Your ideas about receiving addiction treatment will likely change quite a bit from the time that you start a program to the time that you prepare for exit. Although many people are reticent to enter inpatient facilities that separate them from the outside world, most patients leaving these programs are equally reticent to return to their normal lives. The fear of relapsing is often high. Moreover, the risk of relapse is high as well. Sober living provides a stable bridge between inpatient rehab and post-treatment living.
Sober living homes offer similar levels of structure and support, and they assist people in establishing healthy, sustainable life habits that increase their chances of success. In sober living homes, residents have the power to come and go as they please. They can exit these facilities during the daytime to go to work or school, search for long-term housing resources, receive healthcare, and more. However, residents are also subject to house rules. Sober living homes have strict curfews.
They also have strict anti-drug and anti-alcohol policies. Everyone is required to participate in the maintenance and general upkeep of the living environment, and everyone is required to take part in onsite activities. If you’re nervous about returning home, feel unsure about your ability to avoid relapse, or know that it isn’t safe to go back to your former social environment, sober living is likely the best choice for you.
Why Returning Home May Not Be a Good Idea
Returning home after rehab isn’t always the best in recovery. Addiction is recognized as a family disease. Even if you’re the only one in your household who struggles with addiction, you may have family members who make light of your struggles or engage in enabling behaviors. It’s never safe to return home after rehab when:
- Other residents are actively using drugs or alcohol
- Family relationships are tense, unhealthy, or outright toxic
- Enabling family members who have yet to seek therapy for themselves
A good home environment for someone exiting rehab should be absolutely temptation-free. It should be filled with loving and supportive family members. More importantly, the living environment should not subject recovering addicts to high amounts of stress.
Sober Living Can Prepare You for Independence
Sober living homes offer many tips, tools, and resources that help people in recovery establish comfortable lives of their own. During your stay in a sober living home, you’ll get help for resolving:
- Legal issues
- Financial issues
- Barriers to stable housing
Just as patients engage in goal-setting and life-planning activities in addiction treatment, these same activities are continued in sober living. By the time you exit a sober living facility, you’ll have a solid plan for supporting yourself, maintaining active participation in various forms of post-treatment support, and proactively preventing relapse.
You’ll Get Needs-Specific Support From a Case Worker
Each person in a sober living home works with a case worker. Your caseworker will track your participation in sober meetings or other forms of outpatient treatment services. You can work with this professional to find the right legal aid, search for jobs, rebuild your career, find options in job training, and more. Many of the challenges that people face when exiting rehab are dealt with head-on in sober living homes. These facilities also hold regular community meetings where everyone can check in, share resources, and support one another.
Understanding and Mitigating Relapse Risks With Sober Living
The risk of relapse is at its highest during the initial detox phase. It remains high all throughout the first 60 to 90 days of recovery as brain chemistry and brain functioning gradually normalize. However, even after successfully passing these hurdles, people continue to face a high risk of relapse all throughout their first full year of sobriety. The temptations, triggers, and challenges of the outside world can be overwhelming when the right support services aren’t in place. Studies show that the best way to limit this risk is by receiving extended addiction treatment. When staying in an inpatient rehab facility for three to six months isn’t an option, sober living offers a stable bridge and a reliable way to stay the course. If you’d like to know more about sober living or want to find a sober living home near you, we can help. Call us now at 614-705-0611 to get started. Our counselors are always standing by.