In the addiction treatment world, sponsors act as a bridge between the world of addiction and the world of recovery. They are people who have been in addiction themselves, but who have worked hard to live in recovery and are now open to helping others in their path.
Desert Solace co-founder and family liaison Jerri Jorgensen explained that sponsors serve an important function in recovery by giving those struggling with addiction a role model, a source of strength and someone who can help hold them accountable.
Furthermore, Jorgensen explained that a sponsor can help their sponsee avoid turning their family members into a “dumping ground” for negative emotions and personal struggles.
Related: Addiction Treatment Facility Explains Why Families Also Need Support
Jorgensen explained that one of the types of support sponsors can offer their sponsees is as a “confessional” for when they’ve taken steps backwards in their recovery journey. This is important, Jorgensen said, because otherwise these confessions are often a burden for family members to bear.
For instance, Jorgensen mentioned how men who are in recovery for pornography addiction or sex addiction can cause their wives distress by discussing the details of their addictions with them instead of with a sponsor.
“Wives should never be a dumping ground,” Jorgensen said. “Because then guys will just unload and then the wives are left with all this crap. And they’ll go, ‘I feel pretty good. I just confessed. I’m feeling pretty good.’ And she’s just feeling (miserable).”
Desert Solace helps clients arrange for a sponsor “right off the bat,” allowing them to stay accountable and have support long after they’ve finished their residential addiction treatment. Additionally, veterans of the Desert Solace program often stay in touch with one another and with the recovery facility staff long after treatment has finished.
“The guys that stay connected to us — and they may not make the call every week — but they stay connected,” Jorgensen said. “You’re in it together. And they get it. You’re in the trenches together. And it’s a glorious trench to be in, because it’s forward moving and it’s healing.”
Sponsors are also afforded opportunities to continue growing alongside their sponsees, said Jorgensen.
“That’s what we call the atonement in action, where you’re serving people,” she explained. “You’re taking what you’ve experienced and what you know and sharing it. And helping someone else along the way. That’s true recovery.”
In order to reach that recovery, it’s first necessary to reach out. Jorgensen recommends anyone who is suffering from addiction, or who has a loved one in addiction, reach out for resources and help.
Desert Solace is an inpatient addiction treatment center in St. George, Utah. Desert Solace specializes in the treatment of pornography and sex addictions. Additionally, they offer treatment programs for gaming, gambling and substance abuse. Their inpatient facility for porn, sex, gaming, gambling and substance addictions features professional, licensed counselors, a professional chef, equine therapy and more. With ongoing outpatient support for patients and their loved ones via phone calls and online messaging, Desert Solace believes in involving the client’s family in the pornography and sex addiction recovery process.
Desert Solace
451 N Meadow Dr.
Dammeron Valley, UT 84783, USA
info@desertsolace.com
(435) 817-1351
Note: Article contributed by KHTS AM 1220 & 98.1 FM
The Importance Of Sponsors In Addiction Treatment
https://desertsolace.com/the-importance-of-sponsors-in-addiction-treatment/
Desert Solace / Addiction Treatment Center / Pornography Addiction / Sex Addiction / Inpatient Addiction Treatment / Porn Sex / Porn Addiction / Recovery Center / Pornography Addiction Recovery / Pornography Addiction Treatment / Sex Addiction Recovery / Sex Addiction Treatment
