Recovery Marriage Encounter FAQ's

It is highly recommended that both members of the couple be actively engaged in a twelve step recovery program. The minimum requirement is that an addicted party be actively participating in a twelve step program for at least one year and the other party have at least a basic understanding of twelve step concepts. If you have any additional questions refer them to the contacts listed on the registration page.

Are the team couples professionals?

The couples are not professionals. They are volunteers who have been encountered and have spent many years putting the tools they gained during their encounters to practical use in their relationships. Additionally, they have made a commitment to passing on and sharing their strength, hope, and experience through Recovery Marriage Encounter as team couples.

What recovery programs are included in RME's definition of recovery?

Any twelve step program that recognizes the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as a basic tenet.

How is a RME weekend beneficial to enhancing a relationship?

The weekend introduces couples to the tools of dialogue, the basis for a successful relationship. The team couples will share their experiences with the effects of addiction as well as the effects of a recovery program, as they relate to their relationships. Team couples have experienced the same challenges as many couples have. By sharing their experiences, good and bad, and allowing couples to relate to their own experiences, a healthy and experiential environment is created for the attending couples to examine those experiences.

Will the weekend help us in our relationship immediately?

The best answer to this question is found in your own experience of recovery. Did your program help you immediately? The weekend will provide some incredibly valuable tools, as do the twelve steps. Putting them to use and aligning them with the twelve steps is how we become successful in relationships: individually and as a couple. This is the key to a creating a "recovering" relationship.

Do we get counseling on the weekend?

Counseling is no more, or less, a part of this experience than it is a part of any twelve step program. We do not give advice. Professional counseling may however be sought as an adjunct to any recovery process.

What happens on a weekend?

The format of the RME Experience will feel familiar to those in recovery. Experienced RME’s will share their experience, hope, and strength by giving leads on the tools and techniques they have used in building deeper relationships. Couples are given time to digest and talk about integrating ideas into their program to strengthen their marriage. Each couple experiences the weekend differently. The process is as unique and personal as recovery. Remember, you have a higher power which will support you through any program of growth. Come with a willingness to hear new ideas and we will guarantee growth will occur.

What happens after the Experience? Can we get ongoing help or support?

The RME Experience is a threshold for continuing dialogue groups who meet regularly to reinforce the valuable recovery tools couples gain on their weekend together.

Is there time for fun and/or relaxation at the Experience?

There will be times of rest, though minimal. This Experience is highly concentrated and designed to maximize your experience toward improving you relationship. As with recovery, this is not necessarily easy work. Every effort is made to make the Experience as positive as it needs to be and to help you realize the results you desire.

What can you tell me about the Experience?

One woman recently described it this way, “First, it was about me; then me and my husband; and, finally, it was about me, my husband, and my Higher Power.