Drug rehab is all about structure. Why? Because structure helps us heal.
A structured group therapy session allows us to communicate safely and in a healthy manner. Structured classes help us learn and focus, which heals our brains. Structured therapy sessions help us think about our history and decisions, while setting goals for our future.
Finally, life structure – set mealtimes, bedtimes, chores, and so on – helps us develop useful, healthy habits for a long life in recovery.
For many of us, leaving our drug treatment program can mean leaving that helpful structure behind. This is why sober living homes play such an important role in recovery. Sober homes offer a structured life – chore assignments, house rules, sometimes even curfews – while allowing us to practice the skills we learned in recovery in a drug-free environment.
But deciding whether or not a sober home is something we need can be a difficult decision. It raises questions about sober home affordability, our social skills, and more. Sometimes, determining if a sober home is right for us requires a little bit of a thought process.
So, Do You Need a Sober Home? If You Agree with Any of the Following Statements, You Probably Do
It’s not always easy to tell if you think a sober home is a right decision for you. Here are a few questions to ask yourself; if any of them sound like they apply to your experiences, a sober home is definitely a great choice for you:
I Still Feel a Little Shaky After Leaving My Program: If you feel like you’re not quite ready to reenter regular life after leaving a drug rehab or addiction center, don’t worry – this doesn’t make you weak, and it doesn’t mean the treatment didn’t work.
It’s common to feel like you need more support before you transition back into regular life. This is precisely why sober living houses were developed. They’re there to help make your transition back into regular life as smoothly as possible. Think of sober living as a safety net – it’s a safe place to practice what you’ve learned in recovery without having to worry about addiction triggers, temptations, or relapses.
My Home Environment Isn’t the Best: Old friends, family, and familiar places are the best thing about going back to where we come from. But if those friends and family don’t support your recovery, are engaged in substance use, or guilt-tripping you about treatment, spending time in a sober home is the best thing you can do for your recovery.
In a sober home, you’re in a supportive environment without drugs or alcohol. Your roommates understand what you’re trying to do with your life because they’re trying to do the exact same thing. One of the best aspects of living in a sober home is the ability to craft a new, healthy social support system that’ll be with you throughout your entire recovery.
Plus, old hangouts and haunts can trigger memories of substance use. Changing your surroundings is incredibly helpful in recovery.
I’m in Outpatient Treatment, But Don’t Want to Live at Home: Sooner or later, everyone enters into the outpatient phases of treatment. Chances are, you’re no longer living at a treatment center when you enter this phase. For some, this stage of treatment means returning back home, and as we saw in our previous entry, that’s not always the best choice.
Living in a sober living home during partial hospitalization (PHP) or intensive outpatient (IOP) programs is a perfect enhancement to recovery A sober home allows us to practice the skills we’ve learned (or are learning) in rehab in a relatively risk-free environment. Again, sober homes are drug and alcohol-free places, so there’s little temptation or risk of relapse.
Nobody says you can’t return home. But spending some time really refining your recovery will help you in the long run if you do.
I Need Help Developing a Positive Support Network: For some of us, recovery can be a little lonely sometimes. Perhaps we’ve lost support in the depths of our addiction, or maybe we’re surrounded by people who either don’t understand or may jeopardize our attempt to get sober.
The worst thing about addiction is that it’s isolating. The behavior patterns tend to drive well-meaning people away while attracting the type of people who make addiction worst. Sober living allows you to both leave these people behind and develop new healthy friendships.
Recovery is challenging, make no mistake. But it’s also a bonding experience – the friends you make in recovery often last for decades. Best of all, these new relationships help keep everyone involved accountable to each other and provide friendly shoulders to lean on when times get tough.
The Next Step? Finding a Sober Living Home with SoberLivingNearYou.com
Finding a sober home isn’t easy. There are tons of sober living providers in the United States, and it can be a major challenge deciding on which one to live in. Some sober homes are aimed at a particular gender while others are coed. A sober home might be best for a particular age group or be centered around residents who enjoy outdoor activities.
SoberLivingNearYou.com was developed to make the search for a sober home as easy as possible. We’ve carefully collected thousands of listings from across the country to give you the biggest selection of sober homes available online. With us, finding a sober living home is as easy as signing up and starting your search.
Start your hunt for a sober home today with SoberLivingNearYou.com!
