Alcoholism is a disease that affects not only the drinker but everyone they come into contact with. It would be straightforward to assume that sober living for just alcoholics had to exist, but this isn’t true. There are many different treatment options available today—including inpatient, outpatient, and even support groups—and each one has the potential to help an alcoholic.
Sober living for just alcoholics—what exactly does this mean? Does it exist? And, if not, why not?
Sober Living for Just Alcoholics: What Is It?
The phrase “sober living for just alcoholics” might bring to mind a halfway house or group home that only caters to those who have a drinking problem, but that’s not exactly what it means. A halfway house or group home is more than just a place where alcoholics live and stay sober—it has some other specific purpose as well.
Sober living for just alcoholics often refers more to an intentional community of people who agree to follow a set of principles and rules. These rules are intended to support the participants’ sobriety and are enforced through community agreements.
Sober Living for Alcoholics: A New Experience
A sober living facility is very different from a traditional treatment center or rehab. In most cases, it’s not an official treatment center of any kind—if it is, it’s much laxer about its rules.
Sober living facilities usually won’t be run by a doctor or psychiatrist, and they won’t include detox protocols. They will usually require that their clients attend meetings of some kind regularly—such as twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or even church services.
Sober Living for Alcoholics: What It Isn’t
Sober living for just alcoholics isn’t a rehab or treatment center in any sense. It’s not an inpatient facility, and it won’t offer the supportive medical services that inpatient facilities do.
Sober living is also different from sober housing, offered by some treatment centers or formal rehabs. When people are in treatment, they often need on-site accommodation while they complete their program—and sober housing may be included in the cost of this program.
Sober Living and Sobriety: How They Work Together
It’s important to note that there is a distinction between sobriety and living at a sober living facility.
Sobriety isn’t about where you live or even who you’re hanging out with—it’s about how your life is different now that you’re not drinking anymore. For some people, this means joining a support group like AA and getting a sponsor; for others, it may mean simply attending church regularly and treating their time away from alcohol as a time of rest and recovery.
For many people, sobriety is a choice made every day and one that doesn’t require an inpatient facility or even a group of supportive friends—it simply requires the desire to change your life by staying sober. While these facilities can be helpful for some people, they’re not necessary to meet this goal. If you or someone you love is interested in sober living, feel free to find the nearest sober living facility.
If you’re struggling with alcohol abuse and want to stop drinking, several treatment options are available. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may be an option for some people – but not everyone is comfortable going to a group setting or attending AA meetings. You might consider getting individual counseling from a therapist specializing in addiction recovery work, as this could help you find the most effective path towards sobriety. In addition to these two popular choices, sober living houses offer alternative ways to quit alcoholism that has been proven successful time and again by those who have tried it! These communities provide safe homes where residents live together and participate in supportive activities designed to promote sobriety on every level.
