Make 2023 the Year of Community
SHARE! The Self-Help And Recovery Exchange
Self-Help Support Groups | Collaborative Housing | Peer Specialist Training | Housing First | shareselfhelp.org
by Jason Robison , Chief Program Officer, SHARE!
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”?– Coretta Scott King
”I can’t. We Can,” has been a familiar recovery mantra for generations. The four simple words help us place ourselves in relationship with others and with community in a way that allows us to help others and allow others to help us. The importance of community and helping are essential foundations for recovery, defined by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as, “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”
REAL SUCCESS IN RECOVERY COMES FROM BEING PART OF A “WE” COMMUNITY:?At SHARE!, “community” means everyone has a place. SHARE! has cultivated programs and communities that use the power of community to transform and heal people and relationships for 30 years. A critical component of this healing is dignity, which Merriam-Webster defines as “the quality or state of being worthy, honored, and esteemed.
To experience dignity, we must nurture communities in which every person adds value. Everyone is a leader. SHARE!’s practices spring directly from the structure of self-help support groups, where every person is someone who helps someone else.
The pandemic has shown the world what people in self-help support groups have known for nearly 100 years: isolation kills.?Research shows that 40% of whether people are ok is directly related to the amount and quality of social support in their life.
SHARE! The Self-Help And Recovery Exchange?is a non-profit organization that operates two community self-help support group centers in Los Angeles, California: SHARE! Culver City and SHARE! Downtown. Together,?SHARE! Culver City?and?SHARE! Downtown?currently hosts over 100 online and in-person self-help support group meetings (including 12-step groups).?These peer-led meetings offer people a sense of support and the opportunity o share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with each other in a loving, safe, and non-judgmental place.
CHANGE IS BETTER WHEN DONE TOGETHER:??Recovery is possible for everyone, and everyone has their own path to recovery, People may struggle with childhood trauma, cancer, grief and loss, drug issues, sex issues – whatever the issue, there is a community of people who share the experience. In these communities of recovery we find acceptance and understanding. We find common ground without judgment. We find love and healing.
WALKING THE PATH:?So, how do we find our path? How do we begin the journey? As we connect with others, we find courage to share our pain. We see where others have been and where we might want to go.
SHARE!’s?PLAN FOR SUCCESS?is a tool we use to help us develop our personal recovery path.
We start by dreaming big, by seeing ourselves as the best version of ourselves. We are a success! Five years from now – as a success – what does our life look like? What are our hobbies? Our family situation? Career? Where are we living? As we see where each of these things place us in five years, we move back. If I want to be here in 5 years, where do I have to be in four years? Wat about 3 years, 2 years, next year, in 6 months, 3 months, next month, next week, tomorrow?
This way, the path becomes clear. We see what we can do now to achieve our long-term goals.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE:??The?SHARE! Plan for Success?is designed to inspire and support the changes we make alongside others who understand what we are going through firsthand.
As we see areas where we want to change, community emerges. If we want to change our relationship with money, we can join others in Debtors Anonymous. If we want to change patterns in our relationships, we can join others in?Co-Dependents Anonymous?(CODA) Los Angeles County alone has over 12,000 self-help support groups for over 750 different life issues.
As we share our plans for success with others, we allow ourselves the freedom to be held accountable. We are more likely to take action on the things we write down and share with others. Even better, we have people who can help us, whether it is for support, or connecting us to resources.
We allow ourselves to find and grow the community in our lives.
DOWNLOAD THE SHARE! PLAN FOR SUCCESS HERE: SHARE PLAN FOR SUCCESS
To learn more, feel free to visit our website at?www.shareselfhelp.org, call us at?310) 305-8878?or email us?[email protected].
Jason Robison is Chief Program Officer at SHARE! He is continuously inspired by the healing power of self-help support groups, through which people and families recover and reach out to help others every day. He currently is a board member with CAMHPRO and is the Co-Chair of the National Recovery Month Steering Committee.
SHARE! stands for Self-Help And Recovery Exchange.?SHARE! is a non-profit organization that operates two community self-help support group centers in Los Angeles, California: SHARE! Culver City and SHARE! Downtown. Together,?SHARE! Culver City?and?SHARE! Downtown?currently hosts over 100 self-help support group meetings (including 12-step groups) each week.