobriety:
- Motivation management
- Craving and relapse management
- Therapeutic avenues for managing difficult thoughts and emotions
- Living a life that is mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically balanced
At Waypoint, we can help you do all of this and more when you enter our recovery management and continuing care programs.
LifeRing: Fostering Self-Help in Secular Spaces
LifeRing is highly similar to a 12-step program but without a spiritual or religious component. Rather than emphasizing the need to yield to a higher power, LifeRing advocates for non-spiritual self-control with regular, anonymous peer meetings. For those seeking a less spiritual recovery experience, LifeRing might prove a good fit.
At Waypoint, we treat your recovery as an ongoing journey that may or may not include a spiritual component, depending on your needs.
Contact Waypoint Recovery Center in South Carolina to Find The Perfect Treatment For You
At Waypoint, we offer all of the components of successful 12-step treatment programs while also respecting your individual needs and preferences. We encourage you to contact us today to learn more about our residential treatment program—as well as our popular intensive outpatient program in South Carolina.
