Sober living homes work by helping you transition successfully from inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation to your everyday life. After detox and rehab, you might not be ready to return home due to concerns about maintaining your sobriety. Often, those in early recovery need additional time to build the coping skills they need to reduce the risk of relapse. If you are nearing the end of residential treatment and don’t have a home environment conducive to recovery, a sober living home could work for you.
What Is Sober Living?
Sober living is a type of drug and alcohol treatment that provides accountability, therapeutic programming, and peer support to help you get back to your everyday life after inpatient rehab. You can transition into sober living after you have completed a rehab program and can maintain your sobriety without intensive support. Sober living can help you stay safe from relapsing during early recovery.
Overall, sober living homes provide additional support for those new to recovery or at a high risk of relapse after treatment. If your home environment is unsafe due to relapse triggers or household members who continue to abuse substances, sober living homes can help you find a stable and safe place to live.
In addition, since addiction can lead to negative consequences like divorce, job loss, or homelessness, you might need time to find permanent housing and employment after treatment.
What to Expect From Sober Living
Sober living homes can vary in terms of staffing, the number of housemates, and programming expectations. You might be required to attend a specified number of therapeutic activities or take drug and alcohol tests regularly to participate in sober living. You can expect a supportive place to rebuild your life after treatment during sober living.
You can expect some of the following when you go into sober living:
- Random drug and alcohol screening to hold you accountable for your sobriety
- Nightly curfews and expectations to only leave the home for necessary activities related to your recovery and daily life
- Regular peer support meetings and treatment appointments
- Sharing household chores to create a comfortable home environment for yourself and your housemates
- Intensive outpatient treatment including therapy and other wellness appointments
- Job-seeking skills training, like resume building and enrolling in continuing education courses
- Finding safe and secure housing to live in after your stay in sober living
By continuing your treatment plan and building life skills during sober living, you can successfully navigate your newfound sobriety in the real world. During inpatient substance abuse treatment, you are often safe from any triggers or temptations due to the intense levels of supervision at these facilities. Sober living provides a step-down in services from inpatient rehab and allows you to learn the skills you need to stay sober and continue in your recovery.
How Do Sober Living Homes Improve Recovery Outcomes?
Sober living homes can improve recovery outcomes, especially for those in early recovery or at a high risk of relapse due to unstable housing. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs “found positive longitudinal outcomes for 300 individuals living in two different types of SLHs [sober living homes], which suggests they might be an effective option for those in need of alcohol- and drug-free housing.”
Recovery from addiction involves more than just abstinence from drugs and alcohol. To succeed in your sobriety, you need to build a meaningful and fulfilling life. If you have struggled with addiction, you might have deficits in critical areas of your life that require attention. By obtaining the skills needed to lead a healthy life, you can accomplish your goals beyond your sobriety.
Sober living homes improve recovery outcomes by focusing on the following goals:
- Help you stay on course in your sobriety with peer encouragement, therapy, and a robust recovery community
- Attention to your physical health, which is known to improve outcomes in recovery with things like:
- Nutritional guidance and healthy meals
- Access to exercise programs
- Regular appointments with a physician
- Getting you ready for the next steps in your life, such as discovering a fulfilling career path, building relationship skills, and finding stable housing
What Are the Benefits of Sober Living?
The benefits of sober living programs include:
- Structure and routines that support your recovery
- Support from peers, staff, and clinicians when you are feeling overwhelmed or having cravings
- Learning the skills needed to succeed in life outside of sobriety and recovery
- Building a sense of personal responsibility for your sobriety and life goals
- Obtaining essential life skills like how to maintain employment and care for your home environment
Sober living homes set you up for success in your lifelong journey of addiction recovery. By easing into everyday life with a transition between treatment and home, you practice your recovery and build crucial life skills in sober living.
Sober Living Homes in Knoxville, TN
Returning to everyday life after inpatient drug and alcohol treatment could leave you vulnerable to relapse if you aren’t prepared to manage triggers or have a stable place to call home. Sober living homes can help you successfully transition back to your life after active treatment. Tennessee Valley Recovery of Knoxville is here to help you rebuild your life after rehab. Call us today or visit our admissions page for more.