Many people view the meaning of sober living in a number of different ways. While some see sober living as a path that needs to be taken solely by “addicts” they may fail to recognize that many elements of living a sober lifestyle may benefit anyone living a life of excess.
First you have to understand that being sober, means not being drunk, intoxicated, or involved in the drinking of alcohol or using drugs in excess. When you bring the two terms together, sober living, you realize that a person living without being addicted to either drinks or drugs is the simple idea or concept, however there are many elements to consider.
A number of surveys and research as discovered that addiction can be the result of many different factors, including often most importantly environment. Many other factors also exist that can play an influence including:
- Friends: the friends we surround ourselves can greatly influence our own actions.
- Role Models: these are people in the society that we see as examples to emulate.
- Bad Experiences: when an individual has encountered bad experiences in the past often times addicts use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism for escaping the pain.
All these factors should be considered when creating the right environment to help addicts abstain from drug and alcohol use. The people and surroundings play a huge role in helping recovering addicts who needs all the support they can get from external sources when dealing with a difficult time in their lives.
There are a number of initiatives that have been enacted in order to make sober living houses successful. There are rules and guidelines that need to be followed to insure the safety and well being of each resident as well as insuring that residents maintain sobriety. There are a set of general rules that are common in most sober living houses. The general rules are:
- Curfew – making sure that residents aren’t out late when problems may arise.
- Zero Tolerance toward the use of drugs, alcohol, or un-prescribed medication.
- Participate in chores
- Regular attendance to therapeutic house meetings
Other rules may accompany these rules based on the policies or each individual sober living house. Random drug screening is also carried out to make sure that addiction and drug use are controlled. Substances are monitored that may have a trace amount of alcohol in them, such as vanilla and certain types of mouth wash as well as items that may contain a narcotic.
Sober living houses create a platform whereby patients can pursue a path to recovery while giving them the freedom to go about their day to day life. Residents can go about normal daily activities such as, go to school, buy food, go in search of jobs, etc. They also provide a calm and safe environment, which helps their mental recovery as well. The sober living house also serves as a place for prolonged recovery for those who have been though rehab and need a more long term program with the structure and rules in place to help them maintain sobriety.
Sober living houses are a great step between treatment and living completely on your own. They offer the structure and support to help maintain sobriety while allowing the freedom needed to pursue a normal life outside of the house.