One of the key tenets of my own recovery story, and that of most of my peers, is the community component. The importance of community in recovery is not a novel ideology. Groups described as mutual aid societies existed long before Alcoholics Anonymous and were among the first to incorporate the idea of community into the recovery journey. Rather than isolating people suffering from alcoholism, these societies built treatment plans around reintroducing the alcoholic to the community. Alcoholics Anonymous stems from the community-based framework developed by these mutual aid societies and is presently used to bridge the gap from the confined walls of treatment to reintegration back into society.
A well-known writer and expert on addiction recovery policy, William White, has extensively talked about the need for the addiction field to come back to its community-centered roots. While going into treatment is an important first step, obtaining long term recovery involves continuous community support to reintegrate, establish a healthy lifestyle, and most critically, effectively manage the chronic disease of addiction.
The Sobering Center, and similar facilities, are incorporating this community-centered framework to its services in order to assist those who have previously been unable to access addiction treatment. Taking the step from active addiction to recovery is often terrifying for the addict, I can certainly attest that fear from my personal experience! However, community-centered services such as this one offer a helping hand where it is actively needed and often at the right time.
The Sobering Center is fully integrated with the broad range of available resources in Austin and actively helps those who want, and are in need of help, access addiction treatment services with a knowledgeable professional. Whether it’s introducing a safe space to sober up or coordinating care with the community, the Sobering Center is elevating a community-centered framework for recovery that has been foundational to generations of people and their families.