Alcoholic family support groups my clients love.
Having a loved one with alcoholism is hard on the whole family. It’s hard for family members to know what to do, what not to do. It can be lonely and confusing. After helping many families with alcoholism, I’ve seen how important it is for family members to get support from other people who understand their situation—who also have loved ones with alcoholism.
Fortunately, there’s some really great alcoholic family support groups that you can join for free, in-person and online, and by the end of this blog post, you’ll know the three mutual support groups my clients like best!
Al-Anon
Al-Anon is beloved by many of my clients who have family members struggling with alcoholism. Al-Anon has provided them a lot of support and useful advice that has helped them feel comforted and more at peace. Both Al-Anon and Alchoholics Anonymous (AA) are based on the 12-Step model.
Al-Anon has in-person, online, and phone groups, and is worldwide and there are many in-person meetings in San Diego. The individual meetings tend to have their own “vibe” so you might want to check out a few before deciding if Al-Anon is a good fit for you.
SMART Recovery Family and Friends
SMART Recovery is a science and skills-based mutual support group for alcoholics and addicts, and SMART Recovery Family and Friends is their family support group. Some of my clients have been SMART group facilitators, and speak highly of the approach. I love the SMART Recovery Family and Friends handbook and I have used it often when counseling family members. There are in-person and online meetings.
LifeRing Friends and Family
The relative newcomer to the mutual support group world is LifeRing Secular Recovery, and they hold a monthly LifeRing Friends and Family mutual support group meeting. Many of my clients with alcoholism really like LifeRing meetings, which are described as everyone getting together in someone’s living room and talking about challenges and successes. Open to “LifeRing friends and family and to people curious about LifeRing Secular Recovery.”
If you’re interested in family therapy with me, please reach out. For more info about family therapy, please see here.