Transitioning from a rehab center back to a normal life is not an easy path. It takes courage, putting oneself in rehab and even more courage to leave it. Sober Houses provide an environment for recovering addicts, that helps them mentally prepare for the transition from rehab center back to society.
This is a very crucial step because transitioning back to a normal life can be challenging and recovering addicts may face the danger of relapse. Now, one may wonder what does a sober house have that a rehab does not? The answer is simple, both share the same intention: Help addicts get back to their normal lives but with different approaches. Here’s how living in a sober house is effective:
1. Sober Companionship
We tend to relate more to people who have been through what we are going through. We can look up to them to guide us to the right path whenever we seem to be straying away from it and we can learn from their experiences.
Sober houses like this one in Connecticut provide sober companionship which helps recovering addicts identify themselves with someone who has been through the addictive phase and come out sober and stronger. It helps them fight the fear of relapse and learn what is the next step after they leave sober house.
2. Gaining Life Skills
People who have been addicts since a very young age fail to develop basic life skills like how to manage their taxes and finances, cooking healthy meals, time management, and communication skills etc. Sober living houses provide addicts the opportunity to learn these basic life skills in order to adjust better into the sober life once they leave the sober house. These skills help them find new jobs and make them better in their personal and social life.
3. Post-Rehabilitation Support
If a person has very little experience staying sober by themselves, they might fall into relapse or suffer from numerous challenges like anxiety and paranoia post-rehab. Living in a monitored environment in a sober house is a great way to stay sober. Sober living houses provide the recovering addicts the opportunity to enjoy their normal life outside of sober houses while maintaining sobriety.
People living in sober houses can go out and perform their daily tasks, work and run errands and come back to a healthy sober environment. This helps them learn to stay sober on their own once they are back to living their normal life outside a sober house.
4. Sober Coaching
Sober coaching is one of the most important tools that helps recovering addicts maintain their sobriety. Just like a sober companion, a sober coach is someone who assists you through the process of getting and staying sober. Sober coaches are employed either after a person leaves treatment or when getting into rehab isn’t an option.
Sober living houses provide regular coaching sessions that help people stay on the sober path and steer clear of any confused thoughts they may have. For an addict, sobriety is a minute by minute choice and constant mental struggle. Sober coaching can be a therapeutic approach to help them stay sober.
5. Vocational Counselling
Getting back to a previous job or finding a new one can be a huge challenge for an addict because of the general distrust that is pointed towards addicts. Or if someone has never had a career because of their addiction they might not be sure what is the right career path for them.
Vocational counselling can help identify your potential and interest and find the right job for them. Vocational counselling not only helps them find the right job but also how to maintain that job and what skills they will require for that job. Vocational counselling is one of the advantages that comes with sober houses and is really important for the effective transition of addicts into a normal sober life.
6. Group Therapy
In order for addicts to safely adjust back into a normal life, it is important for them to connect with other people and learn to build relationships. Addicts aren’t known to be team players, so group therapy helps them express their feelings in front of others and find comfort in others who have been through the same struggles like them.
For these reasons and much more, sober living houses are really helpful and important for the successful transition of addicts into a normal life.