The Importance of a Sober Living Environment

The Importance of a Sober Living Environment
Addiction May 16, 2019
Author: Ilana Jael

Having clean and sober housing available during recovery is one of the best

ways to help prevent relapse and succeed in ending the cycle of drug abuse. When the individual’s home environment is enabling or even promotes substance abuse, sober living homes may provide a healing alternative.

There are many indicators that point to success on the road to recovery. Rather than focusing on where the addiction started, bringing as many helpful and supportive tools as possible to the problem empowers the hard work of achieving and maintaining sobriety.

What Factors Help Prevent Relapse and Are Indicative of Success?

Preventing relapse of this recurring disease is one of the biggest challenges recovering addicts face. As many as 50% or more of addicts relapse within the first 12 months,1 but that also means that half are able to remain sober.

These factors will increase the likelihood of staying sober long term:1

The Benefits of a Sober Home

When a substance use disorder begins to take over our lives, or the lives of our loved ones, only by making a change can we find the path to sobriety and healing. Changing the spaces, places, and people around us can help support a new conviction to make that meaningful change.

Choosing a sober living environment allows individuals to:

Identify Motivators and Triggers in Daily Life

Making a change and finding confidence in your ability to stay sober can start by identifying those people and things which motivate you. What factors in your daily life should you change to create a sober living environment?

Explore your local options by doing a search for “sober living facilities” or “recovery homes near me.”

couple attending friend's housewarming party

Seeking a Sober Place to Live

Sometimes the existing home environment is too steeped in a culture based on substance abuse, or family members and friends are actively engaged in the status quo and do not support the changes required for a successful recovery. Choosing a treatment option that provides a solid platform for building a sober lifestyle can reverse a lifetime of influences by offering a safe and supportive place to heal.

Consider these options when finding the right treatment program to provide that secure and sober environment:

How Can You Transform Your Home into a Sober Living Environment?

Not everyone needs 24/7 supervision and sober housing to conquer their addiction. With the right amount of professional help and a strong natural support system in place, it is possible to maintain a sober home and be successful at changing addictive behavior.

When discussing house rules and asking for the help you need, consider these tips for creating a sober home environment:

Replacing Old Habits with Motivating and Fulfilling Activities

With a secure home base in place as a foundation of sober living, a recovering addict is ready to find alternative activities to replace those that are associated with substance abuse. There may be some temptation to just stay at home to avoid triggers, but building a new lifestyle includes healthy socialization, exercise, and creative pursuits.

Try some of these ideas to prevent boredom and re-energize your life after treatment:

If a relapse occurs, try a different solution, look into alternatives like sober living houses, and continue to move forward with a different type of treatment.

happy handsome man with children on hands

Sober Living Starts with Choosing a Sober Home

Environment is an important factor in developing addiction and in treating this chronic disease. Moving for health reasons is considered standard treatment for debilitating diseases like asthma or COPD. Choosing to live among people who genuinely want to help you succeed can make all the difference in addiction recovery.

At RECO Institute, we offer luxurious and comfortable group living options with onsite staff, on-call medical care, and 24/7 supervision for recovering individuals. Being surrounded by others on the same journey will offer you or your loved ones the opportunity to create new relationships and learn the skills necessary to transition out of our sober living programs.

Treatment for addiction at our inpatient facilities or through our partnership with RECO Intensive is a comprehensive and complete journey which addresses more than substance abuse. Engaging family and loved ones in group counseling and scheduled visits allows our residents to rebuild what has been damaged while protecting what has been achieved.

To talk more about how to change your home environment or to visit our Delray Beach, FL residences, contact us or chat online. There is always a compassionate person from RECO waiting to answer your questions.

Source:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596175/
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