What is the Difference Between Rehab and Sober Living?

You still have rules and regulations to follow, which we’ll explore later, but it sets you up for success and gives you stability in ways that your house or family setup might not be able to provide. The most important thing I can do in my life is remain clean and sober to be a testament that recovery is possible. The idea is that you live at the sober house while participating in an outpatient program to help with your addiction issues. You’ll start by attending meetings in the neighborhood or in town and then transition into doing group therapy on-site at the sober house.

You may feel the urge to dive right back into your previous living situation, but those environments may not give you the best chance to succeed. As a way to bridge the gap between rehab and the real world, you can enter a sober living program to continue the recovery process and receive support and encouragement. Once leaving an inpatient facility and returning home, you may be struggling with adjusting back to daily life.

Graduate School of Addiction Studies

Once you find a place that interests you, you’ll apply and may have to interview with other residents. Other sober living programs foster a social approach where residents have more of a say as a source of empowerment. For a lot of people in recovery, moving into a sober living home after treatment makes the difference between going back to their old habits or continuing on the path of sobriety.

Sober recovery homes started as religion-centered hotels that required abstinence, but today, many of them have little to do with religion. Now, they’re mostly privately owned housing where people can go during or following their time in rehab treatment. They vary widely in size, amenities and program offerings, so finding a sober living house that fits your needs can take some time and research.

Should I Check Into A Drug Rehab Or A Sober Living Home?

This helps sober living home residents get a break from the temptations to abuse substances that they must constantly face while functioning in society. Halfway houses are similar to sober living homes, but halfway houses are generally more strict. Residents of halfway houses are typically required to be enrolled or have participated in substance abuse treatment services. The Federal Government usually funds halfway, eliminating all costs or maintaining it at a low cost to the patients. There are a few of them that offer some therapeutic treatment and support, but in most cases, it is not available.

Moving into a sober living environment can be beneficial for those who have recently completed a residential treatment program and have concerns about remaining sober upon returning to their home. Sober living can also be a good fit for those who would like a more flexible rehabilitation treatment program that allows them to maintain their employment and other responsibilities. Outpatient treatment https://curiousmindmagazine.com/selecting-the-most-suitable-sober-house-for-addiction-recovery/ programs also allow their patients to tend to their normal life responsibilities. They don’t though remove the temptations to relapse from the homes of the patients. This makes it much harder for individuals in outpatient treatment to maintain long-term sobriety after rehab. Sober living houses are a potential living arrangement for individuals in early recovery after addiction treatment.

Renewal Center for Ongoing Recovery

In the late 1940s, some AA members decided to fill this pressing need by acquiring low-cost housing that required strict sobriety and encouraged residents to attend AA meetings. These became the first sober houses in California – some of which are still operating today. In a recovery housing model, residents offer and receive support from their peers and leaders in their community. Research has discovered that communal living can help decrease substance abuse and incarceration rates, and increase employment rates.

• Some are meant for people transitioning from prison life or jail, others use it for individuals with a chronic mental illness, and others are house individuals who aim towards sober living.
• The continuum of care when it comes to addiction treatment doesn’t just end when addiction treatment ends.
• The complexity of treatment programs, knowing which level of care you need and how to choose the program best suited to you can sadly become a hesitation for those who desperately need care.

At the same time, sober living community residents are being prepared to transition back into the “real world.” In the process, they are also learning how to build a structured routine in their life. For instance, a sober living community resident is required to build a schedule and a budget to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As you will see below, sober living homes rules are more lenient than drug rehab rules. It often acts as a bridge between rehabilitation and preparing members to live independently – drug- and alcohol-free. While residents aren’t required to have completed a rehab program before entry, many of them have. The tools that individuals learn in intensive rehab programs may set them up for more sustainable success in a sober living house.