When making the conscious choice of sobriety, staying dedicated to your health sometimes feels like a lonely path. There will be times when you want to connect with people who fully understand what you’re going through, and maybe even get reassurance that your decisions are worth the time and effort. This is when continuing care makes a real difference.
Stages of a Continuum of Care Plan
In addiction treatment, the term “continuum of care” refers to the assessment system for clients. Depending on their needs, they start at one point in the process and then adjust for more or less treatment as necessary.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) identifies five main levels in a continuum of care. Each one has specific nuances based on an individual’s condition, but here are the basics, which we provide verbatim:
- Level 0.5: Early intervention services
- Level I: Outpatient services
- Level II: Intensive outpatient/Partial hospitalization services
- Level III: Residential/Inpatient services
- Level IV: Medically managed intensive inpatient services
Then, someone works through “four sequential stages, regardless of the level of care at which they enter treatment”:
- Treatment engagement
- Early recovery
- Maintenance
- Community support
Community support is a vital component of every continuum of care plan. This is why the majority of addiction treatment programs have 12-Step groups that people attend right at the start. Some studies indicate clear evidence that “early involvement, in the form of meeting attendance and engagement in recovery activities, is associated with better substance use and psychosocial outcomes as well as reduced health care costs.” Recovery programs help individuals maintain control over their triggers, uphold accountability to their sobriety, and learn new ways to cope more effectively.
In the nearly 100 years since Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, numerous 12-Step recovery groups have become available. They’re easily accessible, free, and available for both in-person and online meetings. But they’re not the only option for continuing care.
Extending the Reach of Continuing Support
Many treatment centers go a step further to offer continuing care community groups to facility alumni, their families, and the public. All too often, when someone leaves their rehab center, they don’t have a personal connection to their local recovery community—or don’t know if one even exists.
They might also wonder how they’ll form a new sober network. Sure, online support can be helpful at times, but one of the many lessons of the pandemic and the importance of human interactions is that loneliness in sobriety is real. So having a reliable safe place to go where people listen, provide a reassuring handshake or hug, and share knowledge and laughter in real time makes a difference.
Continuing care community groups are also essential lifelines for supporters and family members who have lived with the issues of active addiction for years but haven’t been exposed to opportunities for education and support.
The goal of most continuing care groups is to supplement an individual’s participation in 12-Step and other support networks. Attendees exchange resources and experiences with one another, reinforcing that many others walk the same path, so there’s always someone who can share your journey if that’s your choice.
Willingway’s Vibrant Community Groups
Our center has numerous continuing care support groups on multiple days and times for your convenience. At press time, here are the areas we cover with in-person and online meetings:
- Atlanta, GA
- Augusta, GA
- Charleston, SC
- Columbia, SC
- Jacksonville, FL
- Macon, GA
- St. Simons Island, GA
- Raleigh, NC
Make sure to bookmark this webpage for more details, and check it often to learn about additional locations.
Always Part of the Willingway Family
Before opening the official Willingway Hospital in Statesboro, GA, in 1971, founders Dr. John and Dot Mooney, a surgeon and a nurse, housed people in their home who were in need of addiction rehabilitation. These two individuals—both of whom were in recovery from their addictions—understood firsthand what it was like to not be able to find relief anywhere else. Some people stayed with them for up to three years, free of charge, to establish a foundation of sobriety.
A core principle of Willingway’s treatment philosophy is to cultivate a strong sense of endless support and community to ensure whole-person wellness. Whether you or a loved one choose Willingway’s inpatient addiction rehabilitation, intensive outpatient services, extended treatment, or award-winning Tactical Recovery Veterans Program, you’re never alone in your quest for a full, healthy life. We provide all of our clients with comprehensive relapse prevention plans, alumni services, the CaredFor app, and, yes, continuing care support groups throughout the Southeast. As long as you want to remain part of our family, we’re always here to help.