Sober Home After Residential Treatment?

Sober Home After Residential Program

The aftercare component (after rehab support) of addiction recovery is rapidly becoming one of the most critical.  We’re all too familiar with people who have overdosed after coming out of residential treatment.  They thought they could handle the same quantity of the drug/alcohol they used to do, however, after being clean for 30 -90 days, the body could no longer tolerate such amounts, resulting in an overdose.

Residential inpatient programs for drug and alcohol use disorder are generally the best way to get the someone out of their environment, monitor their behavior, and get them clean while providing therapy to treat the underlying issue(s).  It is both encouraging and heartwarming to witness people getting their lives back after treatment.  They feel on top of the world and ready to take on life’s challenges now that they’ve found sobriety.  But what happens when they leave treatment and go directly back home – usually to the same house, the same family and friends, the same community?  Will they be strong enough to avoid the temptation of drinking or using again?  Have they really put in enough time being sober and using the tools they recently received?  Statistics confirm the answer is a resounding “no”.

Recovery Residences Offer After Rehab Support

The reason recovery residences or halfway houses are gaining so much recognition in the industry is because there is finally enough data to prove their efficacy as a critical component of the continuum of care model espoused by most addiction treatment specialists.  Sober living homes (or recovery residences) provide peer support in a substance-free environment that encourages residents to continue on their journey of recovery, without many of the pressures and temptations of their previous environment. Recovery residences provide the support, structure, guidance, and social connection that are critical to changing behavior patterns, developing life skills, and preventing isolation.  For many people, in any stage of recovery, sober living can make the difference between sobriety and relapse.