Is Everyone Living In Sober Living Coming Out of Treatment?

After finishing your stint in rehab, you will have to go out in the world and test your sober wings. If you are really ready to fly on your own, that is exactly what you should do. If you still feel a little shaky about your recovery, you might want to think about taking advantage of some aftercare options that are available. As you are preparing to leave rehab, your therapist should be telling you about the aftercare options you can use to help keep yourself on the straight and narrow road of recovery. Here is a shortlist of options you should be able to find:

  • Additionl after the fact outpatient treatment
  • Involvement in alumni groups and events provided by your rehab center
  • Participation in 12 step programs like NA and AA
  • Take up residence in a sober living home

The last item on this list, taking up residence in a sober living home is of particular interest. Sober living homes exist to serve as a bridge between rehab and the recovering addict having to return home and take up their responsibilities. People go into sober living homes when they don’t think they are ready to deal with the stress life puts on them. If you think you need more time to solidify your recovery, you really should think about the sober living option. By the way, the answer to the titled question, is no, not everyone in a sober living home is right out of rehab. Some folks will go into a sober living home as a way of keeping them from going down the rabbit hole of addiction. Sober living is a great option for anyone who wants help staying away from drugs or alcohol. At this point, we think it would be a good idea to tell you a little bit about living in a sober living community. We will do that in the sections below.

About Sober Living

Sober living homes are actual homes in actual neighborhoods. The whole point of sober living is to create a home environment in which residents can learn to put some structure in their lives. If they can learn to construct a strong structure built around being accountable and responsible, it increases the chances they won’t end up with a lifetime of relapsing. This is exactly why sober living works just as well for people who are not coming out of a recent stint in rehab.

Rules of Sober Living

For the most part, sober living homes are managed by people who are recovering addicts with years of sobriety. Many of them are licensed as addiction counselors. They are there to make sure the residents follow rules and help create a safe environment for the rest of the residents. As for the rules, here is a fairly standard set of sober living rules, though things might vary a little from home to home:

  • There is to be no inappropriate fraternization between residents (including harassment and sexual activity)
  • Each resident has household responsibilities they must manage
  • Each resident must pay their rent on time
  • There is zero tolerance of any kind of substance use or abuse (prescription meds are usually managed by the home manager)
  • Residents are always subject to random drug testing (a positive calls for immediate expulsion)
  • Each client is expected to participate in 12 step programs or some other form of therapy

As long as residents follow these rules, they are permitted to stay as long as they want or need to.

Benefits of Sober Living

The benefits of sober living include having more time for recovery, building camaraderie with other residents, having supports resources from managers and other residents, and sober living provides a safe haven away from the triggers and temptations that tend to bring people down from recovery. Before you worry about your suitability for sober living, you must first be willing to go through treatment. Once you get sober, you can start thinking about staying sober. When the time comes for you to think about treatment, we hope you will call one of our representatives at 732-392-7311. They will be able to share information with you about our addiction treatment services and facility. After you complete treatment, we would certainly be in a position where we could help you find a sober living home if that is what you wanted.

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