These are common questions many of us ask during recovery:
Granted, the decision to live in a home with a bunch of strangers isn’t an easy one to make. Plus, the rules many sober homes have can make moving to a sober home feel like we’re setting ourselves up to be treated like children.
However, moving to a sober home is a great move to make in recovery. Even rules around chores and curfews can help someone build a firm, strong foundation for recovery.
What are Sober Living Homes?
Sober living homes are drug and alcohol-free residences which offer housing to people either currently in a drug rehab, or newly graduated from drug treatment programs. Somewhat different from halfway houses, sober homes offer people the ideal environment in which to focus on their recovery and build up the life skills needed for success in life.
Some sober homes are independently owned businesses. Others may be owned by drug rehabs and require attendance at the rehab to live in the house. All of them provide an easier transition from the strict structure of inpatient care to the more flexible approach of outpatient treatment.
Here’s four great reasons to consider living in a sober living home:
Sober Living is a Sober Environment You Can Live In
When a person in recovery hits the outpatient stages of care, they usually have to make a tough decision: where do they live? They’re advanced enough in recovery to not require 24/7 treatment, and yet moving home might be a mistake.
Here’s why: For many people, returning home or to whatever living arrangement they had prior to entering addiction treatment isn’t the best idea. Their home might be an environment which contributed to their substance use, or perhaps they were sharing a living place with people still engaged in substance abuse. Moving back to these environments can make relapse all but impossible to avoid.
Sober living homes, on the other hand, are drug-free places. Addictive substances simply aren’t allowed, so there’s no temptation over a beer in the refrigerator or stumbling across a drug cache hidden under a bed.
With no drugs, there’s far less of a chance of relapse … or overdose. A sober home should be a distraction-free environment to work on recovery and grow as a person.
Sober Living Can Help Recovery Continue
Like we said in the last segment, the outpatient stages of recovery are a time when decisions are made. Because this stage of recovery tends to be less structured, it can be tempting for some to decide they’re cured and leave their treatment program. This is usually a terrible mistake.
Many sober living homes are attached to a drug rehab. They often provide free transportation between the home and the addiction center where addiction care takes place. This is a great way to stay on the right track and continuing the long-term care needed to make recovery successful.
Also, some sober homes require residents to take part in support groups, such as AA or SMART Recovery. These groups are often very helpful for people recovering from addiction, and although participation is sometimes mandatory, it’s also a way to make sure someone’s continuing in recovery.
In Sober Living, Accountability Keeps Recovery Strong
When you’re sharing a roof with other people who are trying to accomplish the same things you are, it really helps with accountability to recovery. If someone’s struggling with their recovery, there’s always someone to talk to and share with.
Sober homes are also run by house managers, who tend to be veterans of recovery themselves. It’s another layer of protection from relapses.
Sober living teaches accountability in another way: Chores. In most sober living homes, residents are assigned specific chores they need to do: Keeping bathroom areas neat, washing dishes, collecting and taking out the trash, and more. Having regular responsibilities keeps you accountable to your roommates, and also begins to reintroduce daily responsibilities.
Drug addiction brings massive amounts of chaos into a person’s life. It doesn’t just isolate a person from others, it removes them from daily responsibility. Sober living teaches obligation and responsibility, which helps making the return to normal life much easier.
Speaking of that return to normal life …
Sober Living Helps People Build a New, Better Future
Ultimately, sober living homes act as safety nets. Residents are able to build up critical life skills, work on recovery without distraction, and ultimately build a strong, lasting foundation for their recovery.
Combined, this allows people to come out of recovery stronger than ever – and often better-equipped than a lot of people who’ve never battled addition. People who recovered from addiction are strong, resilient, and responsible. The hard work they did in sober living acted as a sort of boot camp for everyday life.
Addiction takes so much away – relationships, life skills, and more. Sober living doesn’t just allow a person to claim them back; it allows a person to build on them for sustained success.
But how do you find a sober living home?
SoberLivingNearYou.com Will Help You Find Your Sober Living Home Today
The search for a sober living home can be difficult. There’s so many to choose from, and it’s not always easy to tell if you’re going to be a good fit for a particular recovery community.
SoberLivingNearYou.com was developed to make this crucial search much easier. We’ve carefully assembled hundreds of home listings to keep your search efficient and successful. It’s as easy as hitting the search button.
Start building your recovery today with SoberLivingNearYou.com!