Sober Living Homes: A Guide to Your Next Step

Making a life for yourself after rehab is hard. Returning to daily life following treatment can also be fraught with its own set of pressures and triggers. Here is where a sober living home becomes an essential stepping stone, acting as a buffer to help reinforce the life-style changes and essentials for long term recovery from any substance.

This guide describes what sober living homes are, who they are for and how they are an essential part of the recovery process. Knowing this choice is available, can help you or a loved one take the next step toward long-term recovery from addiction.

What is a Sober Living Home?

Sober living homes (SLH) provide a safe and substance-free place in which to live while working toward recovery. Unlike inpatient rehab centers that provide intensive clinical treatments, sober living homes are centered around a structured routine and peer support to assist residents with re-entry into society.

It’s a first step, if you will. You all live together, you have to do chores and support each other in the recovery. The central rule is total sobriety which may be monitored by frequent drug screens. It is this structure that fosters accountability, and unity, both so crucial to early recovery.

The Core Benefits of Sober Living

If you decide to live in a sober home after rehab your chances of continued sobriety are greatly increased. These homes offer a balance of freedom and structure to meet the particular demands of life after rehab.

Building a Support System

One of the biggest struggles in early sobriety is isolating sober. Sober living homes counter this with a built-in community of peers who know the struggle. Such camaraderie can be powerful when living with people who share similar aims and experiences. This peer support network is so helpful for getting through cravings, congratulating each other on achieving milestones, shaming each other into staying accountable.

Structured and Safe Environment

Sober living homes have rules intended to encourage health, responsibility and sobriety. These might feature curfews, required house meetings, attendance in 12-step programs or therapy sessions and shared chores. This structure is there to help residents form a disciplined lifestyle and can be a stabilizing factor when old negative ways of living attempt to recommence. Zero-tolerance of substance use guarantees a safe environment for all.

A Gradual Return to Independence

Jumping overnight from a 24/7 treatment center to total independence can be jolting. There’s a middle ground that exists in sober living homes. The residents are expected to work or go to school (or volunteer somewhere all day). This way they ease back into being responsible adults. This offers people the ability to test their new coping skills in circumstances out of the home, while having a safety net to return home each night.

Developing Essential Life Skills

Recovery is not simply not using drugs; it is living a new, fulfilling life. Practical life skills are often the main focus at many sober living homes. This may encompass money management, job search and resume writing, as well as healthy communication. House meetings and you share responsibilities together, it’s also a life lesson in learning how to resolve all of that.

What to Expect in a Sober Living Home

We also make our own rules and culture, but most run like this. Knowing what most of it is about can help you to prepare yourself for the experience.

The Rules and Structure

Upon moving in, residents agree to abide by a set of house rules. Common rules include:

• Total Abstinence: Absolutely no use or possession of alcohol and/or drugs is allowed either on the facility or out in the community.
• Testing Required: Random and scheduled tests are normal. A positive test typically leads to eviction with no delay.
• House Meetings: Attendance at house meetings is usually required. It’s a time to talk about problems with the house, mediate conflicts and lean on one another.
• Curfews: Typically each night, residents must return to the home by a specified point.
• Household duties: All members have to undertake household chores.
• Active Recovery: One must be active in their recovery, which generally includes 12-step meetings, therapy groups or outpatient programs.

The Cost of Sober Living

Residents pay rent which includes their room, utilities and access to community amenities. The price can range depending on the home’s location, size and the services that are provided. Some houses will have residents purchase their own food; others may provide communal meals. Make sure to ask about all of the fees before buying a home.

Finding the Right Fit

Sober living homes are not all alike. If you are shopping for a home, find one that is certified by an established organization like the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). Certified means the home meets national standards for safety, ethics and level of care. You might also want to tour the home and interview the house manager (the person in charge of running things), as well as some current residents, for a sense of what it’s like.

Is a Sober Living Home Right for You?

Sober living is an excellent option for many individuals in recovery, but it is particularly beneficial for those who:

• Successfully graduated from an inpatient or residential care program recently.
• Do not have a supportive, substance-free family environment to return home to.
• Be anxious about going back to everyday life and its triggers.
• Want to establish a more holistic foundation in recovery before being on your own.
• Need to be held accountable and a framework in which to stay on the right track.

It is not intended as a replacement for a clinical treatment. Those needing detoxification or intensive medical and psychological care will be better suited to starting at a higher level of care, such as inpatient rehab centers.

Take the Next Step in Your Recovery

Aftercare After the Treatment The after treatment transition is a crucial part to get through in recovery. A sober home offers the guidance, assistance, and protection necessary to successfully get through this transitional time. Never Alone Homes provide an environment of “like-minded” peers who support each other, healthy living and a solid foundation for a sober and meaningful life.

If you or someone you care about is ready for the next phase of recovery, doing research to find sober living homes nearby might be a life-changing move. Invest the time and money in a supportive “bridge” environment, it’s an investment in your overall health and wellness.