Benefits of Our Alumni Program

Clients who begin their recovery in treatment gain many vital tools, but they also face a major transition period upon discharge. After several weeks of continuous supervision, they must learn to manage their own program of recovery without neglecting the responsibilities of everyday life. Between work, recovery, family and other obligations, many start to feel overwhelmed. A solid support network, however, will help them to navigate their new lifestyle with greater ease. That’s where our alumni program comes in.

Amethyst’s alumni program serves mainly to increase our clients’ chances of success by offering extended resources and support. Our Alumni team runs groups during day/night treatment to explain these benefits to clients so that they understand the resources they will have at their disposal upon discharge. During these groups clients learn about such program features as our weekly aftercare meetings, regular alumni events and private Facebook group.

Not only do clients benefit from the professional help during these aftercare sessions, they also strengthen their bonds with one another. Clinicians work with clients during Wednesday meetings to facilitate the sense of community during our alumni events. We believe these events provide some of the strongest benefits of our alumni program.

Having Fun and Forging Friendships

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Amethyst provides individualized care at an intimate facility. One of the more striking aspects of our alumni program is its sheer magnitude. Despite our intimate size and relatively young organization, our alumni community remains quite large. 

We love seeing people connect with one another. More than anything, however, it all comes back to the mission of showing people that they can enjoy themselves in sobriety. At our aftercare meetings, things sometimes get serious, and clients form bonds through the mutual understanding of shared struggles. Our alumni events, however, provide a pain-free zone. Success is defined not just by the quantity of people in attendance, but by the quality of the times they share together.

Of course, social events provide a challenge to some people. Many recovering addicts and alcoholics identify as introverts. And while there’s nothing wrong with this, it makes things difficult for those who wish to maintain a decently sized support network yet find social events draining. Rising to the challenge,  we see this not as an obstacle but rather as an opportunity to engage in the type of one-on-one client interactions that are integral to recovery.

We appreciate every opportunity to build the strength of our Amethyst family. Of course, clients will occasionally wish to look outside of our treatment community for support. Fortunately, our alumni program can help with that as well.

Branching Out to the Larger Community

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Our alumni program recently purchased more than two dozen tickets to a concert hosted by the organization Rockers in Recovery. Anyone who wished to attend would gain access not only to incredible music, but also to the vast fellowship of our local recovery groups. While the main goal was to support Rockers in Recovery, the secondary goal was to expand the scope of our alumni program by encouraging our alumni to take part in an event attended largely by non-Amethyst men and women with varying lengths of sobriety.

This does not diminish our sense of family. Amethyst remains a tight-knit community, and we take great pride in that. However, we do recognize that recovery necessitates a broader community than simply your peers from treatment. We want to help our clients discover what the wider recovery community has to offer. And for really important matters, when they absolutely need someone they can trust, our alumni program will still be there for them.

Helping Each Other in Our Times of Need

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As previously stated above, our alumni program helps clients raise their chances of success by offering extended support. Sometimes, however, addiction takes a hold over someone that no amount of love can seem to overpower. People slip, and sometimes they fall hard. If that happens, our alumni program will be there to catch them, to help them regain their footing as they continue moving forward on their journey. And while there’s always an element of sadness to watching someone struggle, it can also be quite rewarding to watch our community come together in support of those who need it.

Our alumni program supports former clients with more basic needs as well. Team Amethyst, our alumni Facebook group, provides support in numerous fashions. Sometimes people offer basic recovery support by sharing inspirational quotes or speeches. Others may reach out for help when in need of a new sponsor or rides to a meeting. Many people also use it to post local job listings.

More than anything, however, Team Amethyst provides an extension of the support we see at our events and aftercare meetings. And whether someone needs a job, support after a relapse, or simply just a place to share about their recovery, this online extension of our alumni program can offer it.

The ability for those who leave Florida to stay in touch with our local alumni means a lot to many of our clients. Some experience real friendship for the first time in recovery. Leaving that can be difficult. But even those who cannot share our home in Florida will always share space in our hearts. Once you become a member of our alumni program, you’ll find that membership is everlasting.

Lifelong Membership in Our Alumni Program

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Amethyst offers three levels of care—detox, residential, and day/night treatment. No matter whether you go through all three levels or just detox, we consider you alumni. Even those who graduate detox and attend PHP at other facilities will find that their time at Amethyst Recovery Center earns them equal access to the benefits of our alumni program.

Those who move on to other facilities, or who move out of state following treatment, are never forgotten. While they may not be able to make it to our weekly aftercare meetings or monthly events, we do our best to stay in contact. And we don’t just mean through Team Amethyst, either.

Setting aside fun, friendship and support, this may be among the most profound gifts of our alumni program. Yes, we pride ourselves on community. And yes, we love to interact with our local alumni as frequently as possible. But those who leave, and come back with the sparkle of worldly success in their eyes? They provide inspiration to those who doubt that sobriety is possible. Their stories of experience, strength and hope can do wonders in keeping our alumni community strong. Whether here in Florida or on the other side of the country, every successful member of our alumni program touches our hearts and motivates us to keep working toward the greater good.

When you attend treatment at Amethyst, you gain so much more than a handful of recovery tools. You gain a community in the truest sense of the word. A fellowship that will never abandon you as long as you live.

For more information on our alumni program, or other features of our treatment program here at Amethyst, contact us today. We look forward to helping you in any way we can.