Recovery During the Break and Beyond | Resources Tips & Tools

Give Yourself a Gift of Wellness - The ...

By Tammah Watts, LMFT
Tammah is a licensed therapist certified as a SMART Recovery Facilitator, Domestic Violence Advocate, Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide and Clinical Trauma Professional. She provides individual, relationship, and family counseling, and facilitates Health Services’ Recovery Group.

Many of you are in the final stretch of the semester and all that comes with this time of year -preparing for and taking your finals and completing other assignments; the holidays are in full swing and plans you may or may not have with family and friends. To help you staying grounded and focused on your recovery goals -Consider these Tips and Tools and attendance at meetings -in person or online, local or national.

This email is a tradition now -a final one (pun intended) for the end of the Fall semester. You'll find Resources for you to continue your recovery journey in ways that fit best.

Recovery Mutual Support Groups

Don’t give up on recovery if one type of support group doesn’t work for you. Try another one!


Secular and Non-12-Step Groups

SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training) 

Concept: Secular, non-12 step group that uses tools based on cognitive behavioral therapy that help with four main points: motivation, urges, retraining the brain, and lifestyle balance. 

Website:

San Diego: www.smartrecoverySD.org 

National: www.smartrecovery.org

Refuge Recovery 

Concept: Buddhist-inspired recovery based on the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. Incorporates meditation into the meeting. 

Website: www.refugerecovery.org

Recovery Dharma 

Concept: Buddhist-inspired recovery based on the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. Incorporates meditation into the meeting. Spin off from Refuge Recovery. Less formal and more peer-led than  Refuge Recovery. 

Website: www.recoverydharma.org

LifeRing Secular Recovery  

Concept: Secular, non-12 step, abstinence-based group that allows participants to create their own recovery through a variety of tools. Many meetings follow a "How was your week?" format. 

Website: www.lifering.org

She Recovers 

Concept: For women and non-binary individuals seeking recovery from a variety of life challenges such as trauma, substance use, grief and loss, eating disorders, burnout and moral injury, love addiction,  anxiety, and depression. 

Website: www.sherecovers.org



Religious Groups

Celebrate Recovery 

Concept: Christian-based approach using principles from the Bible and the 12-steps. 

Website: www.celebraterecovery.com

Our Jewish Recovery 

Concept: Jewish recovery using the Torah, 12-steps, and other modalities. 

Website: www.ourjewishrecovery.com (Sign up for the email list to get the Zoom links)



12-Step Groups

Buddhist Recovery Sangha at The Dharma Bum Temple 

Concept: Buddhist perspective of the 12-steps. 

Website: www.thedharmabums.org/recovery-sangha

12-Step Anonymous Groups 

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) aa.org aasandiego.org

Cocaine Anonymous (CA) ca.org casandiego.org

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) coda.org sdccoda.org3

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) crystalmeth.org sandiegocma.org

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) gamblersanonymous.org sandiego-ga.org

Heroin Anonymous (HA) heroinanonymous.org 

Marijuana Anonymous (MA) marijuana-anonymous.org ma-sandiego.org

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) na.org sandiegona.org

Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) nicotine-anonymous.org 

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) slaafws.org slaasandiego.org Note: This is not an exhaustive list.



Mental Health Groups

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) 

Concept: Support, education, and tools to improve lives of people who have mood disorders. Website:

San Diego: www.dbsasandiego.org 

National: www.dbsalliance.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 

Concept: Support for people living with mental illness. 

Website:

San Diego: www.namisandiego.org 

National: www.nami.org

Recovery International (RI) 

Concept: Cognitive-behavioral tools for those in recovery from mental health disorders. 

Website: www.recoveryinternational.org



Alternative Support Options

The Phoenix 

Concept: Physically active and social community for individuals who are recovering from addiction. They offer events free for those who have a minimum of 48 hours sobriety. Volunteers lead events which  can include yoga, rock climbing, bonfires, running, pickleball, art, CrossFit, beach volleyball, stand-up  paddle boarding, game night, etc. 

Website: www.thephoenix.org 

App: NewForm

Ben’s Friends 

Concept: Supportive community for food and beverage professionals who struggle with addiction.

Website: www.bensfriendshope.com

Young People in Recovery 

Concept: Provide life skills and peer support to help young people recover from substance use.

Website:

San Diego: https://chapters.youngpeopleinrecovery.org/chapter/ypr-san-diego-ca/ 

National: www.youngpeopleinrecovery.org

The Happier Life Project 

Concept: Recovery community organization that support those who struggle with addition and mental health through education, advocacy, and peer-based recovery support services. All pathways to  recovery are accepted. 

Website: www.thehappierlifeproject.org



For Loved Ones (Family and Friends)

Al-Anon 

Concept: For families and friends of people who struggle with alcohol, based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

Website:

San Diego: www.alanonsandiego.org 

National: www.al-anon.org

SMART Recovery Family and Friends 

Concept: For family and friends of people who struggle with any addiction, based on SMART Recovery concepts and strategies from Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). 

Website:

San Diego: www.smartrecoverysd.org/for_family/ 

National: www.smartrecovery.org/family



Information may have changed since this document was created in August 2025. Please check websites for most up-to-date information. This is not a complete list of available support groups.


CHECK OUT THIS LOCAL HEALTH & FITNESS RESOURCE!






Both in-person and online options to get healthy with like-minded folks.

NO FEES -The requirement to participate: 48 hours of sobriety...that's it! SMART RECOVERY SAN DIEGO partners with The Phoenix in Recovery.

Take good care and remember...

Our first meeting for Spring semester will be: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5th | 12p - 1p | Student Health Services Meeting Room and online on ZOOM


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

YOUR RECOVERY JOURNEY FOR THE SEMESTER AHEAD

Image
  By Tammah Watts, LMFT Tammah is a licensed therapist trained in Mindfulness-Based Meditation, who provides individual, relationship, and family counseling, and is certified as a SMART Recovery Facilitator, Domestic Violence Advocate, and Clinical Trauma Professional. --------- The turn of the calendar ushers in a new semester often symbolizes a fresh start and the opportunity for positive change. For many, the New Year is a time of reflection and goal-setting with a renewed sense of hope. This sentiment is particularly poignant for those who are on a journey of recovery from addiction. Recovery is a multifaceted process and broadly speaking, it includes your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Incorporating these as a vital part of your self care can be very beneficial for your success academically as well. As you develop your schedule for this semester, consider adding the SMART RECOVERY -informed meeting held weekly online to your plans. It is for MiraCosta Students Only a...
Read more

Why Placebos Work

Image
  By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly ...
Read more

TWO QUESTIONS: Tammah Watts on Recovery

Image
TWO QUESTIONS FOR:  Tammah Watts about Recovery Meetings on Campus 1.   What led you to become a SMART Recovery Group facilitator?   Oh, I love this question because it’s a testament to the power of friends and their influence on us. By this I mean that I first heard about SMART Recovery from a longtime friend of mine, who also happens to work in the mental health field. I became curious about how she spent her Sunday mornings and she began to share about SMART Recovery and her volunteerism with the organization as a facilitator for several years. Eventually, she asked me if I would consider becoming a facilitator because the  program was growing throughout San Diego and there was a need for more facilitators to provide meetings online and in person. The more I learned, the more I became interested in the organization -in particular, the 4-Points Program   and their evidence-based approach and ...
Read more