After months or even years of battling an addiction issue, it is very trying to have to go through rehab. Just the same, that is what you will have to do if you want to beat your addiction. After you are done with all of the hard work and leave rehab with your recovery underway, you might be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then again, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed with the idea you have to return home and start living your life again without drugs or alcohol as a crutch. If you end up feeling overwhelmed, you can relax a little because you will have company. Lots of people leave rehab with some doubt about their ability to stay clean or handle their personal responsibilities. The good news is you can avoid that uneasy feeling by continuing to work on your recovery.
As you leave rehab, your therapist will probably tell you about some aftercare resources that will be available to you. You want to pay close attention to what your therapist says because it could be the difference between you staying sober and falling victim to a relapse. Most likely, here are some of the aftercare resources you will learn about:
- Ongoing outpatient treatment after rehab
- Opportunity to live in a sober living environment
- Introduction to 12 Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
- Invitation to participate in rehab sponsored alumni programs and events
Any one of these options could be very good for you. If you were to choose more than one, it would solidify the likelihood you could avoid relapses. It should also relieve any anxiety you might feel about being overwhelmed by the future you would be facing. While all of these options are excellent aftercare resources, there is one of them that is especially useful if you need time to transition back home from rehab. That would be living in a sober living home. We would like to discuss that in more depth.
How Sober Living Can Help You Transition from rehab to Home
A sober living home is a group home that houses people in recovery. Each individual has responsibilities and pays rent. The home is usually managed by a licensed addiction counselor or a former addict who has years of recovery under their belt. The primary reason you might want to consider staying in a sober living home is that the time you spend there will hopefully add strength to your recovery. You will learn to build structure in your life and get the opportunity to meet and live with people who are struggling just like you.
The camaraderie that you might find in a sober living environment might end up helping you develop a very important support resource for your future. While in the sober living home, you will need to follow some very strict rules. These rules will be in place to ensure the safety of all residents. While the rules might vary slightly from one sober living home to the next, here are some general rules that seem to be common:
- there is zero-tolerance for substance abuse in or out of the house
- Everyone must be willing to submit to random drug testing
- Everyone is required to abstain from inappropriate fraternization with other residents or management
- Each person must maintain their own quarters and handle all assigned chores
- Participation in recovery meetings and or counseling sessions are usually mandatory
- Rent must be paid on time
- Each resident is required to show progress towards their goal of eventually returning home
As residents make progress, they earn more rights and gain more responsibilities. While residents are allowed to stay as long as necessary to ensure a smooth transition back into the real world, most residents are able to make that move within the first 90 days of their stay. Before you worry about how you will feel after rehab, you need to take the first step towards recovery.
That would be to get yourself into treatment as soon as possible. We are here to help you with that process. If you contact one of our representatives, they will be glad to give you information about the facility and our treatment services. When you are ready to get help, you can pick up the phone and call us at 844-639-8371.