Completing a treatment program with a 12-Step based program, such as Malibu Wellness Ranch, can be one of the most life-changing experiences you will have. 12-Step programs are designed specifically to help you find support in a sober community no matter where you go after treatment. 

Importance of Healthy Social Connections

Human beings are innately social creatures. We do best when we can thrive as part of a social group. You must find your place in your community, family, and with your friends. There are a variety of mental and physical health benefits to having healthy social connections. 

Physical Health Benefits

There are some physical health benefits of having strong social connections. People who have strong circles of support have been shown to have lower blood pressure and healthier BMIs. It also helps people be more resilient when dealing with diseases like diabetes or cancer. Being more connected socially positively influences health and healthy behaviors, leading to longer and happier lives.

Mental Health Benefits

Social connections can have a notable impact on our mental health. Spending time with people that you love can help improve your mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Having people that you connect with on a regular basis can help you recover faster from mental health challenges. You need healthy relationships in your life to maintain positive mental health.

Sober Community and Successful Recovery

Substance use disorders (SUDs) can have a negative impact on your ability to function socially. It is important, as part of a SUD treatment program, that you have the opportunity to develop more skills that will help you function in healthy relationships. When you have the support of people that understand what you have gone through and what your goals are, it will increase your chances of success in recovery.  

At Malibu Wellness Ranch, we understand the importance of giving our clients opportunities to develop skills like communication and problem-solving. We do this through a variety of recreational activities like hiking and participation in our equine recovery program. Our treatment approach is also aligned with the 12-Step process that is found in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to ensure that our clients have the opportunity to develop multiple recovery pathways.  

What Is a 12-Step Program?

12-Step programs are groups of people that follow a structured progression to guide people through recovery. This structure empowers people to make positive changes in their lives with the support of others that are also making positive changes. The Twelve Steps are as follows:

#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.

Participating in a 12-Step program gives people a pathway for recovery that includes a built-in sober community that they can rely on while they are completing the steps and for a lifetime of sobriety moving forward.

12-Step Sober Community

At Malibu Wellness Ranch, we want to give each of our clients the best chance for success. We believe that participation in a 12-Step program is one of the best tools that our clients can utilize, not only because of the structure that can be applied to recovery. It can also enable our clients to join their local 12-Step programs and their sober community seamlessly.

During their stay at Malibu Wellness Ranch, our clients have the opportunity to participate in 12-Step groups each evening. By participating in these meetings, our clients can become familiar with recovery programs and meeting formats. During these groups, we discuss a variety of different pathways to recovery. We also give our clients the opportunity to share their experiences and hear from outside speakers. 

Our clients also get the opportunity to go to 12-Step meetings outside of Malibu Wellness Ranch. We want our clients to experience recovery meetings outside of the treatment center setting. Our goal is to prepare them for life after treatment and do everything we can to help them feel comfortable joining other 12-Step sober communities.