How to Create a Rehab Alumni Program

Being part of a tight-knit community of sober individuals is critical for recovery. A recovery alumni program is an excellent way to motivate those who have successfully completed rehab to stay clean. It provides them with a place to connect with other sober people and form strong bonds that lead to lasting recovery.

What is a Drug Rehab Recovery Program?

The purpose of a rehab alumni program is to keep former patients in contact with staff and other former patients. These programs meet regularly and often offer events to keep participants engaged, including 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). They also provide fun activities where participants can let loose and connect with others going through recovery.

Rehab alumni programs help former patients stay sober by giving them a place for connection, advice, encouragement, and sober fun while also discouraging social isolation — something that’s key to avoiding relapse. When participants join a network of people who have gone through similar experiences, recovery becomes more engaging, and challenges become more manageable.

Activities that rehab alumni programs host include:

• Bowling

• Movie night

• Potluck dinners

• Grilling or cookouts

• Hikes

• Arts and crafts

• Volunteering

• Support groups

• Organized sports like flag football, golf, and tennis

• Singing, dancing, and playing music

Community Service

Finding your purpose plays a pivotal role in recovery. Giving back is an excellent way to find meaning and purpose while connecting with others. Other benefits of volunteering include:

• Gaining new skills

• Boosted mood

• Developing social skills

• Meeting new people

• Developing an advanced sense of gratitude

• Building empathy

• Feeling a deepened sense of community and belonging 

• Networking opportunities to help find career opportunities and advancement

• Increased self-esteem

Online Groups

Connecting face to face is not the only way to form meaningful connections and foster strong relationships. You can also use the internet and social media to find encouragement and support. Social media alumni groups are a great way to share updates and progress and to ensure the alumni groups stay connected and up to speed with what’s happening in each other’s lives. The online groups can meet up as often as they please to encourage connectivity and support.

How to Create a Rehab Alumni Program

If you’re interested in starting a rehab alumni program, consider the following steps:

1. Decide whether to launch your program online or in-person

You can have both an in-person and online component of your alumni recovery program. Still, it’s a good idea to choose one to focus on for the program launch. Decide which option would work best for you and your program, and then select the frequency and length of meetings, location of meetings, and create a calendar with a few social events on it to draw people in.

2. Fine-tune your program details

To ensure your program has the highest chances of success, getting the nitty-gritty details of your plan for your rehab alumni program ironed out is vital. Some questions to consider include:

• Will your rehab alumni program be specifically for alcoholics or heroin users? Will you invite people who have graduated from a specific rehab? Will it be geared towards a particular sex or age group? Or will your program be open to everyone? 

• Will members be required to attend a certain number of meetings to keep their membership, or will you take a more “drop-in approach?

• What kind of budget are you working with? Will fundraising be required? Will you need to apply for grants and assistance?

3. Find a meeting space

Will your alumni program meet at a treatment facility? Someone’s house? A restaurant? The options are endless but consider your program’s goals, budget, location, etc., to choose a meeting spot that works best for you. Your meeting space does not have to be set in stone for the program’s entirety and can change periodically. In fact, changing the pace of the program through various activities and meeting locations is an excellent way to fight boredom and keep your participants engaged.

4. Start marketing your program

Once the details have been hammered out, it’s time to start letting people know about your program! The first step to helping those who suffer from addiction is to help them find you when they are ready.  

There are several different routes to take with the marketing for your rehab alumni program marketing, including social media marketing, display marketing at rehab facilities, handing out pamphlets at AA meetings and hospitals, email marketing, and much more. To ensure word of your program reaches as many people as possible — so it can do the most good — it’s a good idea to look into getting help from a team of marketing professionals. From paid search to drug and rehab SEO, web design, content marketing, and leads and telemarketing — to name a few — there are many marketing strategies to consider. Find a team of professionals that can help you reach your target audience.

Contact The Drug Rehab Agency

Opening and marketing a treatment center can be complex and overwhelming. Drug Rehab Agency is here to help with your drug rehab consulting needs and guide you through every step of marketing your recovery alumni program. We specialize in helping addiction rehabs and mental health facilities that have struggled to compete with larger companies' seemingly limitless drug rehab marketing budgets. We’ve worked for those major companies. We know what they do and can put those proven strategies to work for you. Contact us today to learn more.