Sober Living in Georgia

Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered by North Carolina and Tennessee to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, by South California to the northeast, by Florida to the south, and by Alabama to the west. With an estimated population of 10,617,423, Georgia is the eighth-most populous state in the country. Georgia has a long history, being one of America’s original thirteen colonies. It seceded from the Union during the Civil War. The state rose to prominence after the Reconstruction era, during which it saw significant economic growth. It was also the birthplace of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Georgia is known for the great diversity of its landscapes. These different environments are home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Regions of Georgia include the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Piedmont plateau. However, its cities are also of international importance. The Atlanta metropolitan area is the 9th most populous metropolitan area in the country, and the city itself is recognized as a major world center.

Unfortunately, Georgia is currently seeing high rates of addiction and overdose. The drug trade has brought a wide variety of illicit drugs to small towns and major cities throughout the state. Drugs of abuse in Georgia include heroin, crystal meth, crack, alcohol, cocaine, and benzodiazepines. Increasingly, however, the opioid epidemic is taking its toll. Synthetic opioids are distributed illegally, but skyrocketing rates of medical prescriptions are also driving addiction. In fact, doctors write 63.2 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents of Georgia, which is far above the national average. Given these rates, it is not surprising that 60% of drug overdose deaths in George involve opioids.

Georgia residents who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, or both need not suffer by themselves. It may be tempting to try to control one’s drug or alcohol use disorder on one’s own. However, addictions are not conditions that can be fixed using personal willpower. It is crucial to get outside help, develop a strong support system, and learn new behaviors. Georgia’s extensive recovery resources and sober living homes are invaluable. At a Georgia sober living house, residents can learn how to acquire long-term sobriety. More importantly, however, they discover how it is possible to live a life in sobriety that is both joyful and fulfilling.

What Are Sober Living Homes?

Sober living homes are properties where individuals who are working to stay sober can live. These residences perform a valuable function for people in early recovery by providing them with a safe, trigger-free, and supportive environment. The environment is a critical aspect of early addiction recovery. In an unsafe or triggering environment, relapse is far more likely. Living with friends who abuse alcohol, for instance, can make it far more difficult to develop the skills and mindset necessary for long-term success in sobriety. Sober living homes provide structure, peer support, and a clean and sober environment so that residents can focus on their recovery journeys.

Residents agree to follow several rules when they move in to a sober house. The most important of these rules is staying away from drugs and alcohol. Staff members administer regular drug tests and drug screenings to ensure that no resident is compromising the safety of their roommates. Other sober living house rules are also designed to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Staff members also strive to connect residents with any outside services they may need, including psychiatric care and legal support. The purpose of a sober living home is to provide a home base where residents can address their underlying issues and taking positive steps toward new futures.

However, sober livings are more than just places to crash — and residents are more than just roommates to each other. In many ways, sober living residents are like family. Residents keep each other accountable and offer each other strength. Active addicts often feel misunderstood, but at a sober living house, they can find people who have often been through experiences similar to their own. By connecting to a sober community, they can significantly reduce their chances of relapse. Perhaps more importantly, however, residents develop friendships that help make their sobriety both fun and meaningful.

Recovery in a sober living house involves more than just maintaining physical abstinence. Residents take steps each day to develop new futures for themselves. Initially, this may involve cleaning up the wreckage of the past — such as healing damaged relationships or getting out of debt or legal trouble. Once these pressing matters are dealt with, however, sober living residents begin working jobs, restarting their educations, and opening doors that they may have long thought closed. By developing new values and behaviors, sober living residents begin leading lives in sobriety that they may have never thought possible.

Sober Fun in Georgia

If you are visiting Georgia or living in Georgia, there is plenty to do that does not involve drinking or using drugs. Initially, this may seem a little strange. After all, if you’re accustomed to going out and drinking, you may find it hard to even imagine fun without drugs or alcohol. This is where sober living houses come in. At a Georgia sober living home, you’ll learn new coping skills and tools that will allow you to approach activities without having to resort to the crutch of intoxicating substances. Moreover, you’ll develop a strong circle of sober friends who make it possible to laugh just about anywhere.

Some ideas for sober fun in Georgia include:

Atlanta Botanic Garden

Located in Midtown Atlanta, this botanical garden next to Piedmont Park contains more than 30 acres of blooming foliage. The Fuqua Orchid Center is home to orchids of all varieties, and the High Elevation House displays a rich variety of plants found in the Cloud Forests of the Andes. From mosses and trailing vines to exotic bromeliads, the Tropical Rotunda is sure to astound. There is even an Edible Garden and Outdoor Kitchen!

Rock City on Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain is located on the border between Georgia and Tennessee. A long time ago, it was the site of a major Civil War Battle. Today, however, it is known for its nature park and rocky ridges. These rock formations are stunningly beautiful — and they also provide opportunities for fun. A swinging bridge, narrow passages between rock faces, art installations, and hiking trails provide endless entertainment to outdoorsy visitors.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum and educational center. It offers powerful and dynamic experiences to visitors so that they can come to a better understanding of historical struggles for civil rights — and how these same struggles continue to play out today. The center includes the Civil Rights Movement Gallery, which portrays the fight for equality in the mid-20th century and the struggle against Jim Crow laws.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

The site honors the birthplace of the famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. It is also the site of his grave. Visitors can take a self-guided tour, which covers two blocks. These two blocks contain the house where Dr. King was born.

World of Coca-Cola

Did you know that Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, Georgia all the way back in 1886? At the time, Coca-Cola actually contained trace amounts of the coca plant (the same plant from which cocaine is derived). But fear not! Visiting this exhibit won’t count as a relapse. Stop by to check out the colorful exhibits, vintage posters, and historical advertising.

Tybee Island

Tybee Island is a small island near Savannah, Georgia. Despite its smallness, it attracts countless visitors every year. Tybee Island contains several miles of clean and wide beaches. These beaches are famous for their gentle and relaxing waves. Behind them lie many enormous sand dunes. Visitors can swim, play with dolphins, paddleboard, kayak, and hike up to a local lighthouse.

Callaway Gardens

Callaway Gardens are located near Pine Mountain, north of Columbus. This leisure center includes artificial lakes, a butterfly house, and gardens of azaleas and magnolias. The gardens include more than 2,500 acres. Much of it is artificial — but gloriously so. In fact, Robin Lake is the earth’s most expansive man-made beach. Visitors can enjoy the Callaway Gardens’ many hiking and cycling trails. They can also take part in the annual waterski and wakeboard tournaments that are held here.

Benefits of Georgia Sober Livings

After a person has developed a substance use disorder, it is not possible to simply fix or “cure” the problem. Substance use disorders are chronic health conditions, and they cannot simply be removed. However, individuals who take the time to develop new behaviors and coping skills can indeed live free of the symptoms. In this sense, drug and alcohol addictions are much like other chronic conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure. They cannot be ignored, but lifestyle changes can prevent these conditions from doing harm. Sober living houses in Georgia aim to help residents make these lifestyle changes, allowing them to not only live free of the compulsion to drink or abuse drugs — but to live joyful and prosperous lives in sobriety.

Sober homes are not clinical treatment centers. They are not rehabs. While they do not offer clinical addiction treatment, they do provide essential support for individuals who are pursuing addiction recovery. Perhaps the greatest advantage sober livings offer is time. Addiction recovery does not happen overnight. Unlike most rehabs, sober living homes allow residents to stay for as long as they need. Many residents choose to live in a sober living for a year or more. By the time they graduate, they will have developed a fulfilling, sober, and independent life for themselves. Some of the many benefits that residents experience in a sober living home include:

24/7 Staff Support

Staff members and sober living house managers frequently live with the other residents. By living on-site, sober living team members can guarantee that they will always be around to deal with any issues. Staff members enforce house rules, guarantee house structure, and provide emotional support for house residents. In most cases, sober living staff members have been through the recovery process themselves, so they are passionate and experienced.

Sober Peer Support Systems

Addiction is often known as a “disease of isolation.” Years of substance abuse can lead to loneliness, conflict, and even total isolation from all social support systems. Addicts often feel deeply misunderstood. Living with other people in recovery can be healing. Sober living homes help people realize they’re not alone after all. Housemates offer each other their experience, strength, and hope. Not only do they keep each other accountable, but they also develop strong bonds of friendship that make long-term sobriety more meaningful and joyful.

Skill Development

While their peers are going to college, beginning careers, or getting married, addicts and alcoholics are abusing drugs and alcohol. It should thus come as no surprise that newly sober people often discover they are sorely lacking in basic life skills. Sober living homes recognize that recovery involves more than just putting down substances — it means developing a range of skills, from personal grooming habits to writing a resume.

Smooth Transitions

Sober living houses are not addiction treatment programs. Nonetheless, they are often recommended to people who have recently finished addiction treatment programs. Sober living homes complement rehab programs by helping graduates transition back into the outside world more smoothly. After graduating from rehab, it is important not to jump back into one’s old life; not taking the time to develop a new way of life can be a recipe for relapse. Sober livings not only help rehab graduates continue to reinforce and develop their sober skills, but they also have the opportunity to build up their lives and begin gaining the gifts of sobriety.

Sober Livings Outside of Georgia

For individuals who spent the majority of their active addictions living in Georgia, it is often a good idea to leave Georgia entirely. While Georgia contains many high-quality sober living housing facilities, these residences may not be the best idea for Georgia residents. Given the ubiquity of substance abuse in the state of Georgia, recovery can be difficult here. However, it is made all the more difficult when people are constantly coming into contact with triggering situations. Even in a quality sober living program, it can be difficult to stay sober if you’re often running into your old drug dealers or drinking buddies, or walking past your favorite bar. For these reasons, addiction experts often recommend enrolling in a sober living home outside of your home state.

California is an ideal state for addiction recovery. One reason behind this is that Southern California is the birthplace of structured sober livings, a unique type of sober living home that offers additional structure, support, and recovery resources. The area is also inherently appealing; its hospitable climate, many beaches, hiking trails, cultural bounty, and diversity make it appealing to just about anyone. The recovery community in Southern California is strong, with 12-step meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous being held throughout the day in every one of the city’s neighborhoods. Southern California may have a reputation for glitz and glamour, but you may be surprised that you’re more likely to encounter a sober friend in recovery than a celebrity.

Recovery is Possible at Design for Recovery

Design for Recovery is widely recognized as Southern California’s top sober living community for men. As a structured sober living house, Design for Recovery offers more resources and support than other sober living homes. The property offers safe and comfortable accommodations. Staff members work with residents to help them address underlying issues, develop new coping tools, and build lasting relationships. At Design for Recovery, no matter what a person’s background is, sobriety is possible.

At Design for Recovery, residents pursue long-term sobriety and work to build better lives for themselves. Design for Recovery was founded on the belief that addiction recovery involves more than abstinence. Residents develop a strong foundation of principles to live by, which include values like honesty, integrity, accountability, and responsibility. They also develop important life skills, strong relationships, and begin to take steps toward more prosperous futures. By the time our residents graduate, they can stride with confidence toward their goals.