Tips for a Successful Stay at a Houston Sober Living Home
The last step to living a normal life after recovery is to find a sober living home. We’re giving you 8 tips to optimize your stay and succeed.
Drug and substance abuse takes quite a toll on the country, which spends up to $740 billion every year in costs related to loss of work, crime, and health care. This is primarily attributed to the increasing number of drug users.
At some point, things take a turn, and many users resort to finding ways to overcome heavy drug consumption. Enrolling in a sober living home is a great way of preparing for life long sobriety in the real world, after treatment.
It’s essential to keep in mind that success in sobriety can only be achieved through the desire to be free of drug and substance abuse. A sober living home is a great option after you have completed a stay in a drug rehab or other treatment program.
In this post, we’re going to give you some easy tips for a successful stay in a sober living community.
1. Understand and Adhere to the Rules
Opting to live in a sober living home is usually a personal decision, and this means you’re obligated to accede to the rules that are established by the home. Typical sober living rules include:
Must attend the 12-step meetings
Must attend regular house meetings
Must not possess any kind of drugs/alcohol
Completion of core responsibilities
Responsible use of common areas
Being home by the required time is mandatory
Breaking these rules could lead to an expulsion, so it’s important to observe them throughout your stay.
2. Connect with Others
In most cases, people in sober living communities usually seek the help of support groups and counselors for guidance and advice. This is highly advised, and it’s a useful thing when it comes to attaining sobriety.
Talking to other members of the house can also be an excellent way to share your experience and open up about your addiction. It provides a new path to recovery and helps you to learn a thing or two about other people’s approach to sobriety.
It can be extremely beneficial to consult more experienced residents for advice on developing a routine, adapting to the home, preparing for life outside the home, and handling cravings and triggers.
3. Ask for Help & Support
When in a sober living home, it’s okay to struggle with sobriety. In many cases, a rehab stay is not always enough to help people get over their drug use once and for good.
While in the home, don’t allow the feeling of pride to prevent you from asking for support and help whenever you need it. Relying solely on yourself to go through the recovery process can result in a tenuous point that can jeopardize your sobriety because this may trigger the temptation to use again.
When such situations happen, reaching out to other residents and counselors is a good idea. Some people can give you a few tips on how they managed similar situations.
4. Engage in Productive Activities
Healthy activities and hobbies can help you to stay focused on achieving lasting sobriety. They help you to clear your head and get in the right mood that facilitates a seamless recovery process.
Many sober living communities offer activities, such as hiking, golfing, kayaking, biking and other sports, that can help keep you focused and productive. Alternatively, you can concentrate on learning a new skill or language that you didn’t know before.
Volunteering is also another great way for you to help others while still benefiting from it. Recovery groups, such as AA and NA, provide different opportunities covering a broad range of interests and skills. So, if you’re an expert in anything, or would like to learn more about a topic, use your time in sober living to be productive.
5. Focus on Physical Exercises
If you used to avoid physical exercises, staying in a sober living home presents an excellent opportunity to consider getting in shape. Even though sober living homes have a specific structure, they’re goal is to provide opportunities for residents to create their own lifestyle as long as it’s within the scope of the rules.
You may be allowed or encouraged to create your own meal plan or find a healthy diet plan to follow. This can be a great idea if you gained some pounds and become sedentary while using.
Create an exercise plan that best suits your diet and focus on committing to it. Paying close attention to your overall health while at the recovery home makes maintaining sobriety a little easier.
6. Getting Adequate Sleep is Key
To ensure proper psychological well-being, getting enough sleep is imperative during the recovery process. You’ll certainly feel a positive effect on your mental health when you get enough sleep.
Committing to your regular sleep schedule will help you build resilience to any potential stress or unexpected emotions. Doctors usually recommend at least 8 hours of sleep every day for adults.
Sufficient sleep and improved mental health prepares you to handle all your daily activities well.
7. Respect Other Residents’ Space
It can feel like a slow process when first enrolling in a sober living home. Nearly all the people can be strangers to you, and it will take some time to adapt and get used to your new environment.
This is the best time to start creating respectful relationships with other residents. Limit your use of public places to give everyone a chance to use them. Keep your dishes clean and keep your space tidy to ensure the home is clean for everyone.
Don’t be too loud when speaking or playing your radio/TV in the common room because loud noise can be irritating to some people. Should there be any disagreement, try to resolve the issue before things escalate.
8. Find a Sponsor or Mentor
Individual’s ability to handle certain situations is not equal across the board. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. We flourish in certain areas but perform poorly in others.
So, keep in mind that you’re not alone in the struggle for sobriety. Fighting the demons of drug addiction can be tough. At this point, finding a mentor or sponsor can help you to stay on the path of recovery.
A mentor is your friend, confidant, and someone you can call upon whenever you need help. Having that one person to approach during tough times is extremely helpful and a universally encouraged component of any rehab program.
Attaining sobriety is a process, and it’s something that you can’t do alone.
By enrolling in a sober living home, you’re opening your life to new possibilities. Believing you can achieve your goal is essential for an effective sober living progress. Think about your future and find ways to structure your life to make the most out of your stay.
Listen to other people’s experiences as they can give you the inspiration and knowledge you need to attain your goal. The length of your stay in the recovery center depends on the type of treatments your doctor recommends and the severity of your addiction.
