Participants enjoying AR Coach Training in 2022
“When I was active in self-destruction, I was isolated. I dreamt of a life for myself and so desperately wanted to feel free, to experience fully, to have meaningful relationships. What I learned is that my dis-ease kept me separate. Recovery taught me that I’m not alone. It’s OK to take a leap of faith, reach out, and ask for help. Vulnerability is not always comfortable, but being willing to trust another person who’d been through similar circumstances truly changed my life. What’s more, the ability to connect and trust is vital to my program.”—Nate Bennick, National Field Director at AR
In recent years, there is growing recognition of peer-based activities and support to promote mental health and recovery. Experiential, peer-based adventures in nature can ignite individual and group awareness, reduce societal stigma, and foster positive sustainable outcomes and community. This dynamic offers a complementary approach to clinical therapeutic interventions as the results harmonize with traditional mental health care for many reasons.
Substance Use, Mental Health Care, and Recovery Today
According to Mental Health America data from 2023, access to effective mental health support and recovery care is a challenge for many in the US. In addition, health systems for addiction often lean on medical interventions, such as clinical therapy and medication, which may not fully address the diverse needs of those with substance use disorder and other mental health difficulties. In response to potential societal and systemic limitations, peer-based support provides a modality that fosters empathy, cultivates understanding, and solidifies shared experience among those facing common challenges. Furthermore, peer relations build community, which helps reduce barriers to access to care, subverts societal stigma, and brings folks from isolation to connection. Together, we find shared bonds by overcoming what at times can seem insurmountable.
AR Guide, Max Elder, sharing a moment with a peer, in nature
Adventure activities that consist of outdoor pursuits and physical exercise hold deeper recognition today for the therapeutic benefits and results they generate, specifically when it comes to treating addiction and mental health outcomes. Studies demonstrate that nature-based time can improve quality of life, benefiting mood and decreasing feelings of anxiety and depression. From hiking and rock climbing to snowboarding and surfing, adventure creates opportunities for personal growth, connection with the natural world, and the cultivation of much-needed resilience. When we combine adventure with peer-based mentorship and accountability, we multiply the potential for success, increasing one’s sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning.
Breaking Old Patterns in Recovery
One of the struggles facing those new to recovery from mental health and substance use issues is having to redefine themselves, abandon old patterns, dismantle former beliefs, and leave prior destructive relationships. The outdoors offers a healing and empowering place to address the vital need for community-building.
“When someone enters recovery they are asked to develop new habits. They often need to abandon prior relationships and patterns—that can feel like loss, regardless of how destructive the connections may have been. It was familiar. Now, without community, the newly recovered individual is asked to step into society, get a job, engage constructively with others, and build a new life. This can be an incredibly daunting task and one that many, sadly, never take, for to do so would be to leave everything that feels safe or comfortable. This is the truth about early recovery. The relationships newly forged provide a bridge for someone struggling with the transitions, and through skillful leadership, the outdoors quickly and effectively foster self-efficacy, a sense of belonging, and the belief that a new life can be possible. This is why we do what we do.”—Rourke Weaver, AR Community Relations Director
Why Peer-Based Support Helps?
Peer-based relations furnish individuals and groups with connection, direction, and encouragement from those who’ve been there. Peers offer first-hand, lived experience in overcoming behavioral health challenges. This is powerful. When individuals can connect with others who have been through similar experiences, they go from isolation to connection. Research shows time and again, the more connected we feel, the easier it is to heal and sustain our well-being.
According to SAMHSA, there is, “..mounting evidence that people receiving peer recovery coaching show reductions in substance use, improvements on a range of recovery outcomes, or both.” Furthermore, specifically related to other mental health findings reveal less acute care and inpatient hospitalizations needed, decreased costs to a mental healthcare system that is highly stretched already, and increased community engagement, quality of life, and social functioning overall.
Unlike traditional hierarchical modes of medical interventions, the peer-based approach emphasizes a more democratized structure of connection based on mutual respect, shared understanding, and heightened empathy. Research demonstrates numerous benefits associated with this approach, including reduced feelings of isolation, increased self-esteem, and improved coping strategies.
AR Guides in the field
One of the advantages of peer-based connections is the sense of belonging and acceptance among those who may feel marginalized or stigmatized by their struggles. By connecting with others who have faced similar challenges, individuals gain validation and support, leading to enhanced feelings of empowerment and hope. The research backs this up. Studies show that peer models are being adopted more often, to benefit those in need. Additional data is needed, according to researchers, but legislators and those administering directly to addiction and mental health sufferers are praising the complementary model.
Adventure and Mental Health
Adventure activities encompass a wide range of outdoor pursuits that involve physical exertion, risk-taking, and exploration. These activities can vary from individual endeavors, such as hiking and cycling, to group-oriented experiences like adventure therapy and team-building exercises. Research shows that engaging in adventure activities can positively benefit the brain and mental health, including stress reduction, mood enhancement, and increased self-efficacy.
Dr. Brené Brown, a world-renowned public speaker, research professor at the University of Houston, and public recovery figure, explores the concept of vulnerability and risk taking, specifically in relation to resilience. In her work, Dr. Brown emphasizes the importance of embracing discomfort and taking risks as essential components of personal growth. When it comes to vulnerability in relation to time outside, adventure checks a few boxes to disrupt our behavioral patterns and inspire shift.
Adventure provides a solid opportunity to experience these many benefits as individuals must work collaboratively (navigating potential discomfort in vulnerability), step out of perceived comfort zones, learning new skills, and confronting new challenges, individually and as a team. The work is profound and goes a long way to help develop resilience in the face of adversity. Sharing outdoor experiences provides a perfect context for facing discomfort (often a reason for isolation, barrier to connection) and self-awareness and shines a light on the stigma many feel with mental health struggles and addiction by bringing people together. “Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable,” says Brown.
In addition, adventure offers a powerful environment for social connection and interpersonal relationships. Trusting your cohorts is a vital part of being in nature with others. Whether through shared experiences on a hiking trail or collaborative problem-solving in a wilderness setting, participants develop bonds based on trust, communication, and mutual support.
“When you are on belay and you have someone tied to the other end of that rope, you embody a powerful level of presence and personal responsibility. Along with that, you are acutely aware that you’ve been granted a high level of trust. This commitment and engagement have a reverberating impact on the relationship and the individuals.” —Tim Walsh, Founder of AR
These connections enhance one’s sense of wellness and contribute to the formation of supportive communities that promote recovery in the long-term. This is a powerful antidote for addiction and the isolation naturally felt by so many going through mental health challenges.
Peer Support and Awe
The integration of peer support and adventure activities combines empathic understanding with experiential learning. This increases the opportunities for personal growth, empowerment, and personal meaning. Outside, engaging in intentional activities, there are often many chances to experience awe. As an elevated emotional state, in awe, we connect with a sense of something larger, beyond the limitations of self.
Dr. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and advocate for nature-based therapies, underscores the therapeutic benefits of outdoor experiences in promoting mental health.
"Nature offers a powerful antidote to the stresses of modern life, providing a space for reflection, renewal, and connection with something greater than ourselves."
This awareness and expansiveness have a direct correlation on mentation and disposition.
AR Guides sharing a moment on the river
Integrating peer support with nature-based activities amplifies the benefits, creating community in profoundly impactful ways. As the field of mental health continues to evolve, it is essential to recognize the value of diverse and innovative approaches that prioritize the well-being and empowerment of individuals. By embracing the synergy between peer support and adventure, healthcare systems can move closer to realizing a vision of comprehensive, person-centric care that promotes resilience and sustainable recovery.
Peer Services in Addiction Treatment
In the realm of addiction treatment, holistic and community-based approaches are welcomed to increase the likelihood of the application of healthful habits. Increasingly, evidence-based peer services are a desirable method to sustain addiction care and long-term success. From local initiatives to federal policies, growing recognition of the effectiveness and importance of peer relationships in aiding recovery from substance use disorders.
The Growing Recognition of Peer Services
The peer-based approach recognizes the distinctive value of shared experiences and mutual understanding on the path to recovery. Whether through group outings or one-on-one mentoring, this community-based approach is often a lifeline for those struggling with addiction and alcoholism.
President Biden made addressing the opioid epidemic and expanding access to addiction treatment and peer support services a priority for his administration. A comprehensive plan involves a multifaceted approach, including increased funding for addiction treatment programs, expanding access, and promoting the integration of peer support services.
As part of the efforts, the President proposed significant funding allocations for peer support programs nationwide. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is tasked with overseeing the implementation of these initiatives, collaborating with state governments and local organizations to expand peer services in addiction treatment.
“The current acknowledgement and resulting resource allocation to peer support is significant in that historically, policy focused on addressing the problem’s symptoms, as opposed to the cause. We were not focusing on the solution, which is defined by SAMHSA as: Health, Home, Community, and Purpose. Adventure-based RSSO's (Recovery Support Service Organizations) are a positive method to effectively address addiction and are a fundamental part of the solution.”—Rourke Weaver, AR Director of Community Relations
There are a few ways to contribute to the evolution of peer-based services for those with mental health or substance use concerns. One way that has proven powerful is recovery coaching. The AR Coaching model nourishes individuals helping one another, not through a top-down diagnostic method, but through direct, shared experience. In addition to sharing the path of healing, we are gifted with an ever-evolving path of personal and spiritual growth, punctuated by epic adventures outside. It doesn’t suck.