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The Importance of Extra Support for Women in Recovery

In today’s world, many people are coping with a lot of stresses in their lives, both from the present and from their past. When it all gets to be too much, much like a jar overflowing, people turn to their substance-of-choice to self-medicate, to try to cope with or avoid some kind of pain. The problem is, it takes over one’s life and destroys one’s health and relationships.
Fortunately, the addiction never has to have the last word. Help is available. Addiction therapy offers a powerful way to help people get a handle on this process that has gotten out of control. Within that framework, one compelling option is to seek assistance in a group setting. A support group for women recovering from substance abuse can offer healing and empowerment.

Addiction Therapy

In the therapeutic environment, a therapist provides a safe space to explore the addiction and related issues. The process helps people begin to understand the addiction and gain a sense of how it has taken a life of its own. This awareness becomes a spring board to stop the behavior or enslavement. The next step is to gain and maintain some stability in the person’s life, in other words, learning how to live sober. Not right away, but once the person has some stability under them, the healing can then begin on the original reason the individual turned to the addictive strategies in the first place. Together, patient and therapist deal with the emotional and/or physical damage the pain caused in the person’s life and in their relationships.

Extra Support for Women in Recovery

Psychologist Brene Brown addresses the importance of getting difficulties out of people’s heads and into a shared environment: “[W]e all experience different kinds of heartbreak over the course of our lives, but the heartbreak associated with addiction … struggles is not something we talk enough about.” A women’s group can provide a safe, confidential environment to do as Dr. Brown suggests: talk about the addiction, and also to talk about their lives. In so doing, participants explore issues, raise awareness, and move forward in recovery.
Something almost magical can happen in a group setting when the participants feel comfortable and safe. As women speak their truth, they help birth new ideas and concepts of self and others. As they listen to each other, they gain additional insight and wisdom. The issues and ideas, difficulties and deliberations, stop the endless circling in people’s heads. The act of sharing brings the added support needed to understand and heal.

Support Group for Women in Recovery from Substance Abuse

We are offering a group for women in recovery who desire extra support and want the healing and bonding of women. We extend a special invitation for women in their first 1-2 years of recovery. However, women with longer sobriety and at all stages of substance abuse recovery are welcome to this group in Asheville, North Carolina.
This group is not an alternative to 12 step programs but an adjunct. However, being part of a small group of women who meet consistently over time and bond together, and who can support each other more deeply and fully can strengthen a recovery program. This type of group dynamic provides nourishment and empowerment for the recovery journey. Healing happens through close and connected peer support. A comment from someone in a recent group supports this idea: “Just being able to compare my situation with other women in a non-judgmental setting helped me to cope.” Participants help each other in a safe, confidential environment.
If more intense assistance is needed, especially to get clean and sober, I can help in separate sessions on an individual basis. I use a variety of treatment strategies, including EMDR which can help relieve cravings and build confidence very quickly. This technique is very soothing physically, calming body and also the mind.
Colleague Colleen Welty, MA, CSAC, joins me in facilitating the group.  She has worked in the substance abuse field for 20 years. Throughout the 12 weekly group sessions, we will cover topics such as: common relapse triggers for women, boundary setting, how to develop healthy relationships, recovery support, and creation of a healthier sense of self.
We will provide forms to submit to your insurance but payment is required up front. The primary reason for this is to encourage consistent attendance, to build the cohesiveness and safety essential for a supportive and healing group.
For details about our support group for women, please see below. Call now for your intake session: (828) 776-9001.
One day at a time, together we move away from the pain and isolation of addiction toward the peace of discovery, understanding, and new actions.

Women’s Group for Substance-Abuse Recovery

Group Details

Asheville, North Carolina
12 weeks, Tuesdays, 12-1:30 pm (can commit to 6 weeks at a time)
$40 per group or $450 for 12 weeks (2 payments of $225 can be made). Intake session and group may be covered by insurance. Sliding scale available for those with limited income. Payment required prior to first session (payment arrangements can be made).
Facilitators: Carol Greenberger, MA, LPC
Colleen Welty, MA, CSAC
(828) 776-9001