Sober living homes have many names. Sometimes referred to as halfway houses or sober communities, these vital parts of an addiction treatment program frequently serve as a transitional step between addiction treatment and the “unsupported” environment at home. Many treatment programs of all care levels include sober living as part of the aftercare and relapse prevention process. Programs that do not include sober living as part of your treatment plan will encourage program alumni to spend time in a sober living community before returning home. This stage of recovery helps reduce the stressors and challenges that often accompany the early days of sobriety.
It is not uncommon for someone who has recently completed treatment, especially for the first time find that they struggle to adjust to the changes in their lives during the days and weeks immediately after treatment. A sober living home or long-term sober living community offers a safe environment between treatment and home where you can practice and reinforce the lessons you learned during rehab. For many, time spent in a sober living home can distinguish between staying sober and relapsing back to old habits.
Why Choose a Long Term Sober Living?
Completing an addiction treatment plan at a Los Angeles, CA, drug and alcohol rehab vastly increases your chances of achieving lasting sobriety. The time one spends in therapy and working with peer groups in an integrated 12-step recovery program helps you better understand the roots of addiction and how harmful coping mechanisms (such as using drugs or alcohol to relieve pain or stress) only lead to ongoing struggles with substances. The work you do during the therapeutic process is meant to help you overcome the challenges drugs or alcohol cause while helping you learn how to avoid returning to harmful habits in the future. But after treatment ends, many who are new to recovery may struggle in their newfound sobriety.
It is vital to remember that drug and alcohol rehab will not “cure” addiction. Substance use disorders are considered a disease without a cure, much like diabetes or heart disease. However, addiction is treatable similar to other chronic disease processes, but lasting recovery requires an ongoing commitment to health and wellness. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) further reinforces the potential ongoing challenges recovering addicts face surrounding relapse. According to reports released by SAMHSA, as many as 60% of addicts in recovery will experience at least one relapse. For this reason, ensuring you have access to ongoing support and structure, especially early in your recovery, is a crucial element in helping you avoid being part of the 60%. Long-term sober living environments help provide these opportunities and more.
Los Angeles Sober Life
The Last House Sober Living has been helping men recover for over 10 years. Our Los Angeles structured sober living homes offer accountability and a path to lasting recovery.
What to Expect From Long Term Sober Living Communities
During the therapeutic portion of drug and alcohol rehab, you are typically surrounded by continual, supported care. During treatment, medical and mental health support is often just outside your door and easily accessed. Once treatment is complete, it is not uncommon for those new to recovery to feel a little lost and unsure how to continue moving forward in their recovery. A long-term sober living community can help.
Sober living communities are different from the treatment environment. At a sober living home, residents are not bound by the same rules or restrictions that can accompany addiction treatment. At most programs, residents of the home can come and go freely. Although this is highly beneficial and enjoyable for some, it can be an added challenge for others. The goal of sober living is to encourage addicts new to recovery to transition back to their day-to-day obligations at a comfortable pace. By easing back into their commitments and responsibilities, it is possible to transition out of the active therapy environment without feeling abandoned by the supports rehab provides.
Although sober living homes are indeed less restrictive than many rehab programs, it is important to remember that the programs still have rules that must be followed. Some of the most common may include mandatory attendance at schedule peer support groups, curfews, and ongoing therapy appointments. These rules and others are in place to help members of the sober living community stay safe and avoid unwanted exposure to substances.
While staying in a long-term sober living facility, residents can attend peer support programs, including popular 12-step programs. These programs and other forms of support found in a sober living community allow residents to develop structure, routine, and accountability. They also offer the opportunity to forge and maintain relationships with others in the community who share the same goals and sobriety mindset.
Another benefit you can expect by choosing a long-term sober living community is friendship. Many newly recovered addicts face a significant challenge as they return home from treatment is isolation. Before treatment, social events and social circles generally included peers who supported substance use and participated in using or drinking. After getting sober, many people feel as though they need to isolate themselves from their former friends and social activities to avoid exposure to relapse triggers.
Although logical, this course of action often leads to loneliness and isolation, which are also relapse triggers. Long-term sober living communities offer a support system that can help you avoid the isolation and loneliness that can accompany going directly from rehab back home. Also, they provide an environment for increased support during the early and often complex days of recovery. It is not uncommon for the peers you interact with as part of the sober living community to become lifelong peers and sources of support during challenging times.
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The Last House's Long Term Sober Living Program
There are many circumstances that lead to addiction and equally as many that spur the desire to seek help to put addiction struggles in the past. Some people come to rehab with the desire to heal and “start over.” Others may struggle with a co-occurring disorder and need help learning how to safely and successfully manage their symptoms without drug or alcohol use. Still, others may struggle with a home environment or genetic influence that increases their risk for addiction. Because each person and each situation is unique, it is essential to ensure that the treatment and the support they receive throughout their treatment and recovery journey are equally focused on the specific needs of the person, not the addiction.
If you have just completed addiction treatment or are participating in one of our programs at the Last House, talk to your treatment team about our long term sober living community in Santa Monica, CA. If you are concerned about being on your own, without the care and support of your treatment team, time at a sober living home may be beneficial and help you build the confidence you need to maintain lasting sobriety.
Sober living facilities in Southern California provide a safe and supported intermediary option between treatment and home. Generally, stays in a sober living home usually last around ninety days but can be arranged for longer if needed or wanted. Your team at the Last Hosue will work with you to help determine what will work best for you and ensure all arrangements are made as you approach the end of your initial treatment program.
If you are approaching the end of your addiction treatment program and would like to learn more about how long-term sober living can help you continue your recovery journey, contact us at the Last House today. Sober living communities provide a safe and beneficial transitional option between the addiction treatment environment and the reduced support of returning home. The admissions team at the Last House can help you learn more about how structured time with a sober living community can help you solidify your relapse prevention skills and continue an ongoing journey to sobriety and overall wellness.
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