Addiction can be an isolating and frustrating experience for everyone involved. Whether you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, our suggestions will be same for both of you. 12 step fellowships are widely regarded as one of the best ways to help get sober and stay sober. After you detox and go through an intensive inpatient facility (anywhere from 1-4+ months), it is highly recommended that you start attending 12-step meetings. There’s a different group for whatever issue you are dealing with! Cocaine Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are just a few of the fellowships that can help you or a loved one deal with your addiction(s). In these meetings, people learn how to cope with their addictions, share their stories, make new friends, and constructively confront their demons. In these rooms of fellowship, man people develop valuable skills to help them stay sober during trying times.

Even though meetings can help recovering addicts live fulfilled lives, we understand that your first few meetings can be tough.

It’s OK to not be OK

You may feel apprehensive about your first meeting. You may even feel scared and unsure about whether you should get sober.  We want you to know that you don’t need to feel like this! Most people build meetings up in their head and create an unrealistic expectation of the meeting and what is going (or not going) to happen. We urge you to start attending meetings with an open mind and open ears. Developing a sarcastic attitude because you don’t want to go (or are court-ordered to) will only end up hurting you in the long run. People that regularly attend meetings and go through the steps, statistically, live happier lives and have more years of sobriety than those who try and get sober without meetings.

12-step Tips

To aid in the process of getting sober, we want to share a few tips that we feel will help you or a loved one:

1. Meetings have different formats. From round-robin-style sharing, to reading from a 12-step ‘big book’, there are many types of meetings in the world of recovery.
2. We recommend sharing and speaking up when you feel ready to do so. Sharing can help you relate to others, get figurative addiction monkeys off your back, and make you feel welcome. Generally speaking, all groups are very welcoming and will not deny an addict that wants to get sober.
3. Get a sponsor. Sponsors help take you through the steps. The 12 steps are the framework for most fellowships, and provide a clear and easy way to get sober and stay sober. Not unlike a sober support or sober companion, sponsors meet with you for free to discuss your issues that stem from addiction. If you need extra support, consider using our service to hire a sober coach, escort or companion during your first year or two of sobriety.

Richmond Virginia Sober Companion

There are occasions when a newly recovering person needs intensive discreet and professional one-on-one support. Our Sober Companion service does just that. We support individuals that:

• may need to leave their inpatient treatment to attend a family or business obligation by ensuring they return to treatment in a healthy state.
• have a travel requirement as soon as they leave treatment and need a sober companion while establishing their recovery within the bounds of their travel schedule.
• are returning to an unsupportive environment for their recovery.
• live alone and need support to establish new and healthy habits in support of their recovery.

Our sober companion services provide accompaniment to:

• 12-step meetings
• doctor’s appointments
• work
• school
• family functions
• social functions
• travel

We offer sober companion and sober escort services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Atlanta, Greenwich and the Greater Washington, DC and Baltimore regions.

AA Meetings and Early Recovery

If you are new to 12-step meetings such as AA or NA (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous), don’t be worried! Millions of people use fellowships like these to get and stay sober. Our sober transport service can even transport you or a loved one to fellowship meetings and outpatient rehabilitation services. Whatever your early recovery needs are, we are here to help.