Group Therapy & Activities for Substance Use Recovery

There are numerous benefits to group therapy and peer support meetings that aren’t available in a one-on-one setting. Sessions may occur anywhere from daily to monthly, depending on the level of care. For example, intensive outpatient treatment may require meeting twice a week, while inpatient programs may offer daily sessions. After playing with them, transition into a discussion about the fallibility of our senses and point of view.

• Support groups help bring group members together who are facing similar life challenges.
• There is help available to you if you or a loved one has a physical dependence or psychological dependence on a behavior or substance.
• Discussing coping strategies and creating an individualized plan for avoiding or dealing with triggers is essential in group therapy.
• Have the group share how they can improve their self-care or list them out as part of your substance abuse group activities.

Alternative Sober Activities

A meditation session at the beginning of group therapy sets a calm and thoughtful tone. Guided meditation is an excellent ice breaker and provides an opportunity for lesson learning. You can read a passage and ask the members to take a silent moment to reflect on its insight.

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What’s more, you can encourage your members to take up meditation in their private time. Continue reading for a list of some of the best ideas for substance abuse group activities you can use at your facility. Try a few of these and see how they resonate with your group then figure out how you can proceed. Supply small cardstock posters and glue sticks for each client, along with shared markers  When the clients enter, give each client a cardstock poster.

• Each session should incorporate ways to reduce negative thought patterns and habits to ensure continual progress.
• Being a part of a group can help establish a source of accountability for group members.
• The helpline at AddictionResource.net is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one.
• The core idea behind the 12 Steps is the acceptance of powerlessness in order to embrace support from something bigger than ourselves.
• They write recovery-related questions on a ball for participants to toss around, with the person holding the ball answering the question.

Positive Outcomes of Treatment

Sound therapy may be most beneficial when offered by a trained practitioner, but music, instruments, or nature sounds may also be incorporated informally into group and peer sessions. Peer recovery groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step groups, are peer-led, non-professional options for building a support system during recovery. Clients are given a judgment-free space and are encouraged to be open and honest to facilitate recovery and healing. Draw or paint a picture of something in nature that has found a way to thrive in a harsh environment, such as a cactus in the desert, or tree roots bursting up from a sidewalk. Talk about your own resilience in the face of challenges, and how you might learn to be more resilient in the future.

Have the members of your recovery group practice reflect on their self-love. Ask your clients to close their eyes, breathe deeply, and try to clear their minds. Doing this longer than ten minutes may make your clients feel uncomfortable. Knowing which substance abuse group activities to use can be overwhelming.

Worksheets By Therapy Type: E-Z

Facilitators should be prepared to manage potential crises by having trauma-informed strategies in place. There is help available to you if you or a loved one has a physical dependence or psychological dependence on a behavior or substance. These urges and compulsive behaviors can control your life, but you can take back control. Relay’s addiction recovery program provides a comprehensive, outpatient approach to behavioral change – at home, at your own pace.

Free Mental Health Worksheets & Handouts

Changing the way you act is difficult, but it is the only way to progress and conquer the challenges of drug addiction. The main types of process groups used for treating drug addiction are psychoeducation, skill development, cognitive-behavior, supportive, and interpersonal therapies. Psychoeducation involves watching videos about addiction and discussing feelings that the video elicits. Cognitive-behavior therapy involves focusing on understanding one’s own thoughts and resulting reactions. Interpersonal therapy focuses on how one’s thoughts and behaviors affect personal relationships. These activities can help build healthy relationships and improve personal emotional wellness.

• Of course, a significant topic when working through substance abuse is healthy coping strategies to help clients overcome their struggles.
• The sessions are strictly confidential, allowing individuals to express themselves honestly.
• It can be easy to fall into a rut, especially if you’re burnout or working with a particularly challenging group.
• Examples could be breathing, counting, calling a friend, calling a hotline, listening to a song, or pausing.
• Reflection is essential because it helps you look back on your past and learn from it.

Participants need assurance that their personal stories and struggles will not be shared outside the group. Facilitators must establish ground rules around confidentiality and clarify its limits when discussing process group ideas for substance abuse issues that may necessitate mandatory reporting, such as harm to self or others. In the next half of the group, allow clients to share their posters as the second part of substance abuse group activities.

Benefits Of Group Treatment Settings