Can you find recovery online?

A long time ago you couldn’t really find recovery. If you were an alcoholic, you most likely were institutionalized or doomed to die. Talk about hopelessness. Then recovery came about in the form of two alcoholics, and it spread like wildfire. Back then recovery was limited to face to face contact at 12 step meetings. Then the Internet was invented. With the rise of internet,we now can find recovery online in the comfort of our own homes just by turning on our computer and finding either 12 step meetings or even online therapy for addiction. There is a multitude of recovery online.

Recovery online: Online 12 Step Meetings

Online meetings are gatherings that take place using the Internet as the medium of real-time communication. Rather than have the meeting attendees gather in one physical location, the World Wide Web is used to create a virtual meeting place that can be accessed with the proper login credentials. Depending on the software platform used for the online meeting, participants may be able to communicate with the facilitator or chairperson in several different ways.

Recovery online: Online therapy for addiction

You participate in addiction treatment by securely encrypted, high-definition video conference. The picture and sound are great, and no one sees it but you and your online therapy group or your online therapist. All client communications are managed by a secure, HIPAA-compliant email and document system. Each client is assigned password-protected access to the online therapy system.

Recovery Online and Recovery in Person

Recovery online is a great way to stay connected and motivated in sobriety without needing to go anywhere. While recovery online is a great resource,  I would not recommend it. If it is possible for you to find recovery other than online, than I would do so. Only when it is hard to get out or not possible for you to seek outside recovery; that is when I would use recovery online. Although recovery online doesn’t have to be just limited to online 12 step meetings and online therapy for addiction. There are many websites now on the Internet filled with ways to meditate and also listen to speakers from 12 step meetings that have been previously recorded. These are great tools for whenever you need a little pick me up. Relying, however, on your recovery online is not a good idea. Some of your recovery should be based on actual face to face therapy and actual in person 12 step meetings. It is much easier to be held accountable when you have to look someone in the eye. Recovery online allows for distance and therefore allows for certain “flaws” to show up in its effectiveness.

There is no reason not to seek out recovery online but there is reason not to rely too heavily on it. Faulty Internet connections, the inability to connect on a deeper level and miscues between people can happen far too easily with recovery online. Get a good balance of both and you never have to be without recovery whether it is in person or recovery online.