Sober living can greatly benefit your recovery journey and can be an exciting next step of your recovery journey. It is a big next step and should not be rushed into. You are given a lot more leniency and freedom, which can be great and empowering but can also increase the risk of relapse if you are given it before you’re ready. Spero Recovery can help you determine if you are ready for sober living.
What Is Sober Living?
Transition living environments between treatment and reentering society for those that are working their recovery journey are called sober living facilities or sober houses. Sober houses provide a safe sober environment for you to get situated in your new sober life outside of treatment.
There are rules and expectations when living in a sober house. These can include things like:
- No substance use.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Help with chores.
- Perform drug tests when requested.
- Be home by curfew.
- Respect common areas.
- No overnight quests.
Who Is Best Suited for Sober Living?
You are suited for sober living housing if you are serious about maintaining your sobriety and effectively entering back into society. There is more freedom than in treatment, but you still have structure through the rules and expectations you have to follow.
A big rule is no drug use if you are going to be living in sober housing, and they usually require that you willingly complete random drug screenings. Having the freedom when you aren’t serious about staying sober or ready to have it yet can set you back to where you were before treatment. Make sure you are ready to take on this responsibility and that your sobriety is the most important thing to you before jumping into sober living.
Benefits of Using Sober Living After Treatment
Adjusting to being outside of treatment can include learning new skills that you will need to live on your own in society. These skills can include:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Communication
- Responsibility and accountability
- Job searching
- Coping techniques
- Overcoming obstacles that threaten your sobriety.
- You get structure with more freedom than when you were in your treatment facility.
Sober living gives you access to your support system and recovery community. This can help motivate you and keep you accountable for maintaining your sobriety. It also gives you somewhere to go with empathetic and understanding people when you are struggling.
How Do You Know You’re Ready for Sober Living?
Transitioning out of treatment and into sober living is an exciting big step on your recovery journey. The depth of this decision should not be underestimated. You need to be confident in your ability to cope with triggers, be around people that may not always mesh with your personality, and you need to start acclimating to being a part of society again.
There are a lot more responsibilities that go along with the freedom associated with sober living housing. Feeling ready to enter sober living is more than being excited to do it. You need to fully understand what it entails and be ready to accept the added pressure that comes with it. With this acceptance, you will know you are ready for sober living housing. We at Spero Recovery can also help you know if you are ready for sober living.
Spero Recovery’s Sober Living
We are a residential recovery program located in Evergreen, Colorado that also offers sober living housing in the Greater Denver Colorado Metro Area. Our programs are affordable and effective in helping you reach your long-term sobriety goals. By using grants and donations we are able to keep our costs below the national average, making us the perfect match for under and uninsured individuals seeking help.
The sober living housing is a community of your brothers and sisters that are also working on their recovery plans. It is a safe, drug-free, peaceful transition environment for you to enter after treatment. Participating in this community housing helps prevent isolation and lessen the likelihood of you relapsing. A community setting can also help motivate and keep you accountable for maintaining your sobriety.
Our sober living housing is offered to those that complete our recovery treatment program. This means we are with you from when you enter treatment to when you transition to sober living if that is what you want to do. We will not let you do things that will hurt your recovery or that you aren’t ready for. You will feel prepared and confident when you leave treatment to enter sober living. When you leave you will feel ready for sober living.
Joining our sober living community includes a drug test, review, and agreement to follow house rules and expectations. You will have access to common areas, bedding, dishes and silverware, cookware, storage space for your food, and TV and WiFi. There are expectations to be met, which include:
- Completing your assigned chore.
- No substance use.
- Participating in house meetings.
- Cleaning up after yourself in the common and personal areas.
- Willingness to complete random drug screenings.
- Following curfew.
- Attending at least three recovery meetings a week.
Following these rules and expectations can help you prepare for leaving sober living, make your stay more beneficial, and help build relationships with others in your community.
Sober living is a transitional living environment between treatment and reentering society. It acts as a place for you to get your bearings and figure out who you are sober outside of treatment. You should not rush entering sober living, though it can be exciting to think of being out of treatment. First, you need to feel confident in your skills and knowledge to maintain your sobriety without having someone constantly watching over you. If you feel like you are ready for the next step of your recovery journey, but are still unsure, reach out to Spero Recovery at (303) 351-7888 for more information today. We understand your unique challenges and are here to help.
