60 Substance Abuse Group Therapy Activities

You might need a support group or professional counseling to achieve successful recovery. Workaholics Anonymous (workaholics-anonymous.org) meetings where members work the Twelve Steps are free and available online and onsite in major cities around the country. Fifteen or twenty minutes a day can make a big difference in lowering stress and raising your energy level.

Interactive Group Therapy Games and Exercises

People can openly share their thoughts and feelings, reduce self-stigma and shame, and help each other process and grow from difficult experiences or emotions. There are numerous benefits to group therapy and peer support meetings that aren’t available in a one-on-one setting. Many recovery support groups worldwide are also free of charge, making them an accessible and convenient option for continuing care and relapse prevention once treatment ends.

Ways to Prevent a Meth Relapse

Participants can also share different coping skills that have worked for them, as well as what hasn’t worked. Participants can try making gratitude lists or having open discussions on ways to find and show gratitude in daily life. In order to keep participants engaged and focused, leaders may offer different activities during 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. CARF International accreditation demonstrates a program’s quality, transparency, and commitment to the satisfaction of the persons served. CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services.

Why Group Therapy?

Individuals will find similarities, differences, and respect for each other. Icebreakers are helpful in encouraging members of the group to bond, get group ideas for addiction recovery to know people from different backgrounds, and learn. Enter your phone number and a member of our team will call you back to discuss your recovery.

Group therapy sessions typically consist of a small group of individuals who are all struggling with substance abuse. These groups are led by a trained therapist who facilitates discussions and activities designed to promote healing and growth. The therapist creates a safe, non-judgmental space where participants can openly share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

MORE Group Therapy Activities

• If the group is relatively healthy, you may want to illicit feedback from other group members before responding.
• Engage in four interactive addiction recovery group activities that are both enjoyable and beneficial.
• Much like journaling, doing some form of stream-of-consciousness writing can greatly help people with processing thoughts that may be troubling them.

These lists can include anything you feel grateful for, from your sobriety to your loved ones to your favorite foods. “It would appear that they’re just knocking down that reward signal,” she says. Grigson presented the findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference earlier this year. Her group will test semaglutide next in 200 people getting treatment for opioid addiction, and they plan to start recruiting participants for that study this fall. When the three-week study ended, researchers found that those who received the GLP-1 drug reported a 40 percent reduction in opioid craving compared to those who got the placebo. The study didn’t follow participants after they left the residential facility, so it’s not known whether the drug actually curbed their opioid use.

Mindfulness Exercises

• Creative arts may be used in a group setting as an alternative therapy.
• The group leader then reads each fear, allowing members to identify shared fears and feel less alone.
• Our substance abuse treatment programs offer mental health counseling, medication-assisted treatment, and other evidence-based services to help you or your loved one stay sober.
• Lock and key activities can be fun to break the ice and allow peers to connect and share their experiences.
• Weight gain can also affect how the heart muscle functions, increasing the risk of failure.