Resources for your recovery during the summer, and beyond

By Tammah Watts(she), LMFT 111562
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.

As we come to the end of the Spring semester -first, CONGRATULATIONS for making it through! It's also a good time to consider what your recovery support will look like during the summer.

To help you stay grounded and focused on your recovery goals -Consider these Tips and Tools and attendance at meetings -in person or online, local or national.

Below, you'll find Resources to continue your recovery journey in ways that fit best including apps, meetings online and in-person, and more.

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: Main Website and San Diego Website

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

    Website: www.dbsalliance.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

    Concept: Support for people living with mental illness. Website: San Diego: www.namisandiego.org

    Website: 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

Note: 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.



Welcome to Soluna – a wellbeing app for teens and young adults.
You can handle it. We can help. All yours (all free). 

https://youtu.be/6QFW1YtFjZw?si=8QzOt8bLjid5SFUt


…and remember




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

Racialized Stress and Substance Use: Understanding the Link

Image
By Dorian Owens Dorian Owens is a graduate student at San Diego State University, pursuing a Master’s in Counseling through the Community-Based Block (CBB) Program, focusing on multicultural counseling and social justice. Dorian's approach to mental health care is rooted in humanistic, trauma-informed, and client-centered practices, emphasizing support for marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC populations. College is a time of change, growth, and pressure. For many students, especially those from historically marginalized communities, it can also be overwhelming. The expectations to perform, to fit in, and to navigate unfamiliar systems often weigh heavily. For Black and Latinx students, this stress can be compounded by additional layers of social pressure, identity-related fatigue, and feeling unseen in academic environments. Substance use doesn’t always start with addiction; it often begins as a coping strategy. For some students, using alcohol, weed, or other substances i...
Read more