Sober living houses are commonly used to help individuals transition from treatment into their everyday lives. Taking advantage of the opportunity to stay in a sober living house is highly recommended if you are struggling to adjust to life outside of treatment. There are many benefits that this form of housing can provide to help get you back on your feet again.
Financial Benefits
As you begin to transition out of treatment, you may notice that managing your finances and solidifying a healthy lifestyle takes a great deal of work. One of the major benefits of transitioning into a sober living home is the ease of financial stress. While sober living homes are not free of charge, they often are made to be more affordable to help set you up for success.
This can be a great opportunity to save up money or pay off previous debts you owe. As you find a stable job and figure out an organized plan for your future, you can begin to save money and organize your financial situation before being directly thrown into the chaos of society. Coming up with a financial plan moving forward can help you feel comfortable managing your finances in the future and keeping up with the expenses you will have moving forward.
Opportunity for Peer Support
Living in a sober living house, you will be surrounded by other individuals who are working to fully overcome addiction and set themselves up for the long-term maintenance of sobriety. Being surrounded by individuals in similar situations can be incredibly beneficial if you are looking to find a strong support system. You may find a support group of people who will continue to influence each other long after moving in different directions in life. Sober living homes are an opportunity to establish life-long friendships.
Friends who understand the severity of addiction and who can personally relate to the obstacles you have encountered can be wonderful to have. These individuals will be able to not only understand your past obstacles but also provide support for you moving forward. In a social network of people who share similar goals, you can all encourage each other to continue in recovery success and help each other overcome the obstacles that arise when maintaining sobriety.
Because you are surrounded by individuals who are also working to maintain a sober lifestyle, your opportunities to access a substance will be diminished. While the opportunity may still arise, it will likely not be present within your living quarters. Having a safe space without the external influence of substances can be very beneficial during this transitional stage.
Structured Transition
Sober living homes can provide you with the perfect combination of freedom and structure when transitioning from a treatment setting. During treatment, you have constant supervision and a very structured schedule. After discharge, you are in charge of supervising yourself and managing your schedule with an open slate.
Having the minor levels of structure from a sober living home can help you slowly establish habits and set up a healthy schedule for yourself to use moving forward. While there is some structural support in a sober living house, you will also have the freedom to do as you please and implement a schedule that suits your needs. As long as you remain sober and follow the rules of the living facility, you have the freedom to do what you want.
Although this living situation is only temporary, you can use it to implement the skills you have learned during treatment in your life in the outside world. The full stress of life outside of treatment can now come in smaller waves, making it much easier to manage and overcome as you gain confidence and practice.
There are typically different group activities and meetings available to keep yourself on track in your sober living home. Staff members are living in the facility and are available to reach out to if you are struggling. Having this support on hand if you feel you need it can be extremely useful as you work toward full independence.
Relapse Prevention
The transitional period is often the hardest time for individuals to maintain sobriety. As they step back into their regular life, it can be easy to fall back into old habits and encounter an opportunity for relapse. Living in a sober living community can diminish these opportunities during this critical time and provide you with the necessary support to prevent relapses from occurring.
Taking necessary precautions to avoid relapsing is highly recommended during this stage. As you continue improving your skills and adjust to your life outside of treatment, your chance of relapsing will slowly decrease, improving your ability to engage in long-term sobriety maintenance.
There are many benefits to living in a sober living house after treatment to assist in your transition to the outside world. As prepared as you may be, various factors may come into play that can negatively impact the recovery success you have made. Sober living communities can provide peer support to help you overcome these obstacles, structured support to assist in the transition, and an opportunity to stabilize your finances. Sober living homes can also lower your risk of encountering an opportunity to relapse during this critical time. These programs can be extremely beneficial during this transitional period and can be used to your benefit while you are adjusting to life with your newfound skills. To learn more about the benefits of sober living houses and determine if it is the right step for you, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.