Daily Life in a Sober Living Home: What to Expect
After completing an addiction treatment program, you might find yourself wondering what’s next. The transition from inpatient treatment to independent living can be tough, as you’ll be experiencing new triggers and less structure. Sober living homes were created to bridge the gap and offer the support you need to maintain your sobriety.
Once you’ve decided that sober living is right for you, it’s time to start looking into what your life will be like. Just like entering treatment is scary, moving into a sober home can be intimidating. Knowing what your daily life will look like can ease some of the stress of starting something new.
During a day in sober living, you will complete chores, attend house meetings, go to therapy, attend support groups like 12-step meetings, and search for employment. The exact activities you partake in will depend on the specific sober living you attend and your goals or priorities.
In this article, you will learn:
- What is a sober living home?
- What does a day in sober living look like?
- How do sober homes prepare you for independent living?
What are Sober Living Homes?
Sober living homes are drug and alcohol-free environments for people recovering from addiction to live in. They ease the transition from treatment to independent living. If you do not have a supportive environment to live in after treatment, sober homes are a great opportunity to further your recovery journey.
During sober living, you’ll receive peer support, life skills training, vocational assistance, and more. One of the main features of sober homes is the accountability and structure they offer.
Most sober living homes offer:
- Supervised care and support from a house manager
- Ongoing recovery support through house meetings and access to vital services like vocational assistance and more
- Drug testing protocols, nightly curfews, and rules to keep tenants safe
- A safe and substance-free environment to build real-world skills during early recovery
Some sober living homes offer private rooms while others require you to have a roommate. Additionally, you might have access to amenities like gym facilities, pools, or even personal chefs and massage therapy. The type and amount of amenities you are offered can influence the cost of the sober living home.
What is Your Daily Schedule in Sober Living Like?
Sober-living homes have a strict set of rules you have to follow, like abstaining from drugs and alcohol, completing random drug testing, and doing chores, adhering to a nightly curfew, and attending a certain number of support groups each week. Some sober living programs assign you to a roommate who has been sober longer, as they can provide you with guidance and support during the transitional period.
In the morning, you’ll have breakfast and complete your daily chores. You might be expected to make your bed, clean a shared bathroom, or tidy up the kitchen. After this, you might have a house meeting to attend or have free time to either go to therapy sessions or attend an addiction support group outside of the home.
After your morning activities, you will have time to look for jobs, complete more chores around the house, or engage in some form of community service. Once evening arrives, you’ll have dinner with your housemates and participate in a group therapy session.
Once all of the activities are completed, you’ll have free time to relax, watch TV, call your loved ones, or engage in some form of self-care activity.
It is important to note that anytime you leave the house, you might have to complete a sign-out sheet and let the house manager know where you’ll be. This keeps you accountable and prevents you from engaging in risky activities or going to locations that would trigger a relapse.
How Does Sober Living Prepare You for Independent Living?
While sober living homes can be vital to the recovery process, they are meant to be used as a stepping stone to independent living. All of the support you’ll receive during a sober living program is intended to help you develop the skills you need to maintain long-term recovery on your own.
Some of the ways sober homes prepare you for independent living include:
- Taking personal ownership of your recovery without constant supervision
- Developing the financial skills you need to pay bills responsibly and on time
- Teaching you vocational skills like how to interview effectively and connecting you with job opportunities
- Supporting you while you learn how to balance recovery, work, and self-care or fun with friends
- Integrating your relapse prevention techniques into everyday thinking
- Teaching you how to enjoy your life without drugs and alcohol
- Encouraging you to make addiction support group meetings and therapy a part of your life
- Helping you locate affordable housing and obtain government assistance if needed
- Learning how to lean on your support system during times of need and stand on your own when appropriate
To sum things up, sober living houses help you learn how to integrate yourself back into society with recovery at the forefront of your mind.
Get Connected to a Top-Rated Sober Living Program
Maintaining a sober lifestyle in a world where substance use is encouraged can be difficult. Thankfully, sober living homes teach you how to have fun while maintaining your recovery and becoming a functional member of society. At New You Sober Living, we offer the support our clients need during the transition from treatment to independent living.
If you are looking for a comfortable sober living setting, you’re in the right place. We make living in a halfway house successfully by gently incorporating a set of rules, a supervised structure, and the sober support needed to sustain your sobriety for the long term. Reinvent yourself and be the new you that we know you can be. Recovery is a beautiful gift that we have dedicated our lives to help you achieve. Under our guided care, your experience is personalized to fit your unique needs and requirements
Contact us today to learn more about what a day in life looks like during our sober living program.
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