What to Look for When Choosing a Sober Living Home

Choosing a sober living home can feel like a momentous decision. Individuals who are graduating from formal inpatient treatment programs often prefer to move into sober living homes before to ease their way into the wider world. These transitional living arrangements are a crucial step toward rebuilding a new life in sobriety.

Others move into sober living homes as a first-line approach for substance use disorder. These individuals are putting a lot on the line and taking a leap of faith. It is crucial while choosing a sober living home that they will provide the support and structure they need to ensure an opportunity to recovery from their addictions.

What to Look For When Choosing A Sober Living Home?

The process of researching and selecting a sober living home can often be bewildering for many individuals, primarily due to their limited knowledge of what a sober living house entails.

Choose a Sober Living Home with a Strong Sober Support Network

The best sober living homes work with their residents to help them in their recovery. While many people assume recovering from addiction involves physical abstinence, merely abstaining from drug abuse for a period of time is rarely sufficient. For that reason, good sober living homes have programs in place to help addicts develop the skills and tools they need to stay sober over the long term.

Many sober living homes are loosely modeled on the principles of 12-step programs. These sober living homes encourage residents to attend 12-step meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

Doing so allows residents to build a broader sober community that functions as a peer support group. It also provides them with a clearly delineated step-by-step program for long term sobriety that helps them to avoid relapse. A strong sober living program is a gift that allows people recovering from substance use disorders to find joy in sobriety, instead of seeing it as a constant exertion of willpower.

Helping with a substance use disorder often involves more than just dealing directly with drug or alcohol abuse. Quality sober living homes make sure that their residents are putting work in to reflect on the underlying issues behind their addictions.

Addictions often stem from comorbid mental health disorders. Getting proper help for these issues can help individuals avoid the temptation to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Lastly, it is important that the scheduling of day to day life in choosing a sober living home is conducive to sobriety. Sober living house rules and a clearly defined structure will make sure that everyone is on the same page and can focus without distraction on the process of building a sober life.

Finding a Sober Living Home in the Right Location

The location of a sober living home is another primary factor that determines whether it is right for a particular person. It is important that the facility itself be clean and well-maintained. No one wants to move from their cluttered one bedroom apartment to a disorganized sober living home. It is also important that the sober living home be in a convenient location.

Many people seek sober living homes that are located near important services, such as outpatient treatment programs and 12-step meetings. For many, living in a sober living home in close proximity to their social support network is beneficial. For others, whose home lives are more triggering, attending a sober living home located some distance away from their normal lives can allow them to get some much needed distance.

Since many sober living facilities encourage or require attendance at 12-step meetings, it is wise to inquire about transportation services. Sober living homes should offer residents simple ways of getting the services they need to maintain their sobriety. If the sober living is well outside of a city center, make sure to factor in transportation if there are services you will regularly need outside of the sober living home itself.

Letting You Stay as Long as You Need

Research shows that individuals who remain in sober livings longer have a higher likelihood of avoiding relapse and remaining sober over the long term. For that reason, it is crucial to choose a sober living home that allows you to stay however long you need.

This will vary considerably from person to person. While some individuals use sober living homes for a few weeks or a few months as part of a transitional living arrangement, others require stays as long as a year to develop the stability they need. Make sure the sober living home you move into is prepared to accommodate you for the length of time you require.

Affording a Sober Living Home

While many sober living homes meet the above requirements, many people are unsure about how they will foot the bill. Fortunately, their are many payment options and resources available to help.

While sober living homes are not covered by health insurance, many offer reasonable payment plans, often in conjunction with job placement programs. Ultimately, attending a sober living home is an investment in your future, and whatever temporary setbacks you might encounter in the process of getting sober are likely to lead to long term

Find a Sober Living Home Near You

At Design For Recovery, residents have access to a structured sober living program that provides many of the same services available at other recovery residences. Design for Recovery’s staff brings with them a wealth of experiences in addiction recovery and offers an intensive peer support network for young men suffering from addiction.

Whether you are just out of an inpatient program or just beginning the process of saying goodbye to substances, Design for Recovery, with locations in Mar Vista and Playa Del Rey, has solutions to meet your unique and individual needs. If you are ready to begin the process of building a new life in sobriety, feel free to reach out today.