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The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education
What to know about

Secular Recovery Mutual Aid Groups

These free, peer-led groups support recovery from alcohol and substance use without a spiritual framework, grounding it in self-empowerment and personal responsibility instead of a higher power. Three are best established. LifeRing (1997) runs on sobriety, secularity, and self-help, with each member building a personal recovery plan. Women for Sobriety (1975), for women, uses thirteen New Life acceptance statements centered on self-worth. SOS (Save Our Selves, 1985) is a network of autonomous groups that separates sobriety from any belief system. All are abstinence-focused.

Who it's for, and who it's not

A strong fit if you're nonreligious or prefer self-empowerment to powerlessness.
Works alongside clinical and medication-assisted treatment.
Not a sole response to severe or medically complex addiction. In crisis? Call or text 988.

What it's for

People with alcohol, substance use, or behavioral addictions wanting secular support.
Women for Sobriety serves women and the emotional dimensions of recovery.
Appropriate at any stage of recovery.
What to expect
1Meetings run 60 to 90 minutes. LifeRing and SOS are conversational and member-driven.
2WFS opens with the acceptance statements, then open sharing.
3No traditional sponsor model. Cross-talk is welcomed. In person and online.

Secular recovery programs match 12-Step outcomes for people seeking abstinence.

The PAL study followed members of WFS, LifeRing, SMART, and 12-Step over a year and found equivalent improvements across all four.1
Mutual aid broadly is as effective as professional treatment for many, with real cost savings.2
Making the most of it
Build your own plan. These programs hand you the tools, not a script.
Try more than one. The three differ in tone; find your fit.
Keep coming back. The community is what makes it work.
Questions to ask before you join
1Which program is it: LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, or SOS?
2Is it in person or online?
3Does it support medication-assisted treatment?

Ready to find a group?

Browse 2,000+ therapy and support groups in all 50 states.

Free to browse  ·  No account needed  ·  thegroupguide.com

In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact. Sources on page 2.

The Group Guide
Connecting people to community
Client and Family Education

Sources

Secular Recovery Mutual Aid Groups · references keyed to the numbers on page 1.

1Zemore, S. E., Lui, C., Mericle, A., et al. A longitudinal study of the comparative efficacy of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, and 12-step groups for those with AUD. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2018), 88, 18–26.

2Kelly, J. F., Humphreys, K., & Ferri, M. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2020), 2020(3), Article CD012880.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact.