By Daily Press staff
If you have a problem sticking to a New Year’s resolution, you may need some self help.
The Self-Help And Recovery Exchange (SHARE) — the self-help clearinghouse for Los Angeles County — can help.
“People who attend self-help support groups have a 40 percent greater chance of keeping their New Year’s resolutions than those who go it alone,” says Ruth Hollman, founder and executive director of the center.
“Whether it’s losing weight, quitting smoking, or improving your finances,” said Hollman, “studies show that the best way to change your behavior is to join a self-help support group.” Hollman recently returned from Stockholm, where she was the keynote speaker at Sweden’s annual self-help support group conference.
Support groups have helped everyone from heart patients to people dealing with credit card debt to individuals looking for jobs.
No matter what the New Year’s resolution or problem may be, SHARE has a group, among the 500 already existing groups, that will suit individual needs in multiple neighborhoods. Problems already being addressed are anger, sleeplessness, panic attacks, death, loneliness, teen issues, relationships, divorce, money and family issues. If they don’t have the right group for a specific problem, SHARE can help start a new one that does.
In March 2005, Los Angeles county contracted with SHARE to expand its program, because of the success the center in Mar Vista has had in turning people’s lives around, company officials said.
During national self-help support group week, Jan. 2 to Jan. 8, self-help meetings across the country are welcoming newcomers. SHARE will host an open house at their center at 5521 Grosvenor Blvd., near Centinela and Jefferson. The public is invited to visit, sign up for a free orientation and sit in on one or more of the ongoing self-help or recovery group meetings.
The center helps more than 30,000 men, women and children each year to cope with physical ailments, addiction, emotional problems and life’s crises through referral to more than 10,000 self-help support groups throughout LA County. All of their services are available to everyone, anonymously and free. To find a group in a specific neighborhood call toll free at 1-877-SHARE-49.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 24, 2005. Read the original PDF.