It can be challenging for anyone to adjust to new routines outside of treatment once they complete a residential drug rehab program. The scheduling of your treatment center took on the responsibility of planning your days, especially when it came to going to sessions, meetings, or other therapy programs. Rehab became a predictable, safe place to begin recovery and start a lifelong journey of healing.
While treatment has guided, supported, and made possible your decision to become sober, most of the work to sustain your sobriety happens outside of an addiction treatment facility. Temptations, triggers, and cravings are likely to surface from time to time, which can be detrimental to your recovery.
If you struggle with the thought of adjusting back to your normal life and routines after treatment, a sober living home may be the perfect halfway point for you as you transition out of rehab.
What Is a Sober Living Home?
Sober living homes — sometimes referred to as halfway houses — serve as a bridge between inpatient/residential treatment and life outside of treatment. Sober living homes are highly structured and provide an environment that prioritizes your and the other residents' sobriety.
Returning to a new normal after being in residential treatment can be challenging, especially because of the unpredictable nature of life. Although rehab is supposed to help you create a healthy and stable living environment for yourself to return to following treatment, immediately going back to the same place you lived when you struggled with addiction can be problematic.
Even if you're fully committed to sobriety, your previous home environment may hold triggers that potentially lead you down bad paths again.
Whether you are returning to an environment where you use to use drugs or drink alcohol, the environment houses friends who still use substances, or the environment has no evidence of drugs or alcohol but you are returning to an unsupportive person who you worry may drive you to substance use again, returning home can be challenging. Whatever the case may be, sober living homes can provide a valuable solution to many of these issues.
One of the most important benefits of sober living homes is that they work to mitigate risks of potential relapse. They separate you from the pressures and triggers that will likely appear in your living situation, reducing your risk of relapse. Sober living homes are meant to be temporary, but they can help you find your footing before transitioning to life outside of treatment.
Sober Living Homes Are Predictable
Many people in recovery take advantage of living in a sober living environment because of the various benefits they have on an individual's recovery journey. One of those advantages is that sober living homes are predictable.
Sober living homes do not tolerate the possession or use of alcohol, drugs, or other substances. Many of them enforce this rule through routine or random drug testing for residents. Many of these homes also enforce curfews.
Living at a sober living home can help you to take all of the lessons and coping skills that you learned in rehab treatment and apply them to real-life scenarios. At these homes, you can maintain independence, but in an environment that you know is safe, healthy, and free from intense triggers.
Sober Living Homes Offer Guidance and Support
Navigating back into life after treatment can be challenging because you no longer have 24/7 access to mental health or recovery support. In sober living homes, there is always someone available to be a listening ear or offer you valuable advice.
There is always an on-site manager or professional staff present at a sober living home. If you do not need guidance from a professional, you have the opportunity to lean on support from fellow residents. Being open about recovery can be beneficial for anyone fresh out of rehab.
Whether you struggle with cravings, need resources to help you find a job, or want to do some introspective work, there is always someone available to help at a sober living home.
Sober Living Homes Foster Meaningful Relationships
Social connection and relationships serve as protective factors in recovery. As you work to prioritize sobriety in your life, you may realize that many of your old friendships no longer serve you. Friends that you use to use substances with or that still engage in substance use on their own can be toxic to your recovery.
Sober living homes offer a unique opportunity to bond with others that are on a similar healing journey as yourself. They will understand your triggers, cravings, and temptations much better than your friends or family members that have never struggled with addiction before or don't yet see the value in getting sober. The friends you make at sober living homes are also committed to long-term sobriety and will help you stay motivated during your recovery journey.
Sober living houses serve as a bridge between inpatient rehab facilities and life outside treatment. Daily life can bring about triggers, temptations, and cravings that can be detrimental to your recovery journey. Sober living homes are highly structured, helping to manage these triggers and cravings by slowly introducing you back to your daily responsibilities while providing a bit of a safety net.
At The Edge Treatment Center, we understand the value of sober living houses. After completing our treatment program, we can introduce you to healthy, sober living options to help you manage your sobriety outside of the treatment setting. Call The Edge today at (800) 778-1772.
