What is a Sober Living House?
Over 90 percent of people that go through alcohol and drug addiction treatment relapse within the first year. After people discharge from treatment, they need to learn new lifestyle habits. They learn these new habits by living in a sober living home. They need a different environment because if they go back to the same environment, they were in prior to the treatment, they will end up back in treatment.
The only way people are going to change their old ways is if they live in a new environment with accountability, structure, support, community, and purpose. People that completed the treatment want to live sober, live life differently—they want to live a life of their dreams. So, establishments like sober living houses help those people to achieve their goals and not go back to their old life.
Sober living houses offer everything from short-term programs, 30-day solutions, up to 120-day plans, and even longer-term alternatives, all depending on certain factors. Usually, the residents cook together for themselves, clean up after themselves, do their laundry, and share other house chores. They have a family setting where individuals can interact, feel the comfort and talk about their experience, hardships, successes, etc.
Types of Sober Living Homes
There are many sober living options out there, so before you or your loved one makes a choice about what is right for you, make sure to learn about these options. Also, keep in mind that the standards at each type of sober living home can be drastically different, so be sure to ask the know what you are looking for in such a place, ask the right questions and find out about the experience of previous residents.Main types of Sober Living Homes:
- Halfway Houses/Sober House
- Oxford House
- Recovery Residence
- Rehabilitation Center (Rehab Center)
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Halfway Houses/Sober House
Halfway houses are intended for persons transitioning out of incarceration, mental health facilities, or newly sober people. The purpose of such establishments is to help them not to go back to their old activities. They often reduce recidivism with supervision, and many are monitored by state agencies (unlike sober houses).
Sober houses, on the other hand, are transitional residence homes that a person may live in for a period of time after finishing a substance addiction program. They do not provide treatment, as they are usually the last step of someone coming out of rehab. To stay a resident at such a home, the person has to maintain sobriety and follow all the rules. They will also often attend various workshops for improving their ability to live and make the right decisions on their own.
Oxford House
Oxford house is the most widespread program where recovering alcoholics and drug addicts live together as a society of individuals caring for each other or as a family. Each Oxford House is autonomous, run by residents, and provides the kind of support that is necessary to develop a new behavior. Residents pay rent that goes into covering household expenses.
Although there are no required programs, they usually offer and encourage drug screening, 12-step meetings, open communication, counseling, therapy, etc. To become a part of an Oxford house family, an individual should get approval from a majority of residents.
Recovery Residence
A recovery residence is a place where people can live in a safe, healthy, and sober environment and recover from alcohol or other substance abuse and addiction and associated problems. A wide range of services and programs is offered in these residences, so individuals can learn relapse prevention techniques and finding a long-term support group.
Recovery residences can be either peer-run or monitored by a house manager, senior resident, or another staff member. The first option is a good choice for people who are adults and more solid in their sobriety. Individuals who need more support and structure to maintain their motivation to stay sober. Other options include recovery residences with a combination of peer-run and monitored, with more guidance and help to develop necessary recovery skills. Recovery residences that are associated with an inpatient treatment center provide more structure and the most support.
Rehabilitation Center (Rehab Center)
Rehabilitation centers cover a wider range of services that help individuals to regain their lost capabilities, whether it is physical, mental, or psychological. Drug addiction, alcoholism, and other mental sicknesses are the focus of many rehabilitation centers. They provide treatment that is customized to achieve desired results based on each individual’s needs.
These centers also deal with psychological withdrawal symptoms and help patients to stay away from everything that will trigger a relapse. Rehab centers are a place for individuals who suffer from physical or mental health problems to rediscover themselves and start a new chapter in their life.
Who Can Stay at a Sober Living Home?
Everyone who needs help to make the transition from rehab or after incarceration to living without using alcohol and other substances or repeating their wrongdoings on their own can turn to sober living houses. They are intended for people who had relapsed or are at high risk of relapse and want to prevent it. Sober living homes, though, have requirements for individuals to become their residents. These usually include prior completion of inpatient rehab or addiction treatment, paying rent, following rules, doing chores, etc.
Sober living houses help to strengthen the long-term recovery foundation and serve as the last transition place before an individual starts a new life or return home. With the help of sober living houses, people realize that life should be taken seriously, bad decisions have consequences, and that recovery can lead to enjoying life more fully.
This can be a difficult journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Let us be your guide and provide you the environment needed to regain control of your life and begin the path to recovery.
How Effective Are Sober Living Homes?
Sober living homes have been increasingly popular for a reason. They offer a lot of hope and are very helpful to many individuals. It is one of the best-known ways to keep people committed to their recovery, and even if they fall off the rails, they will have a community that will support them and helps them get back on the right path.
Sober living homes have structure, rules, responsibilities, and activities that keep the people responsible for their actions and occupied with interesting tasks. People are not just sitting watching television or playing on their phones; they are involved in a life and involved in healthy living skills.
When people are addicted to something, they are very self-centered, so part of such an establishment’s goal is to get them involved in the community. These individuals begin to feel that they have been heard, they have been seen, and they have been respected. They get inspired and encourage each other. These individuals will leave this place with the support of people they have been together, and with hope, knowledge, and skills to deal with everything that is going to come their way.
Questions of how long a patient’s recovery takes from an alcohol or drug addiction depend on the consideration of a number of key factors. It starts with an individual diagnosing what sort of addiction he or she has and how severe the dependence has gotten.
A large number of people addicted to drugs, alcohol, or both have managed to get clean and abstain from addiction with the help of organizations like sober living homes devoted to the cause of treating recently discharged patients stay clean.
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