When your time in rehab is up and you are ready to move to the next stage of your life, you might want to consider choosing a local group home. It’s important to keep in mind that recovery is a process that happens every day. Once you leave your rehab program you must take the steps to stay clean on your own. However, if you don’t think you can do it by yourself just yet, consider finding a bed in a group home near you.
If you are considering a stay in a group home, then you probably have a lot of questions about what will happen once you are there. What exactly is it like to live in a group home? What will be expected of you? To find out the answer to these questions and more, keep reading.
Why Choose a Group Home?
When you attend a rehab program, your day-to-day life will be quite structured while you are a patient. You’ll have meals at a certain time, private therapy sessions every day, and the opportunity to attend group therapy meetings. This structure helps get your mind off of the urge to use drugs or drink alcohol. You’ll have the chance to focus completely on yourself while you are in rehab.
Unfortunately, you likely won’t have the same chance to take care of yourself if you go straight home after your program. You’ll be thrust back into your normal activities once you get home, meaning you will be faced with the old triggers that made you use in the first place. One way to avoid this is to look for a local group home instead. While you won’t be as closely monitored during your stay in a group home, you will have much more structure than you would have if you went back to your old lifestyle. Group homes are often a much better place to stay than your previous residence.
Who Will Be There With Me?
Group homes are transitional homes for a variety of circumstances. Many recovering addicts choose group homes in order to stay sober while they work on getting their lives back together. Some residents may be coming from a local jail or prison, hoping to get their lives straight before heading back to family and friends. Others are often teenagers who have been in and out of the foster care system in their state or are having problems living with their parents.
No matter where the residents came from, you will all be expected to live together in harmony. There will also be group home monitors that will make sure that all rules and regulations are being followed at all times. While there may be an age gap in some group homes, many homes are catered to certain age groups, especially if there are minors involved. Find one by talking to your therapist or doctor. If you know someone who has been in a group home before, ask for their recommendation. If you are currently in rehab, your therapist will have information about group homes ready for you and others.
What to Expect in a Group Home
While you won’t have the intense structure that you had in rehab, you will have to abide by certain rules and regulations while you are a resident there. To get an idea of how your group home will function, check out the following rules:
• Keep your room clean every day
• Complete daily chores assigned to you
• No fighting or stealing
• No drugs or alcohol
• Must submit to random drug tests
• Do your schoolwork or hold a job
• Attend group meetings or a 12-step program
When you are living in a group home, you may or not be permitted to speak with family. This will depend on your personal situation. If you are allowed, you may have to leave the home to see them. In some cases, they can come to visit you as long as they adhere to your curfew. It all depends on the home you are in.
Let Us Help You Get Better
It’s difficult living a life filled with drugs or alcohol. We can help you escape your past and build a better future. When you are ready to make a huge change in your life, please give us a call. You can reach us at 866-963-7200. We’re here to assist you in making the most positive change you will ever make in your life! Our representatives are standing by when you are ready.