Sober Group · Community guide
Check recovery information before you rely on it
Separate personal experience, imported news, advertising, and professional guidance. Each calls for a different kind of checking.
Identify who is making the statement
Start with the original author or organisation. A forum username does not establish a professional credential, and a technical website does not become a clinical authority because it loads quickly. A useful page should make its purpose, source, and limits understandable.
Look for a dated original source rather than a chain of sites repeating the same claim. If credentials matter to a decision, check the relevant professional or regulatory source. A directory link, logo, or statement that a provider is “verified” needs an explanation of who checked what and when.
Distinguish the kind of material you are reading
| Material | A useful question |
|---|---|
| Personal experience | What happened to this person, and what remains unknown about whether it applies to someone else? |
| News or a feed import | Where is the original publication, and has the information changed since its date? |
| A service offer | Who benefits financially, and which claims can be checked independently? |
| Health guidance | Who has the relevant qualifications, and what evidence supports the recommendation? |
Neither popularity nor a personal success story establishes that an approach is safe or appropriate for another person. Be particularly careful with promises of guaranteed outcomes, universal recovery timelines, or advice about changing medication or managing withdrawal alone.
Use a source-checking worksheet
- Record the exact claim you want to check.
- Find the original source and its date.
- Identify the author, credentials relevant to that claim, and any commercial interest.
- Ask whether the page distinguishes evidence, opinion, and individual experience.
- Write down the question you still need to ask an appropriate professional.
This process creates questions for follow-up. It does not certify an article, provider, or treatment. You can use the downloadable worksheet privately rather than putting sensitive details into a public post.
Use the original organisation for current details
For a meeting, go to its organiser. For a care search, use the relevant official directory and confirm the provider's current details. For recovery housing, distinguish the home's own claims from the work of a state affiliate or other independent organisation.
Sober Group's editorial guides link to original sources and identify their preparation method. Imported archive items and community posts have a different status. A source link does not mean that Sober Group has clinically reviewed or endorsed everything on the destination website.
Raise a correction with enough context
If a Sober Group guide has an outdated link or unsupported statement, send the page URL, the specific issue, and a source that explains the correction through the contact page. Do not include another person's medical records or private account details. Urgent safety concerns need the appropriate local service, not an editorial correction request.
Sources and further reading
Source links consulted October 31, 2026. Organisation services and meeting details can change; confirm current information with the source.
Published by Sober Group. Updated October 31, 2026. Prepared with AI-assisted research and editing. Read how we publish. No clinical reviewer is credited for this page.