One of the biggest milestones in early recovery is transitioning to everyday life. While this is meant to be a gradual process, it can be difficult to ease into a daily routine. You might suddenly feel overwhelmed by being back at home, especially if you’re surrounded by triggers like toxic family members and old hangouts. For some people in recovery, sober living is an important piece to the puzzle.
A sober living home is a privately owned home where people in recovery live for a temporary time. These homes are typically located in quiet, peaceful neighborhoods, allowing you to transition to everyday life without too much temptation. You will have chores to do and house rules to follow, including a curfew. You will also continue working on your recovery by attending meetings and support groups.
It’s important to know that a sober house is not the same as a halfway house. It offers more freedom but also more responsibility. Many people who are in sober housing have a part-time job or attend school. They are in between a drug rehab program and learning to live drug-free in the real world. If you are considering sober living in Santa Rosa, here are four ways it can enhance the recovery process.
1. Receive Ongoing Support
Addiction treatment might end, but recovery does not. When you don’t have ongoing support, it’s easy to slip back into old habits. And, if you don’t have a supportive family or living environment, it will be even easier to return to your old lifestyle. With sober housing, you will continue to receive support that makes it easier to follow your aftercare plan and grow stronger in your recovery.
Most sober living houses have a house manager who ensures all residents follow the rules and guidelines. If they don’t, they may be asked to leave. House rules are set in place to protect residents and maintain a sober environment that helps everyone take their recoveries seriously. House managers can also help with problems you may be experiencing, and they may lead group therapy sessions.
2. Build Meaningful Relationships
It’s difficult to have healthy, mutually rewarding relationships when you’re actively abusing substances. Not only does drug and alcohol use take up significant time, but also addicts often harm their relationships with others due to lying, manipulation and other irrational behavior.
Even though you are sober now doesn’t mean your relationships pick up where you left off years ago. Chances are, many of your relationships have been negatively affected by your addiction, and you have a lot of work to do to re-establish trust. But you have to start somewhere, and sober living is the place to do it.
Here, you will be with others who are in recovery, and you’ll have the opportunity to work on relationship skills like communication, listening, cooperation and handling conflict. Furthermore, sober living can help prevent loneliness and isolation. You may feel that your friends and family don’t understand you, but the other residents will relate to your struggles.
3. Learn Essential Life Skills
Addiction is all-consuming. Even if you were still managing to work and handle some other responsibilities, you were probably not really there. Before you take on the stress of everyday life, it helps to refresh yourself on essential life skills like finding and keeping a job, maintaining a balanced schedule and preparing healthy meals.
You will also be living with others, and some people you may like more than others. But even for those you might not ‘click’ with, you’re still learning valuable life skills. A big part of life is learning how to get along with others, and you can practice interpersonal skills and how to apply them in sober living.
4. Prepare Yourself for an Easier Transition
Once you complete an inpatient or outpatient program, the services you’ve been receiving stop. Some people are nervous and scared to transition back to daily life, while others go through something similar to a honeymoon period where they are happy and euphoric. Both can be troublesome to your recovery.
On one hand, not having enough confidence in your abilities can cause you to be stressed, and stress is a known trigger for relapse. On the other hand, having too much confidence in your recovery can cause you to put yourself in uncomfortable situations that you’re not ready to handle.
Sober housing provides a safe and supportive environment where you can work on becoming more independent and achieve the goals you’re working toward. This will prepare you for an easier transition that will ultimately reduce your risk for relapse.
Sober Living in Santa Rosa CA
At Pura Vida Recovery, we have men-only, female-only and co-ed sober living options. Our structured programs give residents the opportunity to grow in their recoveries, relationships and professional lives. We provide weekly drug tests, daily alcohol tests, curfews and house meetings – and plenty of opportunities for relaxation, fun and enjoyment. Contact us today to learn more about our sober living options and how they can support your journey.