One of the core principles of long-term successful sobriety is daily meetings during recovery. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recommends daily meetings as one of the most effective methods of staying sober.1 Let’s explore why frequently attending meetings during recovery is important, and how it helps build strong foundations for long-lasting abstinence.
1. Daily Meetings During Recovery Reinforce Support
A strong recovery support network is key to beating addiction, and there’s no better way to quickly build up a network than by attending daily meetings. You’ll meet new people, find a sponsor, enjoy peer support and have a place to go when you need a morale boost during difficult times.
2. Daily Meetings Give You Opportunities to Help Others
Helping others in recovery is a cornerstone of your own recovery, and attending daily meetings gives you the opportunity to regularly help your peers. You could chair meetings, qualify newcomers or set up the meeting space. Giving of yourself in these ways will make you feel good.
Also, the more involved you are with helping your peers, the better the chances are that you’ll stay sober as well. One study showed that 91 percent of recovering people who continued to sponsor other group members over a 10-year period were still sober at the time of the study.2
3. Daily Meetings During Recovery Help Establish a Routine
When you have a daily routine, it helps to stabilize your life. Stability is fertile ground in which to plant the seeds of sobriety, which in turn help to grow a successful, rewarding life. Routine also provides comfort and structure.
4. Daily Meetings Are Great Places to Make New Friends
Recovery is about working hard to stay sober, but you also need to have some fun. Attending daily meetings during recovery is a great way to quickly get familiar with like-minded people. Once you get to know the group, you can then pick a few individuals to socialize with. These are people whom you can have fun with, who also understand that drugs and alcohol can’t be a part of a day out or a night on the town.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
Practice makes perfect, and daily meetings during recovery are the perfect way to practice a substance-free lifestyle. When you’re frequently attending meetings, you’re intensely practicing a lifestyle that is conducive to remaining abstinent. Every day, you’re making a concerted effort to learn about your newly sober self by immersing yourself in a meeting.
Meeting Tips
Going to daily meetings during recovery shouldn’t be a hassle. If you find yourself dreading going to meetings or if you don’t like the attendees, find another meeting. Depending on where you live, there may be many different meetings going on at any given time. Explore different meetings until you find one that feels right for you.
Keep up the good work. Feel good about how disciplined and immersed you are in daily meetings. Recognize that daily meetings are boosting your commitment to sobriety. Daily meetings during recovery are helping you build strong foundations for long-lasting abstinence while you make new friends and explore life without drugs or alcohol. Find the group that works for you and stick with it.