Social Aspects of Recovery

community reinforcement

The core social element of the St. Gregory Recovery Program© is community reinforcement. Guests spend the majority of their program together in community in our facility, and a majority of clinical sessions take place in small groups. Working alongside people who are working to achieve similar goals provides incredibly valuable community reinforcement and support. Our guests frequently cite this supportive community as one of the most helpful parts of their recovery.

A key element of a supportive community is that it does not focus on past failures. We emphasize mutual respect and a focus on supporting others as they work toward positive, constructive goals. This focus sets St. Gregory Recovery Center apart from many traditional treatment programs where much of the focus is on negative goals and on taking things away from life rather than on adding new, positive things.

social activities

Natural satisfaction is important to life in recovery. We have dedicated staff who engage our guests in social activities with a focus spending time in a way that is both constructive and enjoyable. Various planned outings to engage in activities that emphasize the broad range of opportunities available for sober fun.

The ultimate aim of our activities programming is to empower our guests to identify and to experience natural satisfaction in order to constructively use their time in the face of boredom and isolation. Boredom is one of the most significant triggers for relapse, so learning to deal with it effectively is an important skill for lasting recovery. We leave regular blocks of time unscheduled in order to provide a safe environment in which our guests can learn to manage and to cope with boredom.

volunteering in recovery

When we give to others, we receive as much or more back for ourselves. The St. Gregory Recovery Program© emphasizes the importance of giving of self and serving others in order to help our guests to re-imagine their place in the world with a renewed focus on caring for and serving others. Volunteer activities such as visiting a nursing home, helping to build or paint a house, planting a community garden, and many others create an environment of service and care for others.

Such a communal mindset serves to discourage the selfish behavioral patterns that accompany addiction and to provide a true sense of self-worth through service to others. Many guests continue to volunteer 2-3 times per week several years beyond their graduation from St. Gregory Recovery Center.

family relationships in addiction recovery

Family relationships are frequently the most important relationships any of us has. Long-term substance abuse strains these relationships often to the point of breaking. Our clinical sessions help guests to identify broken or breaking relationships while focusing on building accountability and taking steps needed to begin to rebuild trust and restore these damaged relationships.

Additional on-site visits are available throughout the program for guests as is clinically appropriate. These family visits provide an opportunity for guests to share their treatment experience with their families and to engage them in the therapeutic process.

St. Gregory Recovery Center is well known for treating not only the physical addiction, but also the deep spiritual issues, bringing in the every important social aspects of recovery. To speak with our admissions team, please contact us today.