If you or a loved one has decided that is it time to tackle your addiction, a sober living house may be the way to go. There are many benefits you can receive as an inpatient of a sober living house that you would not normally get if you were tackling your addiction alone.
Sober living houses create structure for individuals battling addiction
Addiction is never an easy thing to overcome, but when you are placed in a dynamic home that is filled with the resources and tools to help you, it may become a more manageable issue to focus on. Sober living homes focus on building skills for there inpatients so that they can tackle their addiction head on and get back into the real world.
Each individual is taught how to manage and cope with their unique set of circumstances, and all inpatients are surrounded by a support system to help them through the tough stuff. Your “tough stuff” could be anything from depression to mending broken familial ties. It does not matter what you consider your tough stuff to be, you will be given the resources and the tools to focus and fix all the things you deem to be broken in your life.
A typical day, as stated earlier, is filled with structure
Many of these inpatient programs are ten to twelve step programs that enforce strict curfews and house rules in the hopes of eliminating any chance of relapse. Many inpatient sober living homes have around the clock, 24 hour management available to individuals staying at the house as well as monitored drug and alcohol testing. Sober living homes provide structure, transitional living and personal accountability, life planning and room for lots and lots of growth.
Picture this…
Picture waking up in a fairly luxurious home filled with other individuals coping with the same vices you are. You will immediately feel a sense of connection with these people—they are fighting the same battles and you are all in the home to support each other and lift each other up.
You are provided with a home cooked meal for breakfast and then you decide to let off some steam by hitting the gym. After your run you hit the showers and prepare for your daily classes. First you meet with your support group to talk about your daily struggles and how you are overcoming them.
You are met with friendly faces that are there to encourage you and want to see you be successful. Next up is a meeting with a psychologist; you have always thought you have struggled with depression and now that you are getting the help you need you are feeling a lot better about life.
Time is flying. It is lunch now and again you are provided with a delectable meal. After lunch you meet up with a guidance counselor who helps you create and implement a plan for your life after you leave the sober living house.
You have decided to go back to work and, as such, you have been working hard with your counselor to perfect your resume. It looks like it is paying off. You have an interview in the late afternoon for a job! How wonderful this is, and you are ecstatic to share the news with the people you live with.
You have a son and haven’t seen him in nearly a year as custody was taken away from you when you were diagnosed as an alcoholic. One of the first things the judge required you to have if you want to see your son again is the ability to hold down a steady job, and now you have the opportunity to do this.
The day is drawing to a close, people start to wind down after dinner and you retire to your bedroom to journal about your day, catch up on reading a good book, and finally your eyes start to feel heavy as you realize you have had such a busy day; you really cannot believe the progress you have made since checking into this place 10 short weeks ago. Your head hits the pillow, and before you know it you are fast asleep.
This article was written by Anthony Cooper, who spent time in sober living homes when he was in recovery and knows how the good ones work.