When I first started to become sober curious and really looked at my level of alcohol consumption and whether I had a problem, I was amazed at just how much support was readily available both online and offline. I was like a sponge at the start, absorbing as much information as possible and learning from people who have already embarked on their sobriety journeys along with speaking with other people who were in the same position as me. For me, one of the biggest helps to changing my life was joining sober support groups online. It was my own safe space to ask questions and talk with others over shared experiences and struggles which was so comforting at time. I knew when I started my own quit alcohol programme that I also wanted to have a place available for others to talk and seek support and that’s when my Be Sober- Quit Drinking & Enjoy Life Facebook support community was born. From humble beginnings, we now have over 29,000 members and I am so proud to be the founder and part of such an active, helpful and supportive community.

Whether you are sober curious, starting your sobriety journey or you have been sober for a period time, if you are not already, then I highly recommend you joining a sober support community. In a previous blog, I have broken down some of the best that I found and been a part of which you can read HERE.

Without further ado, here are my top 5 reasons why you should join a sober support community:

#1 Your safe space

Being able to be online and to talk openly about your fears, concerns, anxiety or to just able to ask questions to others about sobriety without fear of judgement is such a positive thing. If you are considering joining an online support group, then you can create a new profile for yourself if you don’t want people close around you to know you have joined and you can get the support you need, whenever you need it – 24hrs a day, 7 days a week! Being able to open the app on your phone or computer, you can quickly be in touch with other people who want to help and you can also help as well. It’s your own space to use as much as you want.

#2 Free of charge

One of the main things I love about the rise of the internet is how much information and help is now available completely free of charge. The majority of the sober support groups on Facebook or other sites such as Reddit are completely free of join. You just need to create a free account and within a few clicks of a button you can be included within the group that you want, seeking the help and support you are looking for. No longer do you have to just rely on face-to-face support or 1-2-1 counselling. Whilst those methods are still great at getting addiction help, if you are seeking immediate help and support, then an online free support group can be a fantastic aid.

#3 Mix of people

If we take my online support group as an example, there are just under 30,000 active members. These people vary from different parts of world, genders, age, social experiences and are all at different stages of their sobriety. From the moment of joining, you will be able to part of a diverse community of people, who although come from different backgrounds all have the same experiences and problems with alcohol. You get to speak to anyone you wish to seek advice from but also provide your own journey and experiences to-date as well. It truly is one of the biggest gifts of the rise of online social media that we are all now better connected and able to help each other with no agenda.

#4 Be as involved as you want

With an online support group, you can be as involved as you wish. Whether you have a lot of questions you would like people’s views on, or you benefit from also helping others, through to not being active but just being able to read about other peoples concerns, goals and relationships with alcohol, it is completely your choice. The beauty of online support groups is that they are there for you as often as you want.

#5 Join as many as you wish

With online groups, there is no time constraint on you compared to having to go to a physical meeting. You can join as many online sober support groups as you want and with the majority being free to join, there are no barriers to entry. You then have access at your fingertips to real-time alcohol support from a number of different places all from your mobile phone, tablet or computer.

I really hope that this list goes some way to showing you the benefits of joining a sober support community. I have found them to be a fantastic resource and I am really proud of how mine has developed over the years to being an excellent space for people from across the world. I would also love to hear from you in the comments section below about your own experience with sober support groups, or if you haven’t joined one yet, is there anything in particular that is holding you back? Please do let me know as I would love to hear from you.

holding you back? Please do let me know as I would love to hear from you.