Your addiction recovery journey does not end at the rehab facility. The external world is different than rehab centers as you can have direct access to drugs or alcohol in the outer world.
Several people who have completed an addiction treatment program still require further help as they transition from rehab to their regular lives. In this situation, sober living homes can be your bridge to a better tomorrow if your family environment is not so supportive of your recovery or your decision to choose a new lifestyle. Sober living programs offer a secure and regulated atmosphere for patients who are beginning their road to recovery.
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What are sober living programs?
It is not a rehab program; rather, it is an extended care program or a solution for addicts recovering to live in a nurturing setting as they continue their lives. Following the completion of addiction recovery treatment, sober living homes offer ongoing care. For those who are having difficulty maintaining their sobriety on their own, sober living programs might be useful.
For those with substance abuse who are still in the early stages of recovery; sober living programs strive to offer a secure and encouraging atmosphere. Sober living homes are also known as recovery residence programs or transitional living.
Residents here dwell in a recovery house under supervision. Everyone here resides with a similar goal of working towards complete sobriety and achieving their freedom. These programs provide group sessions, intense outpatient therapy, and other sobriety-supportive activities.
Sober living is designed for individuals who:
- Have you suffered from any kind of addiction like alcohol, prescription drugs, cocaine, heroin, meth, etc.
- Have already completed their inpatient or outpatient rehab program.
- Have completely detoxed drugs or alcohol from their body.
- Need more accountability in their recovery journey.
- Wants to stay in a more structured and independent home.
How do sober living programs differ from other residential programs?
Sober living programs are typically normal sober living homes where you have to pay rent and stay as long as you want to. You can stay there as you stay at your home and can attend work or school. While in residential programs like inpatient treatment in rehab centers, your stay is merely focused only on your recovery treatment and you cannot leave the facility until you are fully recovered.
In sober living programs, you have your freedom, but at the same time, your recovery is in your hands. Some houses also conduct regular drug testing and make you sign a contract for commitment toward recovery.
Benefits of the sober living program:
- They offer a fresh start towards self-sufficiency.
- Gives you the chance to interact with peer groups.
- Adhering to their strict rules and regulations makes you a disciplined person.
- Sober living homes support your efforts toward sobriety.
- Teaches you various skills which can also be helpful in further life.
- They provide a sense of communal support, which is necessary to keep your mental health in peace.
- Hands-on certain activities like counseling, equine therapy, yoga, certain indoor and outdoor games, 12-step support group, etc.
- These homes are situated in a safe place to offer you a safe living environment and help you avoid any types of triggers.
How a day at sober living feels like/ how sober living works:
Sober living programs are often based on the fact of providing the patients the shelter they need to stay sober after rehabilitation. But the addicts have to compulsorily follow their rules in order to continue their stay. There are various rules which have to be followed, such as fulfilling household duties, paying rent on time, not indulging in a fight with other patients, attending every meeting, including household meetings and support group meetings, following a schedule, etc.
The normal day at sober living homes usually starts and ends with group meetings. In the middle time, the individuals have the independence to attend their work or school or stay at a sober house to participate in various activities, including 12-step meetings. This way, the patients can work on their addiction recovery goals.
Skills you will learn in sober living homes:
- Following a strict daily routine.
- Eating healthy.
- Exercising and meditating regularly.
- Learning certain coping mechanisms to avoid triggers.
- Gaining behavior control by effectively communicating with support groups.
- Learning the accountability to live with others by adjusting, compromising, and collaborating.
- Learning budgeting and managing skills as you have to manage to pay rent, cooking, pick groceries, etc., on your own in sober houses.
- Learning time management skills by handling your own chores, certain errands, attending your work/school, daily activities, support groups, therapy, etc.
- Exploring new interests will help in gaining back the purpose of life and building long-term life plans.
Final words:
It is important to pick an aftercare program that can help people stay sober after they have completed their addiction recovery treatment from the rehab center. A sober living home allows you to stay in a secure environment where you live with other people who have similar situations to yours. People who are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction view sober living homes as a safe haven. When you are out after receiving an intense addiction treatment program, they help you in returning to your community easily and also in learning how to live freely without the use of alcohol or drugs.
