Recovery is not a destination but a journey, and that journey requires a long-term commitment. A simple detox or rehab program may be all that is needed to get sober, but staying and living sober takes a lot of time and effort—for many people, going back home after treatment puts their ability to live a truly sober life in danger. It can be much more likely for someone to relapse if their home life is full of stress and pressures (like old haunts or stressful relationships).
Fortunately, there are options for people who want to stay clean and stay in recovery. For people in recovery who want to live independently but in a structured and sober way, sober living homes are the place for them. If you're going to be sober, you have to live somewhere where there are no temptations or distractions from drinking or taking drugs. A place where you can build on the coping skills you learned in treatment is also essential.
What about the benefits of sober living homes? After being sober for 10 years, I look back in wonder at the old thoughts of wondering how life could be good without drugs or alcohol. There are many advantages to living a truly sober life, away from substances and people who use them! Look at this.
Constant Direction and Help.
The people who live with you in a sober living home will help you get clean and stay clean, and they'll hold you to it every day. Sober living homes usually have on-site managers who live in the house with you and the other people who live there. They typically (but not always) live there too. These managers are available to help you with any problems that might come up during your recovery. They can help you with difficult cravings, low emotions, and finding a job. They are also there to talk. Often, sober living homes are connected to a treatment center and will have support staff and alumni who have been there. These people know what it's like to be addicted to drugs, go through rehab, and stay clean after treatment. They can help you when you need it most.
Housekeepers will also hold you to account. There are rules to keep everyone happy, healthy, and sober in a sober living home. Alcohol and drugs can't be used on the premises, and there must be a set curfew each night. There may also be regular drug tests to ensure that everyone is living in a clean environment. If someone keeps breaking the rules (even though we know that relapse is part of recovery), they may not be able to stay any longer. In this way, you can keep things (and expectations) in the same place.
Having Meaningful, Sober Relationships
During your stay, you will meet and live with people who are also in recovery, and you will be able to talk about what you're going through. These are relationships that often last lifetimes. This group also knows what it's like to be addicted to drugs, crave drugs, lose control, and disappoint people. Most of all, they want to change and become the best people they can be, without drugs or alcohol.
The loneliness of addiction is also reduced by living in a sober living near you. When you were taking drugs, you may have felt very alone. Some of the good people in your life may have been cut off because you were afraid of being judged or rejected. As long as you're in a sober recovery setting, this can all change. You will not be alone. There will be people who live right next to you, and they will have very similar things happen to them. These people will start to feel more like a family or a group of people who all help and understand each other for a long time. Those are the friendships you'll have for the rest of your life. When things get tough, you can call on them, and they'll hold you to account for your sobriety over and over again. They become your sober friends.
Life skills that were lost are brought back.
The person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol doesn't have to do many other things because they have different priorities. Healthy eating, exercising, keeping your home clean, and good personal hygiene could be part of this. The structure is one of the things that makes sober living a good thing for people. You will learn how to set up a routine and keep a healthy lifestyle again. You will learn essential life skills again, from simple tasks like doing laundry to more complex tasks like finding a job. You will also learn to retake personal responsibility. Living with other people in recovery will also help you understand and apply interpersonal skills, financial skills (paying bills and rent), and other practical skills you need to take care of yourself without drugs.
Autonomy
One of the best things about living sober is that it gives you independence. As soon as you get clean and have a positive attitude about the recovery process, you can start taking charge of your own life. As Stephanie Daniel from KUNC quotes from someone living in a Greeley Oxford house,
"Hey, I've actually got some responsibilities that are not using drugs,’” he said. “It was the best feeling in the world to me and I like to think that that's the goal of every new member that's entering an Oxford House.”
To find a job on your own, you will need to take steps to be successful in any career you choose. You will be able to make new friends on your own and build strong friendships that help you get better. Shop for your own food and cook your own food. Fill your life with things that bring you happiness. Finally, you will make good decisions that will make your life better. This builds self-esteem and can free you from the negative self-talk that often comes with addiction. During the whole learning process, you will be safe and sober.
In some inpatient programs, people who have been battling addiction work through different stages of treatment there. As soon as they are deemed ready for more independence in their recovery journey, they move into a sober living environment and start living a more independent life. This move means that they go into the city for classes, work, and social events, practice self-care and healthy habits daily, and go to 12-step meetings independently. As long as they are in their treatment program, they can still get medical care and help.
Transitioning back to everyday life will be more effortless.
Most experts agree that sober living homes make getting back into the real world more accessible. Recovery is a long-term commitment, and it doesn't end when you go to rehab. Why are sober living places so significant? They help people get back into the "real world" after treatment. They help people get back into work, school, relationships, and more. Because they give people who have been in treatment a safe and sober place to come home each night, they provide them with a chance to get used to living on their own without the proper, round-the-clock care they had in a treatment center. These homes let people who have been in rehab see what real sober life is like outside of it.
In general, sober living homes are meant for people in the early stages of recovery or outpatient treatment. Many are open to people at any point in the recovery process. Most of the time, people who live in these housing facilities go to treatment or meetings regularly. Add-on: This will help you keep up with these tasks and stay with a clean mind.
Mitigating the Risk of a Second Relapse
The goal of sober living homes is to give people who are in recovery a safe and supportive place to heal, away from the outside world. When you go to rehab, you'll be given an apartment where you can live and work independently, away from old drug-using friends and places where you used to hang out. This separation may be the best thing of all.
As you can see, substance abuse and addiction make long-term changes to how our brain cells work, making it hard for us to make rational decisions or show self-control. The part of the brain that controls behavior and emotions isn't as prominent in people who relapse while they're in recovery. This thought makes sense because relapsers have less brain tissue there. There is a good chance you already know that it is hard to resist temptation or cravings, especially in the early stages of recovery.
Sober homes can help you get rid of things that might make you want to drink or do drugs again. You can't drink or take drugs in a recovery home. There are also no addictive prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs that you can't handle. Because everyone is held accountable for their actions, there is no relapse. There is also no time to relapse because everyone has a busy recovery plan to keep going on their path.