One significant advantage of sober living is that it provides structured Independence the person in recovery.

Recovery from alcohol and drug addiction is a life long process for all who choose this path. Many are able to achieve sobriety at home or living with family. For many others, recovery requires in-patient treatment known as drug rehabilitation or REHAB.

Rehab comes in a few forms from residential where the addict lives on-site to outpatient where the addict lives off-site and then travels to the rehab to get the professional help he/she needs. This is where the journey of recovery begins for many.

With the person’s recovery beginning, and they are committed to the journey of getting sober, the individual will start to take back control of their own lives. They will recover their ability to live independently and gain confidence and strength to reenter society. This includes finding employment and carrying out the actions required to be a valuable part of society. Autonomy in new meaningful friendships that will ultimately be the best at helping them achieve sobriety. In short, addicts who have completed a rehab will have the mental and emotional tools to help them survive in the world without drugs and alcohol. The next transition, after graduation from the rehab, is often the most neglected step of the recovery process.

So many individuals complete the rehab part and feel that they have done enough work on themselves that they can go back to the same environments and expect different results. However, this is not the case for many. With the relapse rates for drug addiction as high as between 40 and 60 percent, NIDA publishes, sober living homes are a vital component to help prevent and minimize relapse.

Sober living homes are typically for individuals in early recovery or offered during outpatient treatment, though some are available to people at all recovery phases. Typically, the inhabitants in these housing installations are either undergoing treatment or regularly going to meetings. 

The goal of sober living residences is to provide individuals in recovery a secure and supporting location to heal, away from outside triggers. This break is possibly the most significant benefit. You will be offered a place to live and concentrate on yourself, without temptations, previous drug-using relationships, and old places that trigger substance use. 

Sober livings often require mandatory 12-step meetings and have an oversight by a house manager and random drug testing. While these may seem intrusive, for those in the life and death struggle of addiction, these should be seen as accountability and a means to an end: life-long sobriety. Sober livings can be utilized for a lot longer period than a treatment facility. The longer a person stays in sober living, the longer they can achieve abstinence. A study in Psychology Today showed that individuals who remain abstinent for at least a yea have lower relapse rates than those who don’t. For example, the study found that individuals who were abstinent for less than a year relapsed two-thirds of the time while those who were sober for an entire year did so less than half the time. Individuals who were abstinent for a period of five years remained sober and avoided relapse 85 percent of the time. If an individual leaves a sober living home prior to being ready to do so, they risk relapse and a return to problematic behaviors.

Sober living homes also provide a community feel, as residents all strive for the same goals and face many of the same challenges. Residents learn to rely on each other and to become part of a group as well as more self-sufficient. Addiction brings isolation and a strong recovery community is vital to long term sobriety. Each sober living home may have its own set of rules, chore expectations, and structure in place. Individuals are expected to help with meals, cleaning, and other household chores. While in a sober living home, individuals may be subject to regular drug tests, which may encourage compliance as well.

Why sober living after rehab? There are many reasons why sober living is a great option for those leaving rehab and there aren’t many reasons why you shouldn’t try sober living, if only for a short time. The experiences, tools and friends you make will be will worth the inconvenience. Stay the course! Keep moving toward sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, San Diego Sober Living can help. Please call us today for a confidential conversation about recovery.