Help finding a support group

I see a therapist weekly but she and I both feel I need more support as I’m really struggling, but I don’t know what type of support group would suit me best and was wondering if anyone could help.

I feel I have an alcohol addiction but am so scared of attending AA - not sure why.

I’m also an Adult child of an alcoholic, along with being quite codependent and possibly borderline (going for an assessment very soon).

In addition I suffer with anxiety and low mood/depression.

Feels crazy to write all that down. I’m just so daunted at the prospect of attending a support group but I know its what I need. Any help would be appreciated.

I understand why you'd be scared, @Eleny. Still, it's worth trying it out in my opinion! I'm not sure what other kinds of support may be useful for you. Do you have any friends? Perhaps it may be useful for you to go to some Mental Health centers or anything similar that may help you to meet other people who are struggling with Mental Illnesses and who can relate to your situation. Just some thoughts for you! I DO believe having a support system is REALLY important so perhaps even just finding some new friends, who will listen and won't judge you, may be of GREAT help to you. And of course there's always PC so I hope that helps a little bit as well! I'm sorry if this post isn't really helpful! Feel free to PM me ANYTIME though. I'll gladly listen to ANYTHING you want to say! I'll try to offer some Advice as well if I can! At any rate, please keep seeking help! You CAN get throught this and YOU KNOW THAT! THAT'S A PROMISE! Sending many safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @Eleny, your Family, your Friends and ALL and I mean ALL of your Loved Ones! PLEASE KEEP FIGHTING AND KEEP ROCKING AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN LIKE YOU'RE ALREADY WONDERFULLY DOING ALL AND ENTIRELY BY YOURSELF, MY AWESOME, CARING, DEAR, GENEROUS, KIND, SELFLESS, SWEET, THOUGHTFUL, WISE AND WONDERFUL FRIEND!

psych central does have many forums so my suggestion there is to have a look around and post where you feel best fits what you are looking for.

for off he computer support groups my suggestion is that your own treatment providers are in the best position to know what support groups there are in your location and what best fits your problems. which means my suggestion here is to contact your treatment providers, tell them what you are looking for and they will be able to help you find the right support group for you. also if you go through a treatment provider your medical insurance may be able to pay for any groups that you and your treatment providers find that require "donations or fees / costs.

I had a very serious alcohol problem in the past and I waited way too long to resolve it. But when I finally put my mind to it, definitely found peer support groups immensely helpful. This site/forum has tons of useful suggestions for recovery methods and it's a community on its own.
The Alcoholism and Addictions Help Forums- by SoberRecovery.com

I attended a bit of AA but it wasn't my favorite... SMART recovery was! They have a website with information, unfortunately the meetings are not as abundant as AA but if you live in a city, chances are you will find one. They also have online meetings. I found SMART great for relapse prevention and it has elements very similar to group therapy (it draws a lot from certain modalities). Another one I liked (and similarly not as well-known) is Refuge Recovery, if you are interested in a more spiritual approach but not the AA kind.

I had a therapist who claimed to have addictions as one of his specialties but he was completely useless in that domain, actually would have made my issues worse if I had let him. I believe there are better Ts but I personally did not find therapy useful to resolve the addiction and relapses. For many reasons, one major being that the urges to drink and relapses never happen when I had sessions and when I was not in that mindset, I had no issues thinking about my addiction clearly and understanding anything about it. We cannot think and talk ourselves out of it - probably why your T is also suggesting the support group. What's great about those is that they can be there and available anytime, they are not structured and compartmentalized like therapy... if you want them.

I had horrible, unbearable anxiety at the end of my drinking and also quite severe depressive episodes... or maybe something more akin to bipolar disorder. Turned out to be intimately linked to my alcohol abuse and, with sustained sobriety (100% abstinence) it all went away, except some mild anxiety that is pretty easy to manage without any particular treatment. It took a while though. What I would suggest is that you take action to tackle your drinking problem NOW, don't wait because the more we wait the more difficult it becomes... and there may be lasting consequences.

ETA: My therapists were amazingly under-informed about recovery methods and available groups etc. They actually learned from me about them more than the other way around. This was even true, to a lesser extent, about a pretty expensive and upscale rehab facility I went to once. Again, I am sure there are better educated Ts who actually keep up to date, but I've always found other addicts in recovery the best source of information, experience and support. I would emphasize people in recovery/recovered, not so much those that are at the same stage and still struggle a lot. You will always find folks at all stages of addiction in peer groups... what I had found the most useful is to gravitate towards those that have actually succeeded to overcome it long-term. Surely just having company can help but, I think, miserable company will unlikely to make a big difference in the direction of lasting improvement and healing.

I don't know about any other type groups but I found CODA (codependents anonymous) very helpful. And very reasonable where I go they ask for $1 donation per meeting but never force it on anyone. I need to go back haven't been in awhile.

There are not as many Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families meeting as AA, but they may address some underlying issues better, IDK. I found the fellowship in ACoA very reassuring and helped give me somewhere to go to be with people. I'm not an alcoholic so wasn't trying to address that, just the Dysfunctional Family part.

They have some online, too, I think, if that's of interest.

Does your therapist want you to find a support group exclusively for alcoholics? Or some other kind of mental health support?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eleny I see a therapist weekly but she and I both feel I need more support as I’m really struggling, but I don’t know what type of support group would suit me best and was wondering if anyone could help. I feel I have an alcohol addiction but am so scared of attending AA - not sure why. I’m also an Adult child of an alcoholic, along with being quite codependent and possibly borderline (going for an assessment very soon). In addition I suffer with anxiety and low mood/depression. Feels crazy to write all that down. I’m just so daunted at the prospect of attending a support group but I know its what I need. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi. No need to worry about your fear and discomfort. Realise that most everyone attending a support group will feel similarly to various degrees. Also, know that addictions are common within the mental health community. A great deal of people turn to 'self-medication' (whether that be narcotics, alcohol, gaming, gambling, sex.....) to ease the emotional pain. I am unsure your own history but I guess you might fit into such a group.

There are different options when it comes to support groups. There are two main types: professionally moderated, and peer moderated. Both will be about peer support but, having been participated in both, a professionally moderated group tends to be more structured. This may be more suitable for some. There obviously comes with that the worry that a professional being present could result in the accusation of being sick - and worse happen. I however have never seen such happen. I actually welcome their presence now and appreciate the structure offered. But peer moderation has its benefits too. The other thing to consider is whether you wish to attend a group specific to your illness or one more generalised. I am Bipolar but I attend a Mood Disorder Group that includes the gamut. Another consideration? Some support groups welcome participants to bring support persons.

How to find one? Check with your hospital and your local mental health association. The schizophrenia society here in Canada maintains a list of supports and resources for all mental illnesses. It might be worth it to give yours a call.