When you’ve made the decision to obtain treatment for alcohol or drug addiction, you’re likely eager to get through the program and to start your new life as quickly as possible. However, keep in mind that rushing through such a program is not typically the best idea. Ultimately, you want to achieve long-term results that better your life as opposed to short-term success that wanes. As thus, staying longer in a sober living home can actually be the best idea.
Reasons for Staying in Sober Living
In general, staying for a longer amount of time in a sober living home can help to prevent a relapse. While many people do relapse, you want to reduce the chances of such a situation happening. Furthermore, if a relapse does occur, you want to have the necessary support system in place to get you back on track. Consider the many reasons why staying longer in sober living is a smart idea when it comes to avoiding relapse:
- Time to process and plan
- Continued regular treatment
- Establishment of a community
- Resources if temptation arises
- Help if relapse occurs
All of these reasons are important ones for considering a longer stay in a sober living facility.
Time to Process and Plan
Think about back when you were in school. You probably didn’t immediately understand every detail of a teacher’s lesson the first time that you heard the information. The same can apply when it comes to treatment. You need time to process the information that you learn, and you have to think about how these new ideas will apply to your daily life. Staying in a sober living program for longer provides the necessary time to do so.
Continued Regular Treatment
While you may start to decrease the number of therapy sessions or treatment programs that you participate in as you extend your stay at the sober living facility, you also do still have these resources available to you. In other words, you are not immediately going back out into the world without any treatment at all. Continued treatment and accountability can help in avoiding relapse.
Establishment of a Community
If you go through a treatment program too quickly, you might not have the necessary time to build a community. In sum, the community that you form with the other participants of the treatment program can be a powerful source of inspiration. You can establish bonds with other participants that help you both in treatment and after the program has ended. If you do not give yourself the time to form these relationships, however, you can lose out on this important benefit of rehab.
Resources If Temptation arises
When you are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction, the temptation is likely to arise at some point. In the event that you are back at home without a support system, you may quickly succumb to that temptation. Staying at the sober living facility means that you have resources right in your immediate environment to prevent such a situation from occurring.
Help If Relapse Occurs
A number of people do relapse. If you experience a relapse, do not feel as though you have failed. Recognize that you are experiencing a temporary setback and that you have made the right decision by choosing to stay in sober living. Let a counselor know what has happened so that you can work together to develop a plan for getting back on track. Your desire to race through the program is understandable. Addiction can cause so many issues in life, and you want to put those situations in your past. However, remember that the focus is on creating a better future for yourself, and achieving this goal takes time. Call 614-705-0611 to speak with a counselor about developing a healthy plan today.