A stay in sober living can help you prepare for entering society. You can get your footing with a new job, save money for another housing situation, and get used to the new freedom and responsibilities you have outside of treatment. Knowing when you are ready to leave can be difficult and is different for everyone. There isn’t a set timeframe that you have to follow. Spero Recovery wants you to feel confident in your ability to maintain your sobriety and can help you know when it is.
What Is Sober Living?
Sober living is transition housing between treatment and reentering the world fully. It provides a sober living environment that gives you more freedom than treatment but is still more restrictive than if you were to go out on your own.
How Can a Stay in Sober Living Help My Recovery Journey?
Participating in sober living gives you a chance to work on your recovery and get used to being in the world in a safe community filled with people working towards the same goals as you. Being surrounded by people that are understanding, empathetic, and supportive helps you stay accountable and motivated in your recovery journey. You also have more people to turn to when you are met with triggers or feel close to a relapse.
After treatment, sober living allows you a chance to adjust to being part of society again. Entering society includes being responsible for ensuring you are getting to work, maintaining your sobriety, and learning the responsibility of managing your money to pay for your necessities. This can be overwhelming when you are doing it on your own, so sober living helps keep you accountable for both your recovery and your new world responsibilities.
When you leave treatment, many people may try to come back into your life. Sober living helps you have a safe environment to talk to these people and stay away from people that may threaten your sobriety. If you have to return to that environment, it can be harder to avoid the people you were close with during your substance use.
Stay in Sober Living With Spero Recovery
We are a residential substance use disorder (SUD) recovery facility that prides itself on being effective and affordable. Through the use of grants and donations, we are able to keep our costs below the national average. This makes us the perfect match for all economic status, under and uninsured individuals seeking help.
Services we offer include separate recovery programs for men and women and sober living after completing the recovery program. There are three sober living locations for men: one in Lakewood, Colorado, and two in Denver, Colorado. As of right now, we only have one sober living home for women located in Denver, Colorado.
How Sober Living Works
There will be a weekly charge to stay in the home that covers specific amenities. You have to follow the rules and expectations set forth by the house. Other than that, you need to enter with the desire to overcome your addiction and be a part of a supportive sober community.
What Is Included?
To stay in sober living, it costs $200-$250 a week, and a $100 fee is due on the first day. This cost includes:
- A bed with bedding
- Laundry detergent
- Coffee
- Dishes, utensils, and cookware
- Storage space
- WiFi and television
- All utilities covered
- Access to the common areas
- Resources at the recovery center
Expectations and Rules
Though sober living offers more freedom than treatment, there are still rules and expectations you have to follow. These include:
- Abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
- Perform your assigned chore.
- Clean up after yourself in your room and common areas.
- Willingness to perform random drug tests.
- Follow curfew.
- Attend three recovery meetings a week.
How Long Can I Stay in Sober Living?
There is no set length of time that you are allowed to stay in sober living. You may only need to be there for two weeks, or you may need two years to reach a level of comfort where you are confident in leaving. That is the goal of sober living: to feel comfortable and confident in your ability to work The Twelve Steps and maintain your sobriety. Everyone progresses through this process at different speeds, so don’t feel pressured to leave early or stay on, but don’t let fear make you stay longer than you need.
Making the Most of Sober Living
Key things to do while in sober living include:
- Learn as much as you can from the others in your house. Their experiences can help you immensely.
- Use the lower living cost to save money for when you leave.
- Find resources locally that you can use when you leave so you are still connected to your sober community.
- Help create a schedule to follow outside of sober living.
- Learn household skills such as cleaning different areas and surfaces and cooking.
- Work on interpersonal skills.
Can Staying Too Long Hurt My Recovery
Sober living is a great transition home, but it isn’t meant to be permanent. It is there to help you get your footing, feel comfortable, and prepare you to enter society independently. Staying longer than you need can hinder your recovery by:
- Making you dependent on being in sober living to maintain your sobriety.
- Lower your self-confidence in your ability to stay sober.
It can be a great resource when used appropriately. Talking with your peers, sponsor, and case manager can all help you know when it’s time to go out into society. You aren’t alone just because you have reentered the world. Your sponsor is still there to help you and find local meetings to attend so that you are still part of the sober community and can lean on them for support.
Sober living can be a great transition housing situation for when you leave treatment but aren’t ready to enter society yet. Knowing when to enter can be almost as difficult as knowing when you should go. There isn’t a timeframe that fits everyone; it depends on when you are ready, but you don’t want to use it as a crutch that prevents progress. If you feel like you are struggling with how long to stay in sober living for your recovery journey, contact Spero Recovery at (303) 351-7888 for more information today. We understand the difficulty that can come from making the decision to change your situation during recovery and want to help you choose what is best for you.
