Routes to Recovery
Forums
Our forums offer visitors the opportunity to connect with others who share their hopes and optimism, help to reclaim identity, find meaning in life and empower each other with their knowledge and experience.
National fellowships
In 2022, more than 30 different ‘Anonymous’ fellowships held over 7,000 meetings weekly in the UK. These fellowships help tens of thousands of people to recover from all types of addictions and dependencies.
SMART recovery
SMART is an acronym for Self Management And Recovery Training. The emphasis is on "self" and the science-based programme encourages people to take an active role in their own recovery from addictive behaviours.
Families and friends
Lists of help and services for concerned others who are worried about a friend or family members. Most of these organisations are linked to a fellowship and use a similar "12 steps" programme.
Peer support
Peer support works by using the lived experience, knowledge and skills of group participants to offer support and understanding to each other in a planned, structured and informative way. This helps develop skills, understanding, confidence and self-awareness of those who share similar experiences. Our live peer support group chats offer help and advice when you need it most. Click on the relevant icon of your preferred messaging app to talk to someone.
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Chat terms and conditions
Our peer support chats are a place to connect with others who may have faced similar issues and are not intended to be a replacement or substitute for any medical or professional help and advice. The advice given is of a personal nature based on the opinions and experiences of other peers within the group.
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SMART Recovery
The 4 point programme
Building and maintaining motivation
You have power over the choices you make, how you behave and the goals you set.
Managing thoughts, feelings and behaviours
Tools and techniques that look into how we think, feel and act can help stop you from ‘using to feel better’.
Coping with urges
Understanding why urges happen and how to recognise them will help prevent you from acting on them.
Living a balanced life
Regain your health and create a lifestyle that brings you long and short-term satisfaction.
Click the button to visit the SMART Recovery UK website, where you will find information about their program, including lists of local meetings.
Self management and recovery training
SMART recovery is a peer-led, abstinence-orientated programme that supports people with addictive or problem behaviours, bringing people together to help one another. This free programme helps participants develop "the power within themselves" to change habits and lead more fulfilling lives guided by a science-based 4 point programme as outlined below.
The aim of SMART Recovery is to support people in their recovery from addiction, by promoting a healthy lifestyle, self reliance and personal empowerment. The programme supports individuals, family and friends to learn how to move on after rehab by teaching tools and techniques that help maintain sobriety.
Building and maintaining motivation
Motivation is the drive to change problem behaviours. This often stems from the desire to be relieved of suffering brought about by these behaviours. Both positive and negative feelings and situations can motivate you to change. It is absolutely essential that participants can build and maintain motivation to stick at the programme by setting realistic goals and targeting attainable positive outcomes. A lot of hard work goes into this process of change and staying motivated can be a struggle at times. At such times it is helpful to look to peers for support, guidance and inspiration and use the suggested tools to remind yourself of the benefits of your efforts.
Coping with urges
Urges will likely come and go throughout your recovery and it is useful to have coping mechanisms to deal with them. Often starting with a thought or triggering event that leads to a craving and ultimately the urge to use. However, it is still a choice as to whether or not to act upon the urge. These urges are quite common, normal and nothing to be ashamed of, although not everyone will get them. There are a number of tools designed to put you in charge so that you always have a choice between engaging in either the problem behaviour or a healthier alternative.
Managing thoughts, feelings and behaviours
There is a direct relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and SMART tools aim to help curb old behaviours by identifying and managing the more unhelpful thoughts and feelings that might crop up. While thoughts and feelings cannot be avoided they can contextualised in such a way that they need not result in problem behaviours. Many thoughts and feelings are fleeting, but can be more persistent if allowed to become unmanaged. By accepting that the only things within our control are our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours it becomes easier to maintain motivation, whereas exaggerated and inaccurate beliefs can lead to negative feelings that feed the urge or craving.. Rational thinking can be used to overcome many of these irrational beliefs
Living a balanced life
SMART Recovery has the goal of allowing it's participants to live a balanced life, by changing the aforementioned thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Wellbeing and healthy eating are encouraged as is exercise. Sleep patterns are addressed which reduces anxiety and depression while allowing the body to heal and recover. Connection to others is important and making friends within meetings is an easy way to connect and form healthier relationships with like-minded people. Volunteering can be one way of giving back to the community and developing a life that has purpose.
If your organisation would like to be included in this list, please contact us. Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement from Recovery Radio and the details provided are for information only.
National fellowships & 12 step programmes
Sex addicts anonymous
Multiple numbers- please use link below
How it works
All Twelve Step programmes use a version of AA’s suggested Twelve Steps first published in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous, colloquially known as “The Big Book”:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs
More information on 12 step programmes
The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is a widely used tool that helps people manage addictive behaviours. These steps are applied to many different types of addiction, not just limited to alcohol and other drugs. In addition to substance misuse, the steps can be applied to smoking, social anxiety, over-eating, compulsive spending and much more besides drugs and alcohol. The 12 step program is seen as a viable treatment option by medical professionals and addiction treatment experts worldwide.
Members can attend groups in person within their community, or online. Here they discuss their experiences of addiction, offer peer support to one another, and explain how and why the 12 steps worked for them. There are some groups that use a book study format, while others may be based on a "main share" from a guest speaker. Discussion is encouraged at both types of meeting.
The only criteria for joining a 12 step program is the desire to stop using or to curtail problem behaviour. Because the 12 step programme places a strong emphasis on the value of service to others and helping other people overcome their addiction, newcomers are generally welcomed and in many cases thought of as the most important members of the group.
While opinions vary regarding the effectiveness of AA and other 12 step programmes, some studies have shown that members of such a program enjoy an increased likelihood of successfully achieving sobriety. Evidence also suggests that people who begin treatment early and attend meetings regularly are more likely to succeed compared to those who are in advanced stages of addiction or who engage less often with a programme. This is likely due to the ongoing support and continued care available at such meetings, which reduces the likelihood of relapse.
There are several benefits and some criticism of the 12 step programme. While it may seem obvious that the long-term support and fellowship on offer are helpful, it is a one-size-fits-all approach that may not be suitable for everyone. Detractors may point to the religious overtones of the programme or the high rate of people dropping out of these groups. Research suggests that as many as 80% of people stop going to meetings after just one month and that only 10% attend for more than 90 days.
For those who do continue to attend, in addition to ongoing support and fellowship, they see changes in their social circle and related activities that may remove them from the temptation to relapse. They are able to form fulfilling relationships with like-minded peers who encourage abstinence, and find sober role models who can help them achieve sobriety. They may also bring a more structured schedule into their lives by attending regular meetings.
Our advice is to try it with an open mind. It may not be for you, but you won't know that unless you try!
Help and support for families and friends
These organisations provide support and advice for families, friends and others who are concerned about someone else's behaviours and habits.
Other fellowships
For a full list of fellowships available in the UK click the button below
Recovery Radio is neither affiliated with, nor endorses, any other organisation or outside enterprise. All details given are intended for informational purposes only.
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