Spicing Up Group

Group. It’s a fact of life in rehab. It’s where we go to work on ourselves, our surroundings, our addictions, everything. It’s essential to the overall success of rehab. But, sometimes it can be tedious, monotonous, boring.

It doesn’t have to be!

There is an infinite amount of fodder to be had for groups; and a huge stash of topics for group as well. Some of those topics are more popular than others, and some actually bring real joy to a group when they’re announced.

Let’s break that down a little bit here, beginning with the actual kind of groups that usually take place.

Self-help groups. These groups are usually lead by someone who may not necessarily be a professional group leader, but who has survived a certain life circumstance. Addiction, depression, relapse, etc etc etc. Whatever the case may be, they lead with their story, the group follows with pieces of their story, and the leader – together with the group – offer advice and counsel to each individual on their own situations.

Medication groups. This group’s main focus is on topics having to do with medications and why compliance is key. They are often lead by medical professionals who work to help each group member understand their medications and why it is important to maintain compliance.

Interpersonal Therapy groups. These groups focus on the present, the now. They work on relationships within the facility’s communities. Healthy conflict resolution, praise, anything having to do with the community and its success.

Encounter groups. This sort of group is a deeper dive into whatever issue or topic that is at hand. It can be an uncomfortable group and it aims to provoke greater change than a typical group might provoke.

Psychodrama groups. This is a group that aims to use reenactments, improv, etc to help members work through scenarios and situations that may be occurring, have occurred in the past, or may yet in the future.

Within those five categories lies a lot of possibility. All manner of ways of going about running the group are included there. Topics can, again, run the gamut. But, there are a few topics that are the most popular across many communities of group going individuals. We’ll break those down next.

• Icebreakers and games that surround that – like 2 truths and a lie.
• Stay busy activities – how to get through cravings.
• Studying role models – usually involves allowing group members to showcase their own role models.
• Music and why it moves you – usually allowing group members to choose one song, play a portion of it for the group, and highlight why they chose that song.
• Movies – this topic can be applied to all manner of things, but usually includes allowing members to choose a movie to talk about and showcase as an incredible example of X, or a role model character, etc.
• Practical groups – things like job hunting after rehab, finances, apartment hunting after rehab, etc.
• Health and wellness – chatting about diet and exercise, sometimes including the opportunity to prepare healthy foods or participate in exercise.
• Goals and achieving them – discussions of the future, what goals members have after rehab, how they plan to get there, etc.
• Relationships – especially with groups that do not include couples, this is a popular topic that allows members to vent and work through relationship difficulties.
• Outings – a group’s time is spent at the movie theatre, putt-putt golf course, bowling, etc. allowing members to blow off steam and feel connected to the larger community around them as they prepare to re-enter that community.

Groups can be tedious. But they can also be life changing, and oftentimes are. While in the midst of group after group after group you may not be able to see any benefit, but once you’ve left rehab and are back at it in life, those lessons, whether from a boring group or not, will become some of the most valuable resources for sobriety that you possess!