Inspire Someone to Start Recovery
How to Help Someone Start Recovery
If you are a recovering addict or love someone with an addiction, you may feel powerless to help others.
The reality is, there are ways to inspire someone to start recovery.
You can mentor an addict and serve as a role model.
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How do you Mentor an Addict?
There are a few different ways you can serve as a mentor to help another person start recovery.
You can be a mentor in a formal capacity by working with a treatment program or participating in a 12-step program.
You can also be an informal role model for someone who is currently experiencing addiction.
But only if you have already gone through treatment and you are sober now.
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The Value of Mentorship in Recovery
A mentor can provide you guidance and support once you start recovery. A mentor has gone through the same things you have, and they are doing well in their recovery.
When you have a mentor in recovery, it helps you learn from someone who has already gone through the process.
If you serve as a mentor, there is value for you as well.
You are strengthening your recovery by helping another person.
With saying that, a mentor is not responsible for someone else’s relapse or decisions.
A mentor is not only there to help someone stay sober, either. A mentor should be a support system in terms of spiritual health, relationships, and mental health.
Mentorship does not always have to mean one person. Mentorship can be a group of people that are a support system for someone as they start recovery.
Mentorship Benefits
The benefits of having a mentor in recovery include:
- Recovering addicts often have to cut ties with people who might still use drugs and alcohol. By having a mentor, you are building a healthy support system. When someone decides to mentor an addict, they benefit from having healthy individuals around them.
- A mentor is a role model who can tell you about the challenges they have faced and how they maintain their sobriety. It is easy to feel like no one understands what you are going through when you start recovery. A mentor can dispel that myth.
- When you start recovery, you will have a lot of thoughts and feelings. Sharing them is important. You may feel more comfortable sharing with a mentor rather than friends or family who have not been through addiction. A mentor can provide unique insight.
- The concept of healthy peer pressure is useful in recovery. When someone mentors an addict, they can pressure the mentee to make healthy choices regularly.
- When there are triggers in your recovery’s early days, you must have someone you can turn to. A mentor can help you work through those challenges.
How to Find a Mentor When you Start recovery
If you are starting recovery, there are different ways you can connect with a mentor.
To begin, look within your existing network.
If you attended a treatment program, speak to the rehab center team, and ask if they have recommendations for a mentor. They may be able to connect you with someone who will meet your needs.
Do not look toward people in your previous life to be a mentor, even if they are now sober.
You might also be able to find a mentor through a 12-step group or a support group. Friends and family might help, or you could talk to a therapist or counselor about their suggestions.
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What About 12-Step Sponsors?
The idea of a 12-step sponsor is similar to finding a mentor when you start recovery.
A sponsor in a 12-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous is someone familiar with the recovery process. This person also has long-term recovery and can be a resource for learning about recovery.
The entire objective of 12-step programs is to help people stay on the path of recovery. A sponsor can help strengthen recovery and provide comfort and additional resources when needed.
There is no hierarchy in 12-step programs. The sponsor/sponsee relationship is informal, and no written rules dictate these relationships.
There are some things a sponsor will typically do.
A sponsor will encourage group social interactions. If you are in a 12-step group, your sponsor will likely make sure that you participate in meetings and group activities. They will share the teachings and literature of the group with you.
A sponsor will also be available to answer questions you may have and share their experiences.
Who is a Sponsor?
A person who is familiar with the 12 steps can be a sponsor. A sponsor is an alcoholic or drug addict who has made progress through the 12 steps.
On average, sponsors have attended meetings for nine and a half years.
Being a sponsor is a big role.
If you decide to mentor an addict as a 12-step sponsor, you need to be available 24/7 to deliver crisis support.
There are no rules for how often you meet. It is really up to the individuals involved.
For example, some sponsors will meet with sponsees every day, particularly when their sponsee has just started recovery.
Others will meet once a week or only as-needed.
How to Become a Sponsor
If you are interested in mentoring an addict through sponsorship, there is no application process or licensing. You have to be willing to share your connection with the program.
The presence of a social support network is essential when you start recovery. Even if you are well into your recovery, you need a network of people you can rely on to face challenges.
Mentorships can be an important part of that. With mentorship, there are benefits for the mentor and the mentee. The relationship that develops between a mentor and mentee can be lifelong.
If you decide to mentor an addict, do not let the relationship become problematic for your sobriety. The more you take care of yourself, the better prepared you are to serve as a role model for someone else.
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Contact Resurgence
If you are ready to start recovery in your own life, please reach out to Resurgence.
We deliver evidence-based treatment programs from detox to aftercare planning.
Our programs are highly personalized. We recognize that you are much more than your drug or alcohol use, and your treatment plan needs to reflect that.
We are available to answer questions about program options and help determine your insurance coverage for rehab.
Call us today.
