The number one priority in recovery is finding productive ways to fill your time. Without substances and activities that encourage substance abuse, you have more free time on your hands. While having idle time isn’t necessarily a bad thing, having too much time can be detrimental to your recovery. One activity that is both fun and recovery-friendly is being a substance abuse volunteer.
This article focuses on the benefits of substance abuse volunteer work. If you are newly recovering and looking to strengthen your recovery, call The Berman Center today. Our outpatient drug addiction treatment programs in Atlanta are evidence-based and specifically designed for the special needs of both teens and adults. Take your recovery to the next level and call The Berman Center right now.
Why Become a Substance Abuse Volunteer?
So why turn to volunteer work in recovery? There are countless activities you can pursue to help strengthen your sobriety. However, incorporating volunteer work into your daily routine provides you with significant benefits. Mayo Clinic outlines three huge benefits of volunteering:
- Improving Physical and Mental Health: The act of volunteering reduces anxiety and stress and gives you a sense of meaning and purpose. With decreased levels of anxiety and stress, you feel better in mind, body, and spirit.
- Learning Valuable Skills: In addition to giving you a sense of purpose, doing work as a substance abuse volunteer teaches you skills that help you grow your knowledge and boost your confidence.
- Nurturing Relationships: Volunteer work helps you nurture existing relationships and forge new ones. Many volunteers come from diverse backgrounds, and working with people from different backgrounds can help expand social networks and hone social skills.
When you look at the big picture, becoming a volunteer makes sense. Helping others is a cornerstone of building your own recovery. A great example of that is Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). When AA formed in 1935, Bill W. was a few months sober but struggling to keep his sobriety. He found that by helping others, he was helping himself.
There are a variety of places you can pursue volunteer work. You can spend time helping others at a drop-in center for recovering addicts, at your church, or at your local hospital. You can also volunteer at a YMCA, Salvation Army, or at your local family and children’s center.
What Are Additional Benefits of Volunteering?
In the previous section, you learned about the main benefits of substance abuse volunteer work. There are additional benefits you will receive when you make the commitment to helping others. These benefits include:
Getting a Second Chance at Life
In many ways, volunteering gives you a new lease on life. Volunteering helps you cultivate healthy habits and allows you to build a healthier lifestyle. When you help others and they show gratitude for your time, your stress and anxiety levels decrease.
Avoid Relapse
Perhaps the best reason to start volunteering in recovery is to minimize the chance that you relapse back into active substance use. Volunteering is positive and productive and leaves you with less idle time on your hands. The less time you spend alone spinning your wheels, the more your chance of relapsing goes down. Along with other productive activities, volunteer work provides you with structure and helps you manage your time wisely.
Find Purpose And Meaning In Your Life With The Help Of The Berman Center
Recovery is all about finding purpose and meaning. If you are newly recovering and need extra support and motivation to grow more confident in sobriety, The Berman Center can help. We are a premier outpatient mental health center in Atlanta focused on providing the evidence-based addiction treatment programs you need to succeed.
We offer effective treatment programs for both teens and adults, and we provide a safe and supportive environment where you can grow and prosper. The Berman Center is committed to helping you create a healthy and meaningful life that allows you to be all that you can be. Call us today and start your recovery journey.
