What is a sober house and sober living?
Sober houses evolved from the original concept of the halfway houses. They were originally developed to help recovering alcoholics and individuals who had recently been released from prison make the transition from the institution back into society. Today, there is a common misconception among most people that once you have completed an alcohol rehab program that you immediately go straight home to your community. This is simply not true and for many of these individuals, it is better that this doesn’t happen like that.
It is well known that sober houses provides the individual with more freedoms and the ability to start living independently compared to what they had been living in the addiction treatment and recovery center or prison. However, sober living also keeps the individual from those everyday life distractions and temptations that got them into trouble in the first place. The bottom line is that these residences are invaluable when it comes to helping the individual continue recovering and getting stronger in their sobriety.
The benefits of sober living
Sober houses play a significant role in the aftercare stage of the addiction treatment and recovery process. These residences offer the recovering individual a chance to gain more confidence in their sobriety so that they are strong enough to live on their own again and can face the pressures and stress of everyday living. They attend different classes that teach them certain life skills such as relapse prevention which eventually helps them to avoid those people and places that triggered their addictive behavior.
Features and benefits of sober houses
The fact that you will be able to live side by side and interact with individuals who have had their problems with substance abuse and dependency is one of the primary benefits to living in sober houses. The typical day one of these facilities consists of attending classes and completing homework assignments, participating in group and individual counseling sessions, and doing inside and outside chores.
Many of the sober houses have additional activities to help the individual get back to regular life while building self confidence and self esteem. From occupational therapies to art therapy, each of the activity is based around positive activities to fill in the time that was used to be spent on substance or alcohol abuse. Some of these residences offer additional activities and programs that you can participate in and enjoy during your down time which includes:
- equine therapy
- meditation
- therapy-based excursions and field trips
- Yoga
- various outdoor activities
For more information about sober houses that our addiction treatment referral services lists throughout the US, please call us at the toll-free phone number listed at the top of this page.