The Last House

Actualizing Your Power Over Addiction

For years, there have been many schools of thought on how to make the addiction treatment and recovery process the most effective. One thing that everyone agrees on though, is the fact that it is the job of recovery centers and sober living houses to restore power to clients. When addicted, we are essentially powerless to control even the most basic of feelings, desires, and impulses. In fact, attempting to control our impulses without professional help can often lead to terrible withdrawals or serious medical issues. Actualizing your power over addiction actually begins as soon as you take the first step in seeking treatment. Making the decision to get treatment for addiction is making a conscious effort to put addiction in its place, which is it out of your life. Many of us do not consider going to treatment to be a meaningful assertion of our power due to the shame and stigma of addiction and addiction treatment. Even the slightest attempt at a fight proves one thing: you have what it takes to beat addiction for good.

Addiction is an illness, and like anything else, it continues to grow stronger and stronger as long as you give it what it wants- more episodes of using. In most cases, all addiction wants is to keep running your life. Not taking action allows addiction to grow and flourish. Taking a stand against addiction by seeking treatment stops addiction in its tracks. Once your mind is set on getting help, there is little that addiction can do. The hardest part is deciding that you need that help.

At The Last House sober living facility, we focus on making men the best they can be by fostering a structured, collaborative environment that encourages accountability, honesty, and emotional vulnerability. Here, we don’t just emphasize the addiction recovery process. We teach life skills that help give men the confidence and self esteem they need to go out and make a difference in the world. When you leave our facility, you really are able to actualize your power over addiction, and your story and journey serves as a beacon of light for other young men that may be struggling to find their way.

The Last House is a leading men’s sober living facility that offers long term care after primary treatment. We focus on making men the leaders of today we know they can be, while teaching them the life skills they need in order to be successful anywhere they go. After leaving The Last House, our men aren’t just successful members of society. They are true gentlemen of recovery. Call us today at (855)998-5278!

Avoiding Triggers and Saying No to Temptations

No one asks to become addicted. It is not a desirable state to be in, nor does it present any long-term benefits that could potentially make its pain worthwhile. It is not cool, nor is it hip, and it certainly does not absolve you of your responsibilities. Addiction is agonizing, excruciating, and incredibly debilitating. Unfortunately, no one gets to choose whether they become addicted or not. Addiction knows no race, gender or ethnicity. If you use substances, you are at risk of becoming addicted to them. Point blank.

Addiction recovery by way of a certified treatment center is very effective in reversing the effects of addiction, but not in the way you might think. At an addiction recovery center, you are not scared out of using, pumped with other medications to make you forget about using, or tricked into not using. Instead, addiction recovery teaches you to feel and think, by doing things like teaching you how to avoid your triggers and showing you how to say “no” to the temptations that will inevitably come your way after you leave the facility.

The great thing about the addiction recovery process (and one of the reasons it is so effective) is the fact that the skills that you learn throughout the recovery process are specifically designed to help you excel outside of the facility. And at The Last House in particular, we emphasize a skill set that helps you not only excel, but thrive as a gentleman and contributing member of your community when you leave.

To truly avoid temptation, it would be ideal to be able to physically avoid the people and environments that used to trigger you at all costs. Unfortunately, that is not realistic. You cannot necessarily refrain from visiting bars, places where you may have used, or streets that you may traveled while using substances all the time, but with the help of a sober living home, you can learn to mitigate the effects of these places or anywhere, anytime, anyone you encounter which might be a “trigger” to you. At The Last House, we teach the importance of self-reliance, self-motivation, and self-sufficiency, so that when these temptations come up, you have no need or desire to indulge. “Out of sight, out of mind” isn’t a bad motto for avoiding temptations. Being a strong, independent man with the confidence to say “no” is a powerful, powerful way to live life as well.

After building your confidence and charisma through our programs, you will find that triggers and temptations can be much more effectively kept at bay. Sober living is a simple and practical solution that will help you push forward with your recovery and your life as a whole.

While avoiding triggers and temptations in recovery can become second nature, it is almost impossible to do if you are still struggling with addiction. Here at the Last House, we’d like to help you take the first step to the best days of your life. Call us at (855)998-5278 today!

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The First Step is the Hardest: Transitioning from Treatment to Living in Recovery

Addiction treatment is one of the most empowering experiences anyone can go through. You enter as a man on a mission, determined to make the most out of your opportunity and to truly rid yourself of addiction, once and for all. You work your program, participate, engage, and learn more about yourself in three months than you may have ever learned in years prior. You make friends, and these people become the ones that help you get through some of the process that’s a little harder for you to digest. Then, in the span of just a few months, you’re done. You feel enlightened, energized, and ready to tackle anything world throws at you. Sometimes, however, in between tackling treatment and tackling the big wide world on your own, you need a little extra push. Concepts that might have sounded awesome in theory at the treatment facility might seem a little more difficult outside of that environment.

That’s where our team at The Last House comes in. We’re a sober living house that specializes in making that transition stage not just important, but valuable.

It’s hard enough to take the first step in anything, but recovery can be an even trickier process than most. The world is a big place, and there’s so much out there that we could never prepare ourselves for everything, no matter how hard we tried. Frankly, if you leap right from addiction treatment to life on your own, it can be hard to tell if you’re going to be alright. Things shouldn’t be this way, though. There shouldn’t be that degree of uncertainty that makes us wonder whether treatment was worth it, if we are going to be able to resist temptation, or if we have what it takes to apply the principles we learned in treatment to the great unknown. Our job at The Last House is to take that fear, and to turn it into excellence. We are here to make you the very best version of yourself, by putting you in an environment where you can learn from potential mistakes, get to know other men that are also transitioning out of treatment, and form lasting bonds with peers that will be there for you for years to come. We help build you up, so you can help build communities. With us, transitioning from treatment to recovery is not a chore, nor is it nerve-wracking or fear-inducing. It is, quite literally, an experience of a lifetime.

How do we change your transition process?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that “generally, for residential or outpatient treatment, participation for less than 90 days is of limited effectiveness, and treatment lasting significantly longer is recommended for maintaining positive outcomes.” Basically, it takes some time to do recovery the right way, no matter if you stay at a facility for the duration of your program, or if you recover at home. Many times, addiction is an illness that has been with us for years before we get treatment, and while intensive treatment can definitely help us get rid of the illness, it takes trained professionals from a sober living house to pick up where treatment ends and help guide us to where life begins. At The Last House, we are focused on doing just that, specifically by building men into independent, collaborative, confident gentlemen that are both intuitive and discerning. We don’t spend a lot of time sugarcoating things, because that isn’t what the world is like. We encourage transparency, honesty, integrity, and, most importantly, brotherhood. These are the pillars of who we are, and they become the pillars of every single man that walks through our doors. We change the transition process by allowing our men the freedom to make mistakes, correct them, and learn how to do it better than the next time. The strong men in our programs don’t have to worry about falling, because even if they stumble a little bit, they have their brothers right beside to pick them up.

We’re here to make a community– a tribe, really– of men that are so well-prepared to get back out into the world that when they do, they truly don’t end up as just normal, contributing citizens. They are extraordinary. They are confident, bold, and courageous. They are self–aware, empathetic, and a joy to be around. We turn the transition process into a training ground. Men enter, perhaps unsure, maybe a little timid, and leave true warriors, having overcome addiction and ready to take on any challenges life may throw at them.

Everything that we do here at The Last House is tailored for our clients to find renewed purpose in life, even more than they had before they were addicted. We focus on aligning mind, body, and soul, and on the importance of self worth, self-reliance, and self-awareness. The brotherhood that we foster in our men is organic, and leads to incredible results. Men need other men to help them make such a big life change. It empowers them, stirs them up, and lets them know that things are ok, because the ones around them aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

It’s hard to put into words the enormous impact that we have on our clients, but, suffice to say, there’s a reason we are Los Angeles’ premium men’s sober living facility. If you’re looking for direction, guidance, and brotherhood in your life, look no further. Call The Last House sober living today at (855)998-5278!

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Changing the Stigma of Addiction

One of the most haunting aspects of living life as an individual recovering from an addiction is the fact that millions of people live in ignorance as to what addiction actually is. It is quite unfortunate that the minds of many Americans have been twisted into believing that addiction is something that only happens to the dregs of society, instead of the truth: addiction can happen to anyone.

The stigma of addiction is an issue that has plagued America for years, and while there have been substantial efforts to reverse it, it is up those of us that have suffered through it, triumphed over it, and moved on from it to increase awareness about the horrors of addiction, and the devastating effects misunderstanding it can bring on individuals and communities.

Addiction is not an individual, nor does it define an individual. Much like any other disease, addiction is a sickness that an individual develops over time, and treatment plans must be followed in order to recover from it. Individuals that suffer from addiction do exhibit symptoms that are both psychological and physical, but these symptoms can be reversed with the proper care and recovery lifestyle. Noting that addiction is a disease removes the power of inflammatory words used to describe those afflicted with it.

For instance, saying someone is “dirty” or “clean” in reference to whether or not an individual has used a substance, for instance, suggests that their disease somehow defines them and affects their cleanliness when addiction has nothing to do with cleanliness at all. Furthermore, referring to an individual as an “addict” or “druggie” dehumanizes them and suggests that their affliction somehow defines their value as a person, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Addressing addiction as the disease it is is the first step to defining power over it and eliminating these wrong assumptions.

Addiction can affect anyone. The vast majority of the American populace has consumed an illegal substance or alcoholic beverage, more than likely without the slightest idea of the propensity it had to wreak havoc on their lives for years to come. Their not getting addicted was as much of their doing as another’s getting addicted was of his own. The fact of the matter is that addiction can claim anyone, and it pays to understand that in order to fight the damaging stigmas of addiction.

At The Last House, we focus on turning men into gentlemen by championing collaboration, brotherhood, and respect. We offer long-term care after primary treatment, and our men go on to become pillars of their respective communities when they leave us. All men can become gentlemen. After treatment, we’re here to help you with that. Call (855)998-5278 for help today.

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Building a Tribe in Recovery

Recovery is as much of an individual effort as it is a collective one. As you will learn throughout recovery, having others to share your thoughts, dreams, and goals with is fundamental to an efficient recovery process.

There are a few ways to ensure that the people you surround yourself with after treatment are individuals who will champion your recovery and support you when you need it most. That’s why at The Last House, we ensure that you are surrounded with other strong, independent men that are going through very similar life experiences. In our eyes, brotherhood is one of the most important bonds you can make in recovery, and we strive to incorporate the spirit of collaboration in everything we do at the facility.

The first thing to be sure of when choosing friends, colleagues, or individuals to hang out with is that there is a consensus on the types of activities you all will engage in. Of course, at The Last House, our structured and focused paths ensure that you don’t have to worry about deciding activities, but you will inevitably make friends outside of our program as well. Be sure to choose activities with these friends that, like here at our sober living facility, support and promote your recovery process. If you suffered from alcoholism, for instance, bars, pubs, parties with liquor, and even events as seemingly innocuous as wine tastings aren’t the best idea. If you recovered from substance addiction, it is wise to avoid the places you used to frequent, and swap them out for activities like soccer, or pickup basketball.

Additionally, you must understand that the world goes on in sobriety, meaning, you will not be able to change the activities of others around you. That’s why here at The Last House, we teach our men to be strong enough and confident enough in themselves to live in accpetance, and still live life to the fullest without being tempted to compromise their sobriety. There’s nothing quite like the tribes of hardworking, intelligent, confident men that we work so hard to build here at The Last House. By learning to collaborate, learn, and love with them, you’ll be well-equipped to handle whatever life throws at you.

Good friends are hard to find, but they can make your journey to sobriety that much more worth it. If you’re struggling with finding your way after treatment, you are not alone. Find your tribe here at The Last House, and learn to make recovery work for you. Just dial (855)998-5278 any time of day or night. We can’t wait to meet you!

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Am I Suffering From Insomnia?

Most people experience periods of time when they have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, however for those with insomnia this is an ongoing struggle. Insomnia affects 30-40% of Americans a year and can have detrimental affects.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is on going and includes a range of sleep disorders. The three most common types, Transient Insomnia, Acute Insomnia and Chronic Insomnia, affect millions of people around the world. Transient Insomnia occurs when symptoms last up to three nights. Acute Insomnia, also called short-term insomnia, is when symptoms persist for several weeks. Chronic Insomnia lasts for months and at time years, and are usually a side effect of another primary problem.

How long does an episode last?

Those with Insomnia have trouble falling or staying asleep and can be affected for a a few nights, weeks, or in chronic cases, months and years.

What causes Insomnia?

Medications and other medical conditions are commonly correlated with insomnia. Medical conditions like allergies/asthma, gastrointestinal issues, endocrine problems, arthritis, neurological conditions, chronic pain especially back pain. Insomnia can also be an indication of another sleep disorder like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.

Certain lifestyles can lead to insomnia. For example, taking naps, working at home in the evening, irregular sleep patterns and graveyard hours at work. Other factors that contribute to Insomnia are hormone imbalances and issues within the brain and its neurotransmitters.

In addition to medical conditions or lifestyle, Insomnia is often paired with mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Substance abuse can also lead to Insomnia because of the stimulants or sedatives. It is not uncommon for those with Substance Abuse Disorder to experience episodes of Insomnia, especially during a binge.

Who get’s insomnia?

Anyone can experience Insomnia however there are certain people that are more prone to it. Travelers, shift workers, elderly, drug users, adolescents and young adults, pregnant women, menopausal women, and those with mental illness.

What are the symptoms?

Daytime sleepiness
Irritability
Memory problems
Difficulty concentrating
Exhaustion
Difficulty falling asleep
Waking up during the night
Waking up much earlier than desired
Depression
Anxiety
Uncoordinated
Headaches
Anxiety around sleeping

Treatments?

There are many different types of treatment for Insomnia and everyone’s “sleep hygiene” will vary from person to person. The more common treatments include using relaxation techniques, cognitive behavioral therapy, stimulus control therapy, sleep restriction, medication, sleep journals, sticking to a regular sleep schedule, creating a conducive sleep environment, avoiding caffeine and other substances, putting away technology/screens before bedtime, hypnosis, and mindfulness.

The Last House and Thrive Treatment Centers provide facilities that support a healthy sleep schedule. At these facilities, sleep is an important part of the healing and recovery process professionals understand how much sleep influences recovery.

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Failure To Launch Recovery

“Failure to Launch” is characterized in my own experience as a lack of connection to other humans, professional failure which gave rise to social inadequacies. The pain of this experience in my case gave rise to increased drug use and dependence on illicit narcotics in order to feel some form of connection. The dependency on drugs furthered my stagnation due to the impairment they caused and the energy needed to acquire illegal substances. At age 25, I was broke, homeless and unemployable, I had little contact with family and no friends. This cycle had continued to perpetuate itself until it could be arrested by physical detoxification and treated with healing in a community setting.

The first stage of recovery was to break the physical dependence from the drug. In my case, Opiates, which create physical dependence needed to be cleared from my system with the aid of medications that treat the symptoms of detox. It is important to note that this phase alone cannot treat the addiction, I have detoxed medically and non-medically several times. In my case, while still in detox, I was immersed into a community of other addicts who had recovered from addiction and begun meaningful lives as part of a community, they had crossed from Stagnation to Generativity. These other young men are still some of my closest friends.

I was lucky enough to find myself at The Last House Sober Living for Men in Los Angeles, a program where Integrity, honesty, accountability and friendship were the basic tenants of the community. Most other Rehabs I had been to were short term and had the reverse effect where I learned behavior that furthered my stagnation.

In my own experience, the desire to be socially accepted or “one of the guys” encouraged me to follow in the path of what these new friends of mine had done. They had jobs, friends and could buy their own cigarettes, all things I sincerely desired. Feeling socially connected was the basis for me to launch myself into a life of purpose. After gaining traction and finding my first steady job I began to show new guys in the community how I was able to find purpose. The act of “giving back” truly launched my personal growth and self esteem into a realm I had not known was possible. I was on fire, useful, employed and truly connected to my peers.

written by Chris Kirby
Director of Admissions for The Last House Sober Living for Men in Los Angeles and Thrive Treatment

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Sober Example For Brother

“MY name is Miles S., and I am 28 years old. I have 14 months clean and sober and have just graduated the last house program. Today, I get to be a sober example to my brother.

Prior to my arrival to last house I used drugs for 14 years straight. My drug of choice was Meth and was a needle IV user. My life was unmanageable and I was homeless. I was so dependent on meth. I put meth before my family and friends. I lost the Job my apartment, and car. I was hopeless. Coming into last house saved my life. When I first arrived there I was scared for change I was scared that I would never be able to get high again. That’s all I wanted was to get high. But when I arrived at last house I saw people who have been in the house for a while I saw people who were happy and I wanted that. I wanted to have my life back I wanted to have my family back in my life. I was put on restriction. I did not like restriction at first; I hated it because I had to do what other told me to do instead of doing what I wanted to do. I would always do what I wanted when I was out there, but having someone else tell me what I could and could not do really helped me get humble and realize that I really do need to start listening to what others are saying because they are just trying to help me. My best thinking got me where I was and that was with nothing. I was required to plan out my day each day which I have never done in my life. I was required to go to 2 AA meetings a day and get a sponsor (a sponsor is someone who you call every day and that takes you through the 12 steps of the AA program). I was to hold others accountable and hold myself accountable. I was required to do chores every day. Before recovery I did not ever clean my own place or pick up after myself. This helped me respect the place I lived in and respect others that live with me by not being a slob. At first I would half measure my chores and not care but then after a while I ended up taking pride in my chores and doing my best. The house structure was key in my sobriety I would have not have been able to stay sober without it. I would not have lasted this long if it wasn’t for the rules of the house. The house helped me work a program and taught me have to live. They would pull me up when they noticed me lacking on my step work or helped me when they noticed my behaviors being off. My favorite part of the house is being able to come home each day to a house full of guys that care about you. I called the house my safe zone. I also love the dinners and groups we have in the house. Dinner is 3 times a week were we discuss our behaviors in the house and provide feedback to others in the house that need help with situations that they are going through. There was so much I gained from those groups. Before coming to this house I had no way of knowing how to stay sober at all. I was able to accomplish so much while being a resident in the house and the house gave me the tools I needed to help me accomplish those things. I was able to go back to work in the house and suit up and show up on time to work. I never was able to hold down a job. I was able to take classes in the house to get my insurance license and ended up passing and getting my insurance license! I was able to get my Driver’s license back when in the house and was able to go home to see my family for the holidays and was able to stay clean and sober while going to see my family. Being in the house I was able to work the 12 steps of the AA program and that changed my perception on life and really changed me on who I was as a person. I was able to see my part in situations I have gone through in the past. My life has changed so much this past year I am a different person from when I first walked through these doors. I was able to do it by just listening to what others have to say to me and not running on my own thinking. I it was good to have the time in the house to invest in myself and to take care of myself. This house has really taught me a new way of life. Today I work full time as an insurance agent and also work in recovery as well. I still go to AA meetings once a day and I work a program. I am involved with the house. I work with others in the house in being there for the new guys that come through the house. This house is all about brotherhood it is my second family and I will never forget what this house has done for me and the gifts I have received from being in this house. I am happy today and have feelings today. I love being able to go and be a part of my families lives. Being able to be a positive role model to my youngest brother means the world to me. Drugs had a hold of me and I was ok with that until I found a new way of life. I do not have urges to use today I do not have the craving to use and that is a miracle in its own.

Thank you last house for saving my life!”

Miles S. – alumni of The Last House

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A Story of Hope and Transformation

My name is Tanner R. and I am twenty-three years old and have been a resident at the last house for just under eleven months. I am currently employed as an office manager at a dui education program. The job entails me maintaining and a running the front office, taking payments and auditing files. I am a full time employee with health and dental benefits and have earned the trust and respect of my fellow employees. I say all this not to brag or boast about my life, simply to help you get an understanding of what my life looks like today. In the story I am about to tell you will see how this is completely different to how I used to live. I owe a great deal of this to The Last House. All that I have learned about life, my self, and the program of alcoholics anonyms has been gained in my residency there.

There is not really a perfect way to explain what makes me the addict that I am but there is a set of beliefs that I gained as a child and thru my teen years. I believe that all the events and the way that I perceived them were the perfect brewery for my alcoholism. No pun intended.

Just before I entered The Last House I was living in San Diego in my car. I was a daily heroin user and saw no end to my addiction. I had nowhere to go no family left to turn to for a warm or help. I lied and stole at every opportunity I had. I was a grown man with no principles no moral code and no hope. Don’t get me wrong I had plenty of fun times in the beginning but those times had long since passed. My addiction had me in its grips. One day after heavy use I got an invitation from my brother to go live with him in his R.V. and work for him at his company. I had thought that this would change things for me moving away from the city I used to love that I thought was the problem. Later I found out what this was. In the program we refer to it as “geographical”. Things continued from there not getting any better. I continued lying and stealing from my brother a man who held his hand out to me. One day while on the job I used heroin and left a rig and a cooker behind for his co-owner to find, this was the beginning of my journey into recovery. The jig was up, word had gotten back to my brother. When I got home that night he laid into me and told me that I had to make a decision. I could A. leave his motor home and continue down this path, or B. I could get honest with and ask for the help that everyone but I knew I needed. That night I made the best decision of my life to seek help.

My journey in recovery started at a sober living called Genesis House. The place was fantastic for the first time in a long time I had a bed to call my own and a shower to use. I firmly believe that it was exactly what I needed at that time but the financial burden it placed on my dad made it clear that thirty days was as long as I could stay there. I believe this to be a very important part of my recovery where yet again I was faced with a decision go back to San Diego where I was almost certain to fall right back into my old habits or find a place within the price range given and go there. This marked the first time I had made a choice based on my own feelings and not what others saw fit for me. After two days and multiple phone calls the therapist at my I.O.P. recommended a place to me, it just so happened to be The Last House. Armed with a number and the determination to stay sober I made the call the next day Clayton picked me up and I toured the houses.

What happened next is what I have come to see as my higher power working in my life. I was on the tour of the houses and Clayton and me began talking about our families. He had asked me where my family was from so I gave him the rundown about my mom and her roots but when I got to my dad and the mention of Jacumba came up he stated that his family used to own a ranch in that town. This may not seem to weird to some people but if you knew anything at all about Jacumba you would understand how strange it was. I proceeded to call my dad and ask if he knew the Ketchums and much to my surprise my dad named off all of Claytons aunts and uncles and that he knew his grandparents. At this point my decision had been made for me. I needed no more reason than that to pick The Last House. That day was the day that I began to firmly believe that something greater than my self was working in my life and marked my stay at The Last House. Every time I have gone thru hardship in my recovery or felt like giving up I have remember that moment and that this is where I was meant to be.

My stay in the last house has been no cakewalk. When I first arrived at the last house I was a manipulator, a liar, and borderline insane. Over my stay I have put my self thru the ringer all the while building a foundation that I believe will help for the rest of my life. This whole concept was foreign to me a place where we wrote essays for leaving out cups, had groups where people got give feedback to other residents and share there perspectives on what was going on I had seen nothing like it in my life. As I settled in these things became like second nature to me though. I began learning that all the rules had purpose, we residents hold each other accountable and that’s what makes this place work. I remember the first time I was receiving feedback and the amount of anger I felt. I remember thinking that all that was being said to me was because they didn’t like me in hindsight I see that they were just sharing there experience and trying to help me grow and learn. Things got easier I was on restriction had free time to relax if only I knew how and had time to get started on my steps. My housemates on official would take me to meetings with them to the store and out to have fun. They showed me a new way of life and that being sober is not only okay but it is fun.

The time came when I had to get a job and start being self-sufficient. I had just got off restriction and began working my life had gotten bigger. This was a time in the last house that I see to be the most important. I was in the midst of learning how to balance my responsibilities something I had never done before. I was so angry at everything during this period getting essay after essay in turn getting angrier and angrier. Thank god for my brothers around me they cared enough about me to call me out when I was feeling sorry for my self or lying to my self saying I couldn’t do it. This time in my sobriety was one of the hardest times I have gone thru in the past 11 months. I truly believe that without this house and the people in it I wouldn’t be the man I am today. I had people show up for me and care about me. Thru the support of my friends in the house I was able to make it thru this. I was able to see how childish my behavior was. I was learning to become a man by having a mirror held up to my self so that I could change who I was. This house has taught me how to show up for people. Today, I am gainfully employed at Thrive Treatment.

For that I will be eternally grateful.

written by senior resident Tanner R.

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