A sober living home is a drug and alcohol free sober house which provides post rehab care to recovering drug and alcohol use addicts. Once you’ve left rehab, you are faced with numerous challenges in your social, personal and professional life and you are very much prone to relapse.
This is where a sober living home comes in play!
A sober house provides that extra push to leave your addiction behind and to get ready for the real world! A healthy environment is crucial for a person’s complete recovery and sober living homes are really helpful in this regard.
But what is this sober living environment that is so helpful?
What Is A Sober Living Environment Like?
Sober living homes are a sanctuary of sorts for people who are unsure about getting back to the regular life of school, job or a family life. A sober living home can be understood as a training center where you get ready to jump back into the real world but with a lesser probability of a relapse.
The residents of a sober house live like a family. They go to their regular jobs or attend school and come back to the sober house where they tend to the house chores like gardening, cleaning, cooking and socialising with other residents. The little twist in a sober living home is that you get drug tested every once in a while and you have access to sober coaches. You can freely talk to the sober coaches about your mental health, your fears of getting back to routine or any problems that are stopping you from living a healthy lifestyle.
Now that is a healthy living environment!
What To Expect In A Sober Living Home
Sober houses have one goal: Provide support to addicts who’ve dealt with addiction and received substance abuse treatment. But the approach used by a sober house is a teeny bit different than that of a drug rehabilitation center! While rehabs provide addiction treatment options for substance use, alcohol and drug abuse addiction, sober houses are responsible for providing a stable and encouraging environment to recovering addicts.
The residents of a sober home have to follow certain rules while transitional living which are curated only to improve the overall living environment. Residents are free to come and go anywhere they desire, whether it’s for work or recreation, as long as they follow certain rules of the sober house.
While living in a sober house, you can expect unannounced drug tests, counseling sessions, intervention techniques and house chores.
Sober Living House Rules
To have a disciplined life in the long run, it is necessary to have some rules and sober house understand that. Sober housing provides more freedom to the residents. Despite the freedom and lesser rules, a sober home requires that you follow these rules:
- Residents of a sober living home are expected to follow the general 12 step therapy program that is an important part of the recovery program along with other substance abuse treatment options which are offered by most sober houses.
- Although you are not obliged to get a job while living in a sober house, you are still encouraged to pay your bills while living in a sober house. But if you are unable to do that, you can get financial aid.
- Alcohol or any other non-monitored drugs are not allowed inside a sober living community.
- Curfews are another rule of a sober living home. Even though you have the freedom of mobility, a sober house still requires that you be back to the facility on a specific time. This is only to increase discipline in sober living environments.
- Everyone is expected to participate in chores to promote a responsible and sober living style and sober environment.
- Sober living home residents are expected to attend group meetings.
You get it, that sober houses have rules, but how do those rules help you maintain sobriety? Here’s how…
Sober Living Houses Perform Drug Test
Yes! You heard that right. With all the freedom that comes with living in a sober house, you might have expected that it’s just a place to crash whenever you want. Sorry to burst the bubble but people residing in a sober living home are subject to uninformed drug testing.
The purpose of this is to check if the recovering addicts are staying sober or going back to the substance abuse. The ultimate goal of a sober living home is to provide support against addiction and although these tests might look like an intrusion to your personal preferences, it is done solely to meet the purpose of letting you get rid of drug abuse.
This drug testing is not only applicable to the residents but also the employees and staff of the sober living home. After all, sober living communities are not only made of the residents but also include staff members.
Now what you might be thinking is, can I even afford a sober living home?
How Much Does It Cost To Live In A Sober Living House?
Substance abuse treatment facilities are expensive but that doesn’t mean anyone should be deprived of the treatment. Sober living home understand that after recovery, there’s a high probability that you don’t have enough money to get by. That is why drug treatment in sober houses is relatively cheaper.
One of the reasons of sober house being affordable is that residents don’t live round the clock. You can stay for as long as you feel is necessary. Since a person has already received thorough treatment in addiction recovery, constant medications and expert staff is not required which also cuts the cost.
Another factor is that a lot of sober houses are a part of the rehab facilities or state funded. A room at a sober house is like renting an apartment but with a community sharing the costs. Moreover, people can also opt for having sober roommates which helps divide the rent and make the living costs cheaper. Sober living environments are not meant for financially burdening people.
Sober Coaching
Sober coaching is one of the most important tools that helps recovering addicts maintain their sobriety. Just like a sober companion, a sober coach is someone who assists you in sober living. Sober coaches are available in the sober house to provide guidance and help with career, relationships and life goals.
Peer support from a sober coach helps you discover your talents which can help you in earning a living for you while living in a sober living home. Not only in career choices, a sober coach can help you understand the dynamics of the outside world which you might be unaware of while living in a sober house.
Who would pass up on that?!
What’s even best is that instead of group sessions, you get personalized coaching sessions!
One-on-One Coaching
Recovery doesn’t end once you leave the sober living home. Sobriety is a continuous journey on which you may face hurdles. That is why sober coaches extend their services beyond a sober house and continue to assist you even after you have left the halfway house!
Sober living environment paired with on-to-one coaching makes that killer combo which is necessary to beat your addiction! One-on-one coaching is also confidential and more comfortable.
What Are Coaching Objectives
The purpose of sober coaching is to provide a centred approach towards a person’s recovery based on their individual struggles and needs. Sober coaching helps people in all phases of recovery while living inside and after leaving sober living home.
The objective of sober coaching is to help the recovering addicts identify the risks before they arise and help prevent them, in order to provide a smooth recovery from addiction. Coming out of abuse treatment is a brave thing so sober coaches help the recovering addicts navigate life’s difficulties and how to solve them. It is like having a therapist but one that specializes in substance abuse treatment.
Is Sober Coaching The Right Choice For You?
There are a number of factors that decide whether a person needs sober coaching or not. Sober living homes provide enough structure to a person’s life but if there still some gaps left, go for it!
If you have these fears while still in a sober living home, then you can opt for a sober coach:
- Fear relapse.
- Don’t have a sober living environment around you.
- Have trouble adjusting in a sober living environment
- Not feeling worthy of a job or a relationship after leaving sober living home.
Bottom Line
Substance abuse treatment does help you with addiction but sober homes makes sure that you keep up with the treatment. A sober living home provides you that environment that helps you stay strong and not give in to your temptations.
Sober companions, sober coaching and counselling make up a sober living environment which is aimed on helping you stay sober!
