Non 12 Step Rehab For Drug and Alcohol Addiction

In order to understand what it means when we say we take a non-12 step approach to addiction, it can help to understand what a 12-step program is. 12-step programs ask participating individuals to accept that addiction is a disease they cannot control. In order to overcome it, they must surrender to some higher power and ask that higher power for help. 12-step groups you may be familiar with are Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

As a non-12 step program, we use a combination of many different techniques to target problem areas in our client’s lives. We encourage them to take an active role in controlling their addiction. Some of the most common forms of non-12 step treatment look like:

• Medication Assistance and Management
• Medically Supervised Detox
• Individual, Group and Family Therapy Based in CBT
• Dual Diagnosis Treatment
• SMART Recovery
• Refuge Recovery

The Summit Wellness Group provides every available treatment option that can benefit clients throughout their recovery. And sometimes that means taking a step away from traditionally accepted norms of rehab. We acknowledge that 12-step programs have helped many people through addiction. But, it is our belief that clients should lead the way through their program with treatments that their values and goals align with.

• Non-12 step programs take a more secular approach to addiction treatment. This can take religious pressure off of clients.
• These programs are also beneficial for people who believe that addiction is something they can manage. It is not an uncontrollable disease.
• Non-12 step treatment programs provide a well-rounded and customizable plan. Most will use evidence-based therapies and holistic modalities.
• Emphasis is placed on the development of coping skills, craving management, emotional regulation, and changing negative thinking patterns into positive actions.

The Summit Wellness Group features the following core treatment components:

• Individualized Care.  We have very low staff-to-client ratios in order to ensure we are able to give every person who walks through our door the best possible care. One of the biggest issues with making the 12 steps a mandatory part of the treatment experience is that they simply are not a one size fits all solution for everybody. We leave the pro 12 step and non 12 step debate up to others, focusing on what works best for each individual.
• Psychiatric Care.  We reject the psychiatric stigma associated with safe, non-addictive psychiatric medications that is sometimes emphasized in 12 step rehab programs. Our dual diagnosis treatment programs assist in managing withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings with psychiatric medications.
• Group Therapy. Small group therapy breakouts that emphasize the entire group’s participation. Our groups are led by trained professionals on a variety of topics related to addiction, codependency, mindfulness, and more. They include activities designed to foster mutual support, accountability, and the sharing of ideas with fellow patients.
• Evidence-Based Therapies (EBT).  Therapies that have been scientifically proven to produce positive results are utilized.  Our program incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET). All of our therapists are Masters’s level clinicians or above, with different areas of expertise.
• Holistic Therapies.  Our holistic programs emphasize mindfulness and wellness. They help to combat the symptoms of co-occurring disorders and post-acute withdrawal syndrome. Current holistic therapies offered at The Summit Wellness Group include yoga, art therapy, chiropractic care, massage, adventure therapy and more.
• Aftercare. We allow clients to participate in our outpatient rehab program long-term and encourage participation in our alumni program. Additionally, we encourage clients to connect with others in recovery during their time with us.

Addiction is very much a disease of isolation. Sustainable sobriety requires connecting with other people who are sober. Once clients are nearing completion of our non 12 step rehab programming, we encourage them strongly to participate in one of the following groups.

SMART Recovery. SMART stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training and was known as the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Self-Help Network (ADASHN) until 1994. A secular program with great value placed on empowerment and self-reliance, SMART employs a system known as the Four-Point Program, focusing on what its members deem the four most important aspects of recovery: Building Motivation, Coping with Urges, Problem Solving, and Lifestyle Balance. Techniques of CBT, MET, and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) are utilized as well as those backed by any newly released scientific data. Numerous online resources are available to members in addition to face-to-face meetings in the U.S. and many other countries.

Recovery Dharma and Refuge Recovery. These Buddhist-inspired programs are non-theistic yet spiritual in nature and are aimed at addressing and eliminating personal suffering through Buddhist teachings, meditation, and the practice of universal compassion.

Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS). Also known as Save Our Selves, SOS is a network of recovery groups that operate autonomously. Sobriety and mutual support for the attainment of this goal are the program’s two highest priorities. The basic text for SOS is known as the Suggested Guidelines for Sobriety, which emphasize rational, non-spiritual decision-making and encourage members to adhere to a daily Cycle of Sobriety involving acknowledgment of addiction, acceptance of addictions, and prioritization of sobriety maintenance.

LifeRing Secular Recovery. An offshoot of SOS, LifeRing’s principles are known as the 3-S Philosophy: Sobriety, Secularity, and Self-empowerment. CBT plays strongly into LifeRing’s approach to sobriety, as do the theories of a number of modern psychology. Similar to SOS and SMART, both face-to-face and online meetings are offered. Beyond 3-S, members are encouraged to tailor their own recovery programs to their own particular needs and may borrow ideas and methods from other programs, including those of a 12-step nature. Many members utilize a text known as Recovery By Choice: A Workbook as the basis for customizing their own individual recovery plans.

Women For Sobriety (WFS). A secular, female-only recovery organization focusing on the “New Life” program which draws heavily from the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (especially his essay, Self-Reliance) and the Unity Movement of New Thought.

Rational Recovery. A commercial program that largely forgoes meetings and group therapy in favor of the tailoring of an individual program utilizing books and other materials offered for modest fees and also available online. The cornerstones of Rational Recovery are the Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT) loosely outlined in its materials as well as the philosophy that the addiction problem is caused by the addict’s paradoxical and contradictory desires to abstain yet continue using.

The main goal of our non-12 step program is to equip clients with a treatment plan that targets each of their specific and unique needs and recovery goals. Clients design these plans with their treatment teams. They help decide if the plan is effective or if it needs modification. Running our programs this way enables us to customize for each client rather than force them to fit into a predetermined plan.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental illness, give us a call today. Whether our program is right for you or we refer you, we will ensure that you receive the treatment you need. Not only do we provide all types of therapies, but we have connections with the best 12-step groups, inpatient and detox centers. We can help find you a specialized program if needed.