Moving to a sober living facility puts you in the direct center of an environment where living a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle is accepted and encouraged. People move to sober living facilities for a variety of reasons, but they all have the desire to stay sober in common. Since you’ll be living closely with other people from a variety of different backgrounds, you’ll find that there is an admissions process to get into a sober living facility. However, it isn’t as rigorous as trying to get into an Ivy League college. Instead, the admissions process is more designed to screen for individuals who can get the most out of the program. You’ll find that the process is relatively quick and simple. By the time that you get accepted, you’ll also have an appreciation for the staff’s commitment to keeping your safety and confidentiality in mind the entire time.
What Are the Requirements to Get Into a Sober Living Facility?
Sober living homes are typically filled with people who are already started on their journey to sobriety. Some sober living facilities require you to go to an inpatient or outpatient treatment program before you move into the home. They strive to serve as a bridge between someone staying at a residential drug treatment facility and going home. Others will allow you to move into the home as the initial part of your treatment. Other than that, sober living homes pretty much just require you to be committed to getting sober.
Choosing to move into the home comes with the expectation that you will work hard on staying sober. You may also be required to find a job, volunteer or go to school since the main focus of this type of environment is to move towards independent sober living. There may also be a few basic rules that you’ll need to agree to such as following the guidelines for having visitors and contributing to the general living environment.
How Do You Start the Admissions Process?
For most sober living homes, the admissions process involves several short steps. These include the following:
• Your initial outreach phone call
• A clinical assessment or meeting with a counselor
• A resident interview
• A final discussion to settle financial and logistic concerns
Sober living facilities rely upon you to reach out first since they may not know about your situation. You may be referred to a home by an addiction treatment coordinator, or you might have heard about the residence yourself. During your first phone call, they’ll let you know if there are rooms available, and you can begin letting the person you talk to know about why you want to live there. You’ll also likely speak to a counselor or sober mentor who can fill you in on how their program works. They may ask you some questions about your drug and alcohol history to make sure that the program is right for you. Finally, you’ll cover some basic information about how your stay will be covered along with how and when you will arrive at the facility.
What Else Should I Know About Sober Living?
Once you’ve passed through the initial admissions process, you’ll be provided with instructions for how to begin prepping for your stay. Sober living environments differ in the amenities that they offer, so you’ll be given a packing list that lets you know what to bring. For instance, you may prefer to bring your own towels, or there may already be linens waiting for you at the facility. You may also need to bring your personal electronics and some clothing that is suitable for your expected daily activities. For most people, clothing will be the bulk of what they bring. You may need work clothes, casual clothes for hanging out and athletic clothing such as hiking shoes or a swimsuit.
Your first day in sober living will involve a lot of getting to know the other people. You may attend your first therapy sessions and go over the expectations for sharing the community with the other residents. You’ll also get the chance to fully enjoy the sense of acceptance and comfort that comes when you choose to live in a place where everyone supports your decision to stay sober.
Are you ready to start the admissions process to get into a sober living facility? If so, we’ll help you take that first step. Give us a call at 732-392-7311 to get connected to your new sober home.
