How Would My Loved One Benefit From a Sober Living Facility?

How Would My Loved One Benefit From a Sober Living Facility?

If someone you love recently completed a treatment program for substance use disorder (SUD), they might benefit from a sober living community. Newport Beach Recovery Center offers recovery housing where clients can stay while they continue their recovery. The home-like space provides a healthy environment for anyone who does not feel capable of maintaining sobriety independently. Peers and recovery housing staff provide support and accountability.

What Is a Sober Living Home?

A sober living facility is a shared living space where peers in recovery live together. Staff is available to provide additional support and accountability. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), sober living communities offer an essential service. “For people who are newly sober, recovery housing can provide time and support.” Individuals in recovery can gain self-confidence and improve coping skills in an environment that prioritizes personal accountability and healthy routines.

Recovery housing offers the following benefits:

  • Peer support
  • Accountability
  • Independence
  • An opportunity to make meaningful relationships
  • Decreased stress during the transition into aftercare
  • House rules that encourage self-accountability and self-care

Your loved one will have their own living area within the recovery house and access to shared spaces. Everyone in the community participates in various aspects of daily upkeep and supports each other’s recovery. Peer encouragement reduces feelings of loneliness during early recovery.

What Are Common House Rules?

Rules and guidelines ensure peaceful cohabitation within recovery housing. Every sober living home has house rules that keep everyone on the premises safe. Some standard house rules include:

  • No drugs, alcohol, or other mind-altering substances on the premises
  • A limit to bringing home guests
  • Active participation in recovery by attending individual therapy and self-help groups
  • Regular drug testing
  • Shared responsibility for cleaning community spaces
  • Expectations of privacy

Consistency is integral to creating healthy routines, and most sober communities have standard guidelines. The rules ensure the safety and comfort of everyone living in the home. In some cases, house rules may change, and the staff will inform tenants of any new guidelines. If individuals have difficulty sticking with the rules, they can speak with a therapist or the community staff. In most cases, addressing underlying issues makes it easier to work through problems encountered within the house. Your loved one will have all the support they need to overcome challenges in recovery.

How Do Sober Living Communities Reduce the Risk of Relapse?

A sober living home gives individuals a structured and safe space to continue learning healthy coping skills. Many people feel more confident making positive lifestyle changes when they live in a home that prioritizes sobriety. Additionally, there are fewer distractions or unhealthy temptations to interfere with early recovery. According to the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, “Safe and stable housing has been identified . . . as integral to recovery.” In addition, relapse prevention strategies benefit from a reliable sober living environment.

Recovery housing can reduce the risk of relapse by doing the following:

  • Limiting exposure to potential triggers
  • Improving self-efficacy and self-awareness
  • Increasing positive social interactions
  • Ensuring active participation in therapy
  • Maintaining accountability

Clients can continue to improve their emotion regulation and skill development among sober peers with similar life experiences. The individuals living together share similar challenges. Being part of a community decreases feelings of isolation or loneliness during early recovery. Your loved one will spend time with others who can give them guidance and suggestions for overcoming everyday triggers and stressful situations. Recovery housing significantly lowers the risk of relapse for individuals in early recovery.

Who Benefits Most From Sober Living Communities?

You want to support your loved one during their treatment and ongoing recovery. However, you might not have the necessary resources to provide a safe environment for them during early recovery. A sober living community offers structure and distance from specific triggers that could affect their recovery.

The people who benefit most from sober living communities include:

  • Anyone who lacks a support system
  • Individuals who have no safe place to maintain their sobriety
  • Clients or alumni who want a structured living environment during outpatient care
  • Individuals who need extra time to cement healthy routines and essential life skills

How Does Newport Beach Recovery Center Help Clients Remain Sober?

Newport Beach Recovery Center ensures that clients and alumni have access to personalized treatment. We collaborate with clients and their families to ensure everyone has access to essential resources. Individuals taking advantage of our sober living community continue attending therapy, support groups, and other forms of treatment. Your loved one can get the care they need while living in an environment that fully supports their sobriety and recovery.

Recovery housing enhances the effectiveness of relapse prevention strategies. In addition, it provides clients with space for practicing coping skills. Sober living communities allow peers to form healthy social bonds, establish boundaries, and encourage one another. Your loved one will stay with peers who understand the unique struggles that come with early recovery.

A sober living community offers a safe space where individuals in recovery can continue healing. Newport Beach Recovery Center provides a full continuum of care for individuals with substance use disorder, including recovery housing. We understand that some people need more time in a structured environment before they feel confident in their recovery. Our sober living spaces are perfect for individuals who need access to a supportive and safe community during early recovery. If your loved one struggles with maintaining their sobriety outside treatment, a sober living community can help. Your loved one will have access to supportive therapy, group meetings, and understanding staff. Learn more by calling us today at (888) 850-0363.

Learn The Benefits of Getting Sober

benefits of getting sober

Addiction is a challenging disease to manage. For a long time, people who suffered from addiction did not have access to the resources they needed to get better. Now, there has been a significant amount of research in this field that has led to the development of new diagnostic and treatment capabilities that have helped people find sobriety. Many people who have struggled with addiction for years might not know how to have fun without that addictive substance. They might not even know what life is like sober. The good news is that there are numerous benefits of sobriety that everyone should know.

What Happens When You Get Sober? 

When you enter sobriety, your life is going to change drastically. You discover that you have more energy than you did in the past. You can think clearer and have a new appreciation for life. You no longer feel the desperation of doing whatever it takes to get drugs or alcohol. You are much more relaxed because you no longer have to worry about what happens when the drugs or alcohol wear off. Addiction treatment provides recovery from drug abuse and alcoholism that is going to lead to a boost in self-confidence and self-esteem.

You’re Healthier

Addiction is unhealthy and negatively affects the body and mind. Addiction to alcohol can lead to serious liver damage. An addiction to cocaine is damaging to someone’s heart. An addiction to meth will lead to the development of something known as ‘meth mouth’. This is when someone’s teeth start to rot and decay. All of this is terrible and can lead to long-term health consequences.

When you stop harming your body with toxic substances, you become much healthier. Your sleep patterns will return to normal, you’ll have an appetite again, and natural energy. 

You Find Things You Love

During recovery from addiction, you can take advantage of the opportunities you’ll have to learn new things. When you’re no longer inebriated from taking drugs or drinking alcohol, you can research new hobbies or travel. One of the biggest reasons addiction treatment is successful because it gets people to change their routines. You can easily take this skill and apply it to life outside of treatment. By learning new things, you’ll stay busy, and figure out what you love to do. 

You Rebuild Relationships

One of the most important benefits of getting sober is that you are going to rebuild the relationships in your life that might have been damaged by addiction. Sadly, addiction is a disease that affects the people around you. Your personal and professional relationships can become broken while you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol. Once you get sober you’ll be able to be a dependable friend and coworker again.  You’ll also be able to build new relationships with the people you meet during recovery. A big component to staying sober is having a sober network. You can meet new sober people during and after addiction treatment. Support groups and 12 step meetings are a great way to build your network. 

We’re Here to Help

At Newport Beach Recovery, we are a drug and alcohol rehab center located in Costa Mesa, CA. We are here to serve individuals and families who are struggling with addiction throughout the local area. We know trying to beat addiction can be intimidating, but with the help of us, it’s completely attainable. Please contact us today to learn more about our services!

How to Live Life Without Alcohol

Alcoholism is an addiction and it is one of the toughest for people to break. For many people, the realization that they actually haven’t had any alcohol for an extended period of time can be quite the shock. After all, many people with an addiction to alcohol realize quickly that they have lived a significant portion of their adult life with the beverage. There are countless reasons why people start drinking. For some people, it starts by drinking in an effort to make it easier to socialize. Then, it evolves to become a way for people to deal with the bad days during the week. Many people have a beer or a glass of wine as a way to wind down after a long day or to celebrate a big moment in life. Combine this with the peer pressure that many people feel during their young adulthood to drink and the ingredients of addiction are all there.

Breaking the Addiction: Dealing with Social Situations

Gradually, this evolves to become a crutch that people cannot live without. This is where the disease starts to take hold. Without alcohol, many people experience withdrawal symptoms ranging from emotional issues to shakes, sweats, and even seizures. For this reason, the early days of sobriety can be a challenge. In addition to getting past the withdrawal symptoms, many people also face the challenges of situations where they used to drink but no longer do. The social situations are some of the hardest. Showing up to an event where individuals are drinking can be difficult. For the many people who used to drink to help with these situations, it can be hard to find something else to hold in the hand instead. A soda or a glass of water just don’t feel the same. Any thoughts that simply putting the drink down would be “easy” quickly fade away. It is hard to learn how to behave in a social situation without the comfort and crutch of an alcoholic beverage.

Learning that Drinking Alcohol is a Choice

For many, alcohol almost seems like an integrated part of the adult world. One of the most helpful ways to break from this part of the world is to listen to other stories of sobriety. Learning how others deal with challenging situations can help people learn how to live a life without alcohol. Yes, alcohol was, at one point, a big part of life. It is still a major part of society, reflected in stores, on commercials, and in its presence at social gatherings. On the other hand, everyone has a choice. Part of sobriety is making the conscious decision not to drink. It is not only possible, but realistic, that it is possible to exist, live, and thrive in this world sober, despite the presence of alcohol.

Accepting What Cannot Be Changed

In order for people to succeed in this venture, it is vital to place sobriety at the top of the list. Make decisions that will make this process easier. Think carefully about the situations, the people, and the location. People must be placed in a position to be successful. Cut out the things that lead to drinking and accept what cannot be changed. It is impossible to change the past. It is difficult to change the thoughts and perspectives of other people. Simply make decisions that will ensure the decisions of the past will not be repeated. Maintain control over oneself and everything else will fall into place. That should be enough for anyone to find solace.

There Is Power In Saying No

One of the most important steps in early sobriety is learning how to say no. This is simply a must. There are going to be plenty of situations that must be avoided during life in recovery because sobriety is always the top priority. This might be a special event. These could be certain situations. It might even include specific people. This can feel like a major sacrifice but it is a necessity for maintaining sobriety. Those who are recovering need to do what is best for them. This involves saying no.

Honesty With Oneself and Others

Finally, it is very important, to be honest during the recovery process. This means being honest with others being honest with oneself. The ability to share honestly and openly about the addiction, the struggle, and the recovery is a key part of sobriety. There is no shame in overcoming a struggle. In actuality, it makes someone stronger as a person. It feels like a weight that has been lifted off of one’s shoulders. It is this change, this honesty, that often has the greatest impact of all during the recovery process. These are the keys to not only surviving but thriving, in life without alcohol.

Reach out to us if you or anyone you love is struggling with alcohol or addiction. At Newport Beach Recovery Center, we are always available to help!