After going through addiction treatment, there comes that point where each client steps outside of rehab and is faced with the question, what now? The what now is working their way back to living a normal life. Hopefully, they have the coping and life skills they will need to stave off any potential relapses in the future. For some people going through recovery, heading straight home after rehab is too scary.
They need a safe place they can go to transition from substance abuse to going back to living a normal life. That is why the sober living community exists. It’s there to serve as a bridge between insanity and newfound saneness. In a sober living home, each person gets an opportunity to get their sober legs under them. They are accountable for their actions and must abide by house rules at all times. The house rules for most sober living homes include:
- Zero tolerance for the use of any drugs or alcohol
- Must be willing to submit to random drug testing
- Must show respect for other residents in the household
- Must handle all chores as assigned by the counselor or inhouse residential assistant
- No inappropriate fraternization with other residents and no overnight guests
- Must secure employment and pay rent on time
- Must continuing working on recovery by attending 12 step meetings and or participating in outpatient counseling
Anyone who follows these rules will get more privileges and responsibilities as time goes on. The ones who can’t follow the rules are asked to leave. The sanctity of recovery has to be protected at all times. At this point, we would like to address the last item on the above list. It’s always important that all sober living residents keep working to solidify their recovery. Sticking with outpatient treatment is one of the better ways they can do that. We want to discuss that a little further in the section below.
Should I Continue To Go To Outpatient Treatment While Residing In Sober Living
Whether or not you continue on with outpatient treatment while in a sober living home is something you would have to decide for yourself. If it’s a stipulation of being in the sober living home, rules are rules. Rules aside, you could benefit greatly by participating in outpatient treatment. First and foremost, there is a chance you did not get to cover all of your issues during residential treatment. In that case, you likely still have work to do. You can continue that work as an outpatient client. Another way outpatient treatment could be helpful is with relapse prevention.
As you go through each day in the sober living home, you will encounter stress. The way you cope with that stress will determine how close you get to a relapse. Instead of letting things go too far, a series of extra outpatient therapy sessions might help you get your mind back on sobriety. What sober living owners and residential assistants like about their residents staying with outpatient treatment is it ensures the client is working towards getting back to living a normal life. Sober living homes are not a permanent solution. They exist to offer a three-month to one-year bridge between treatment and returning to the stressful life of managing responsibilities.
At some point, every resident will have to return home and test their sober wings. If they have been continuing treatment through an outpatient resource, it provides evidence that the individual is serious about their recovery. For yourself, you should always view outpatient treatment as a potential aftercare resource. This resource is available to anyone who doesn’t want to relapse and have to start all over again. Whether you go the sober living route or not, you should include additional outpatient treatment as something that’s in your arsenal in the battle against relapses. We hope this information offers you some clarity. Sober living and outpatient care are both aftercare resources that can make a big difference in your recovery.
However, first things first. Before you worry about aftercare resources, you might need to first worry about addressing your addiction. That’s where we can help. When you are ready to admit defeat and seek help for your addiction, we will be ready to invite you in to get the help you need. To start the process in earnest, you need to call our facility at 732-392-7311. Staff members are standing by 24/7.