Guide to Sober Living in 2019

1. An Effective Guide to Sober Living in 2019

2. Introduction One of the biggest worries for most recovering addicts, when they are almost completing their rehab programs, is how they’ll make it on the outside. The walls of a rehab facility are normally built to make you feel safer on your way to recovery but you need a place where you can transition. You need a home-based support system to help you function independently while living a sober life. This is where sober living comes in. It’s meant to help you have a smoother and manageable life in the real world in 2019.

3. Table of Contents • What’s Sober Living • Benefits of Sober Living. • The Right Candidate for Sober Living. • Tips for Finding the Right Sober Living Home. • What You Can Do to Enjoy Sober Living • Closing Thought.

4. What’s Sober Living? Sober Living refers to the act of maintaining a drug-free (alcohol included) lifestyle and showing the commitment to abstain from an addiction. Such conditions are offered in a special home called a sober living home. Such homes are built to provide a place to stay for alcohol and drug addicts once they complete their rehab programs or when continuing with the detox. These places have very strict rules and regulations to help you enjoy a healthier and sober life. Sometimes, the houses are called half-way houses since they stand between your recovery process and sobriety. They are ideally meant to encourage sobriety while preventing relapse. Generally, here are the basic features of sober living homes: • You are expected to pay rent for the time that you spend there. • The minimum number of days you can stay there is 30 days. • You can only stay there if you are determined to stay sober. • You should not show signs of alcohol withdrawal.

5. A majority of these places have strict curfews. • There are strict rules to follow which include performing house chores and going for counseling. • You may be required to check in at a school or get a job after gaining admission at a sober living facility. • You’ll be subjected to frequent alcohol screening exams.

6. Benefits of Sober Living An inpatient detox facility is ideally meant to help an addict go through a detox program safely. Even though such places are characterized by quality therapies and counseling programs, their focus is to promote physical healing. The only problem is that you can’t stay there forever. You’ll have to step out into the actual world to face real-time challenges. A sober living home, in this case, makes the transition process much faster. It provides you with the option of mending the life that alcohol has destroyed. Generally, here are the top benefits of sober living: 1. Start a successful sobriety life: Normally, the chances of relapsing are higher during the first few months of leaving the rehab. The world out there features so many triggers and they are very tempting. Checking in at a sober living house protects you from them. You not only access a sober surrounding but you get all the support that you need to stay alcohol-free. The support includes regular counseling and closes companionship. Everything in the house is designed to emphasize safe sobriety by encouraging quick adaptation to an alcohol-free life.

7. 2. Choose to stay away from alcohol: The decision to stay at a sober living home is not by force but by free will. So, no one forces you to stay there as it’s often the case with rehab facilities. In the sober living home, you are unable to yield to the temptation of alcohol even if you have such a choice. As long as you are there, you choose to remain sober. No one really forces you to stay committed but you do it willingly. Even though there are curfew hours, you are not stopped from getting out and having a drink or two but you choose to stay sober. 3. Enjoy lifelong support from sober friends: You are not the only one who will be staying at the sober living home. There are other recovery addicts who share a similar or different path. Regardless, it’s an opportunity to share ideas and make friendships. The networks are important during your stay there and after you leave the facility. You’ll find people who you can open up to as you share personal experiences. The whole essence is to gain emotional support on your way to recovery.

8. 4. Function independently as you regain your self-esteem: Alcohol has a way to shatter your self-esteem and it takes time before you can have it back. Not even rehab makes it easier. You need a home setting to do it. Apparently, nothing really comes close to it than a sober living facility. In the facility, you’ll be able to make decisions independently and this empowers you. This means that you’ll no longer have to seek consolation in alcohol. In the end, you become more confident and satisfied with living an alcohol-free life. 5. Get emotionally and psychologically organized: Staying at a sober living environment makes it easy to deal with emotional stress and negative attitudes which come with alcohol recovery. You are able to have a different mindset about how to face the challenges. This is possible because the sober living conditions help you in the following ways: • To understand the addiction and find ways to overcome the emotional and psychological triggers. • To accept your current condition as an integral step to recovery. • To revamp your coping strategy so as to find it easier to keep away from alcohol.

9. The Right Candidate for Sober Living Actually, there are no major restrictions when it comes to gaining admission in a sober living home. Provided that your aim is to enjoy sobriety, you’ll be accepted there. However, the following circumstances are the most ideal: • When you don’t have a societal structure at home that encourages sobriety. • When you are not sure that you can live an independent life without resorting to alcohol or any other drug. • When you are not comfortable facing the people in your life that have hurt because of an addiction. • When you plan to save money when attending an alcohol recovery program as an outpatient. • When you don’t have a home to go back to after rehab and need a temporary sober-friendly surrounding to stay at. • If you have suffered a relapse following rehab.

10. With the above guidelines in mind, it’s important to know that sober living may not be ideal for some cases. The most notable ones are: • If you are naturally aggressive or violent towards strangers. • If you don’t have the money to pay for your stay there. • If you are unwilling to adhere to strict rules and curfew hours.

11. Tips for Finding the Right Sober Living Home There are several factors that come into effect when looking for a sober living home. They include: 1. Reputation: It’s necessary that the sober living home that you approach is credible. This will guarantee that you’ll have a great stay there as you look to live an alcohol-free life. You may have to speak to former renters about the facility. Allow them to share with you their personal experiences before making a decision. You can also check the rating of the facility on the Better Business Bureau. 2. House Rules: The house rules highly determine if you’ll have a comfortable stay at the sober living home or not. The idea is to find a home with rules that you can easily adhere to as you look to stay sober. You may have to go through random screening tests and having to comply with curfew hours. If you are comfortable with the rules, then there’s no problem renting a space at the facility. 3. The Setting: Most sober living facilities are situated in peaceful neighborhoods. This is meant to facilitate a faster recovery process. The whole idea is to keep you away from joints which sell alcohol. This eliminates the chances of a temptation. Of course, you have to choose a location that’s near your place of work or school.

12. 4. Admission Criteria: Every sober living facility has its own admission procedure. Some require you to show proof of an official medical-aided detox program. Others require you to show evidence of not suffering from alcohol-induced disorders. However, there are a few that only requires you to be free of alcohol withdrawal symptoms at the time of admission. 5. Services Offered: This is where sober living homes differ significantly. Like in a normal residential home, you also need the best conditions to enjoy life in a sober living home. Look for the best therapies and activities. Extra provisions like music therapy, art therapy, yoga, meditation, legal support, and mentorships make a given facility a great one. 6. Affordability: Surprisingly, renting a space in a sober living home is cheaper than staying in most rehab facilities. However, sober living homes differ significantly in costs. Some are cheaper than others. In the end, what’s important is that you get a home that you can afford and one that guarantees amazing services. You should be able to meet the rent and other budget needs as you work towards your recovery. Generally, you may need these tips to find a great sober living home: • Speak to your rehab provider about so as to get a reputable recommendation. • Show diligence when comparing different sober living homes that you find. • Request the chance to tour the sober living home before you can pay for admission.

13. What You Can Do to Enjoy Sober Living? At the end of the day, sober living is a personal decision. You have to put efforts to enjoy sobriety. The environment of the sober living home is just there to ensure that the transition process is much easier for you. Overall, you can use these tips to enjoy sobriety: • Learn To Relax: It’s normal to fill stressed sometimes but this should not be a reason to suffer a relapse. You need to find an easier way to relax. It may be sleeping or talking to someone. • Make It A Routine: Once you decide to stay sober, you have to make it a daily thing. Use the lessons from the sober living home every single day. • Stay Committed: In the long run, it’s the personal commitment that’ll get you through the transition. You have to purpose to keep all the sobriety plans that you make. • Be Accountable: It’s necessary to act responsibly once you decide to live a sober life. You have to answer to your actions when things take a wrong turn.

14. Get Active: One way to dispel the thought of relapse is finding something active to do. It may be music, an art or a sport. It just has to be enjoyable. The activity will also help you sleep much better. • Look for a Sponsor: You need someone to walk with you in your recovery journey. The person should be a positive influence in your life. • Adapt To Change: Things can be unpredictable in life but they shouldn’t deter you from living a sober life. You just have to embrace the changes and move forward with your life.

15. Closing Thought There’s no doubt that spending time at a sober living facility is a great idea if you are looking to adapt fast to an alcohol-free life in 2019. The secret is finding the best and most comfortable sober living home, one that suits your recovery needs. This will ensure that you no longer have to go find refuge in drugs or alcohol when you are out in the real world.

16. The End Find out more at : https://addictionrehabtoronto.ca/sober-living-facility/