Peer Support for Mental Health
and Addiction In South Florida
If you are newly on the road to recovery from addiction or mental health, achieving true freedom can seem nearly impossible. Every day that you stay sober is a monumental achievement, but it can still feel like no one really understands what you are going through. That’s why having the support of people who know exactly what you are going through is incredibly helpful. Those who offer peer support for addiction recovery are people who have been where you are and know what you’re going through. Having peer support on your recovery journey can make a huge difference.
In the context of a mental health treatment program, peer support refers to healthy and productive interactions among people who are receiving care. One of the many benefits of receiving treatment at a mental health center such as the Ambrosia Behavioral Health is that you will have the opportunity to share support with others who are working to overcome similar challenges and achieve similar goals.
Peer support can be a vital component of effective mental health treatment. Even if you’ve never participated in a mental health treatment program, you probably have a general idea of what to expect. For example, you may know that care is usually provided by a team of professionals. You may also understand that patients and clients often take part in several types of therapy and related activities.
Benefits of Peer Support for Mental Health Treatment
The following are just a few of the many potential benefits of peer support in mental health treatment:
Overcoming Isolation
Education
Compassion & Respect
Helping Others
Another important benefit of peer support groups is that you can continue to participate long after you’ve completed treatment. Recovering from a substance use disorder or a mental health concern can require lifelong effort.
Continuing to actively participate in one or more community-based peer support groups can help you make sustained progress. Your peer support group can also help you overcome temporary setbacks before they become long-term problems.
What is Peer Support for Addiction Recovery?
Peer supporters are people, like you, who have struggled with addiction. They are those who have not only achieved sobriety but continue to live life in sobriety. They’re able to share their experience to shape their guidance and advice to support you on the road to recovery. While counselors, doctors, and therapists may not always have first-hand experience of living with substance use disorder, peer supporters have lived with and recovered from addiction.
Benefits of Peer Support for Addiction Recovery
Having a system of support helps to strengthen your recovery. Knowing that your family, friends, and your addiction recovery team are there to encourage your continued sobriety is incredibly helpful. But having the additional care and support from someone who has been where you are can strengthen your chances of successfully staying sober. Your peer supporter can give you helpful advice, provide wellness education resources, and be your cheerleader!
Recovering from addiction sometimes means that you have to let go of some friendships or relationships. This isn’t an easy process and your friends or family. However, building new relationships within the recovery community is essential to maintaining your sobriety. There are many benefits to peer support:
Reducing your risk of relapse
Peer supporters have been where you are and have worked through cravings and triggers, and maintained their sobriety. In fact, studies have shown that peer support helps significantly reduce your risk of relapse.
Being role models for recovery
It is important to have role models for living in sobriety. Having general support for your recovery is important for your overall well-being. But having a network of support that can “walk the walk” will give you the guidance you need to model your own sober lifestyle.
Giving you a sense of hope
There is a reason that sobriety is done one day at a time. Recovery — especially in the early days — is difficult. Having a network of folks who have come through and are out on the other side can give you hope for your own journey’s success.
Helping you develop sober strategies and other coping skills
Learning how to navigate stressful events, triggers, and other life events while sober can be tricky. Your peer support network can not only be there for you when you need a safe place to deal with complex events, but can help you develop the tools you need for maintaining sobriety during these times.
Receive Peer Support at Ambrosia Behavioral Health
You don’t have to recover alone. Maintaining relationships with peers in recovery will not only support you while in treatment but will help you maintain your sobriety long after rehab. At Ambrosia Treatment Center in South Florida, we offer peer support for addiction to help those recover. Contact us today and learn more about our admissions process to find out more about our treatment options.
Dr. Alam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist with academic affiliations with Northwestern University and University of Illinois, Chicago where he completed his residency training. He has been a principal investigator for over forty studies and has been involved in research leading to the approval of most psychiatric medications currently on the market. He is the founder of the Neuroscience Research Institute which continues to conduct research on cutting edge medication and interventional psychiatry. Dr. Alam is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has won several awards and has been featured extensively on radio and television.
