There really is no such thing as getting too much addiction treatment. In fact, the longer a person’s overall treatment time, the more likely they are to avoid relapse. If you’re preparing to exit an inpatient facility and are worried about your return to the outside world, sober living could be right for you. Sober living homes can also provide a safe, supportive living environment for people in outpatient treatment who need structure, accountability, and continuous access to in-house resources.
Sober living homes are designed to act as a stable bridge between inpatient rehab and the return to independent, post-treatment living. People who stay in sober living facilities can leave for work, school, and other outings, but they have to abide by house rules. In a sober living home, you cannot use drugs or alcohol, and you must return home by the stated curfew. All residents have chores and other tasks for ensuring that the household runs efficiently, and everyone is required to engage in long-term life planning and other efforts to achieve self-sufficiency. Given that the recovery process can look different for each person, there are many good reasons for choosing to stay in a sober living home.
Sober Living Is a Safe Choice for People Who Lack a Healthy Living Environment
Returning home after addiction treatment is a bad idea if you live with people who are still actively using drugs or alcohol. Your living environment should be absolutely temptation-free. For many households, this means cleaning out liquor cabinets and medicine cabinets, and taking any other actions that are necessary for supporting their loved ones. If your family is unwilling or unable to provide the support you need, sober living will place you in a household that can and will.
You Have Lots of Enablers
Addiction is a family disease. Everyone in an addict’s family is affected by their addiction, and everyone plays a key role in either triggering it, ignoring it, or supporting it. Not only do you need a temptation-free home and a supportive family to return to, but it’s also important to have family members who are willing to receive therapy to better understand their involvement in your addiction. Sober living homes provide far higher levels of accountability than any untreated enabler can. Opting to place yourself in an environment where there’s no room for excuses is often the best choice in this situation.
You’ve Decided to Go to Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment is ideally suited to people who’ve been using only moderately addictive substances for relatively short periods of time. In outpatient treatment, people have the freedom to continue going to work and taking care of other essential tasks and responsibilities. However, even if you have very few risks of relapsing, pairing outpatient rehab with a sober living will greatly increase your chances of long-term success. Much like the closed campuses of inpatient treatment, sober living homes provide people in outpatient rehab with safe, stable, and well-structured living environments.
You’ve Completed Inpatient Rehab But You’re Afraid to Strike Out on Your Own
It’s okay to be nervous about exiting treatment. Most people are. The fear of relapsing is both real and pervasive. It’s important to acknowledge this fear and the many legitimate reasons why you’re experiencing it. Going to a sober living home will allow you to extend your time in a structured and supportive environment where you’ll be constantly held accountable for your actions. Although sober living offers more freedom than inpatient treatment centers do, these facilities make it infinitely easier to transition to independent post-rehab living without relapsing.
You’re Facing a Mountain of Stress in the Outside World
When seeking addiction treatment, most people are facing a number of pressing legal, financial, and professional issues. People who abuse drugs continue to do so even though their actions have already caused:
- Job loss
- Housing loss
- The loss of a personal relationship
- Criminal charges
Going to a sober living will ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed by the problems that your past actions have created. In a sober living home, you’ll work with a case manager to identify the right resources for tackling these issues head-on. You’ll receive constant encouragement, guidance, and support. With stable, short-term housing, access to job training, skill-building resources, and employment opportunities, you’ll also be less likely to relapse as a result of unmanageable stress. One of the greatest benefits of staying in a sober living home is the sense of camaraderie that these locations provide. In sober living, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded people who are facing similar challenges and who share the same goals.
There’s no judgment in sober living, and everyone works to bolster, support, and uplift everyone else. If you need additional support during outpatient treatment or following inpatient rehab, we can help. Call us today at 866-963-7200 to find out more about sober living homes near you.
