After completing an inpatient or outpatient program, an individual might need a place to live that is set up to help continue their success. Returning to a prior environment can trigger some people if they are surrounded by temptations. While they may have learned a lot in a program their skills could still use some improvement if they want to have a successful recovery. For many individuals transitioning from a program at a residential living facility, a sober living house may be just what they need to further develop important life skills.
Sober living homes offer a safe and sober place for those who are on the path to recovery but still need to build confidence or important life skills to help ensure they are successful. There is a lot involved in a sober living facility, but for many, it can mean the difference between relapsing and recovery. In fact, studies on sober livings show that people who attend them have lower rates of relapse on average.
What is a Sober Living Home?
A sober living home acts as a residence for individuals who are transitioning from a program but may not be ready for returning home just yet. Sober living homes act as a safe place free from substances where residences can focus on bettering themselves. They can also put focus into learning healthy coping mechanisms and tools required for long-lasting recovery.
These residences are catered specifically to individuals in the early stages of recovery. They offer a balance of structure and freedom to help an individual while also giving them a safe and sober place to live.
Dedicated and Qualified Support System
The staff at a sober living home is one of the most important aspects of an individual’s recovery. Residents need to know their best interest is in mind of the staff and can be assured to be treated fairly while living in the facility.
At a sober living home, a person can expect the staff to act as a support system. It consists of a passionate team of individuals who work to welcome new residents, answer questions, and act as helpers on the path to recovery. This staff includes compassionate individuals, mentors, and sober living house managers who can help with moral support, difficult life challenges, and overcomingrelapse triggers.
Many of these staff members work to organize events that will not only keep a resident busy and focused, but also encourage them to grow within the community of the sober living home. Residents of a sober living home will find that not only is the staff part of their support system, but rather other residents are as well. They will all work together to create a community of support that aims for a successful recovery for everyone involved.
Data shows that having community support is beneficial to the recovery rate of many residents. These shared experiences can help open residents to discover what they are capable of outside of the living home. Having a supportive and compassionate staff that cultivated this sort of environment is crucial to this success.
Programs Offered in Sober Living Homes
Sober living homes do not offer talk therapy or other clinical treatment services. However, many of the resources and programs that sober livings offer are therapeutic in nature and are a key part of a sober living home’s recovery plan. These act as teaching opportunities for residents to learn how capable they are. While many of these programs give an outlet to residents to keep their minds busy, they also can help teach residents how to cope without the use of substances.
Some programs such as yoga, meditation, physical fitness, and outdoor activities act as a healthy outlet for many residents. They can help them learn how to manage cravings or stress that might trigger a desire to abuse substances. More so, they encourage a resident to learn about themselves. By helping residents get in touch with their inner feelings they may have a better understanding as to why they abused drugs. In turn, they can learn how to resolve these triggers without the need for substances.
While not all sober living homes are alike there is a standard in place by The National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR). This standard focuses on ensuring key elements are part of each sober living home that will help ensure residents feel respected and helped. While it isn’t completely universal, many sober living homes require residents to attend some programs such as support group meetings that follow the 12-step model.
Outside of these group meetings, residents should expect to be a part of the community programs at the sober living home. Many will focus on team building, sober parties, and other activities to help grow new friendships and healthy relationships. Much of the success of a sober living home comes from growing along with peers.
There are a lot of physical programs available for residents as well. Substance abuse can leave the body in poor shape, physically and mentally. Many sober living homes offer healthy diets and exercise including activities like community sports teams, fishing, and other outdoor activities.
All these programs aim to teach residents how to function and cope healthily.
Encouraging Residents to Build Personal Responsibility
As the emphasis is to teach residents healthy ways of coping outside of a home, residents can expect to put in a fair amount of work while living in a sober living home. Even at a luxurious sober living home residents may be surprised to find the staff will not wait on them and their needs. Many professionals find that unstimulated and coddled residents will not learn the necessary skills needed to function effectively outside of a sober living home.
Instead, residents can be expected to partake in many of the chores in the home. Residents may be expected to do their laundry, clean their living space, and even help to clean common areas. In some cases, they may even be expected to make their meals with healthy ingredients that are provided.
The goal of these chores and work is to help residents learn personal responsibility. This will help prepare them for home life or even a workplace environment upon leaving sober living. Professionals have also found a sense of responsibility helps long-term recovery for many residents.
What to Expect from A Sober Living Home
Sober living homes will have daily activities scheduled in which a resident can plan their day around. While they are not required to attend every activity, it is encouraged to be active in the community. This may even provide residents with volunteering opportunities within or outside the home.
However, there are some restrictions residents have to adhere to in order to live in the home. There will be curfews in place to help give residents structure, but also to help protect their recovery. This would mean many sober living homes allow residents to come and go as long as they obey curfews and other restrictions.
Other restrictions could involve limited or no visitors allowed. Depending on the case and the facility, visitors may be limited to specific hours or not at all. This could include parents/guardians, spouses, and children.
Other restrictions might prevent residents from keeping certain products in their possession. Some products, like mouth wash, can contain substances such as alcohol that could trigger relapse for other residents. This also goes for any personal medications. Often personal medications will be given to trained staff who will safely dispense them when needed.
A resident of a sober living home should also expect to pay for their rent. While the cost is generally affordable, it is a fact that residents are required to cover the cost of their room and board. Some may be able to find assistance with the costs.
Most of all, a sober living home is not a permanent residence for an individual. The goal of a sober living home is to help the resident grow their confidence, personal life skills, and coping skills to function outside of the facility successfully. The length of time a resident may stay varies from case to case, but generally, they are encouraged to move on at some point. This is done to encourage personal growth, but also to keep room for others at the beginning of their recovery journey. This is also why many sober living homes encourage the growth of community and friends, so a resident does not feel as though they are being forgotten when leaving the sober living home.
Finding Success in Sober Living
Success in a sober living home comes from an array of factors. First, the staff is expected to create an environment aimed to support residents. They should be respectful, compassionate, and encouraging to any resident that comes into the home.
Second, residents are encouraged to support other residents along their journey. This helps build community and team building which can encourage the longevity of recovery. Along with this, residents should expect to be responsible for their behavior and to be accountable for such while staying at a sober living home.
With these ideas in mind, residents of a sober living home will find themselves on the path to a successful and long recovery. A sober living home can act as the most important step in the recovery process and many professionals have found that it has a meaningful impact on long-lasting success.
Recover Today at Design for Recovery
Design for Recovery, a structured sober living home located in West Los Angeles, offers quality transitional programs for individuals working on developing sober lifestyles. Our sober facility for men provides a safe, supportive, and trigger-free environment. No matter what a person’s substance of choice was or how harmful their addiction was, they have the chance to turn their life around while living in Design for Recovery. Our sober residents work daily to build the skills, values, behaviors, and social support systems that are vital to maintaining long-term sobriety. In the process, they aim to develop new futures for themselves beyond what they ever could have hoped for during their years of active addiction.
Design for Recovery was founded on a simple idea: that addiction recovery is a process far greater than just putting down drugs and alcohol. Beyond that, recovery means developing a life that is meaningful, joyful, and free. Residents at Design for Recovery work to develop a strong foundation of values to live by. The crucial principles that make up the foundation of their lifestyles include honesty, integrity, responsibility, and accountability. By cultivating these values, a new way of life becomes unlocked. Relationships grow, career prospects change, and the future generates opportunities.
If you are ready to escape from the vicious cycle of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, contact us today. Recovery is possible at Design for Recovery.
