In the world of recovery, there are countless options along the full continuum of care. Depending on your history of addiction and treatment, certain approaches may be better suited for your personal journey to lasting sobriety. As vital as primary residential rehab is to your recovery, it’s even more important to focus on what you do after treatment. After leaving your center, you face a choice: should you return home, or move into a sober living community?
A Time of Transition
Perhaps the most daunting obstacle of recovery is the transition from residential addiction treatment back to daily life. For many people, the environment of their home lives includes temptation – this may take several forms, including friends and family members who still drink and use, the wide availability of drugs and alcohol, and the potential stressors and triggers of work or school. Living a substance-free lifestyle is especially challenging when those in early recovery are constantly confronted by the choice to drink or use.
Because of these difficulties, many people leaving residential treatment instead choose to pursue further care at a sober living residence. These substance-free environments keep residents accountable through regular meetings, community events, and clearly outlined house rules and expectations. These spaces remove the risk of having drugs and alcohol in the home, creating a safe space to prioritize one’s recovery in a like-minded community.
Which Rules Do Sober Living Homes Require?
Each sober living community will require a separate set of agreements for each resident to adhere to for the duration of their stay. This mutual covenant protects the recovery of all residents. The most common rule is an agreement to maintain sobriety for the entire stay (typically ranging from six months to one year). Many places also require residents to complete daily chores, regularly attend 12-step meetings, adhere to a curfew, and be kind and considerate to others in the home. They generally will not allow pets, weapons, loaning money to or beginning relationships with other residents, or smoking on the premises.
Who Should Choose Sober Living?
Sober living programs commonly serve as a steppingstone between residential treatment and a return to home life. It is strongly recommended for individuals who are leaving structured programs and do not have a safe environment to return to – enabling roommates and difficult family systems can sabotage hard-won recovery.
Those who pursue sober living are fully committed to their community, personal development, and lasting recovery. By sharing household chores and building deep interpersonal relationships, sober living residents learn to trust, contribute to a household environment, and develop valuable independent living skills. There is also an element of continuous support that is unique to a communal lifestyle – because all residents share the goal of abstinence, there is always someone to talk to about the struggles and difficulties common to early sobriety.
By choosing to live in one of these houses, residents also gain access to programming, meetings, and professional care. The danger of relapse is very high in early recovery because many people attempt to immediately jump to independence after rehabilitation – remember, there is no shame in seeking help and guidance during this time of transition.
Tennessee Sober Living Houses
Cumberland Heights offers gender-specific sober living houses throughout Middle Tennessee. The men’s only Keep It Simple House and Keystone Houses are located in Murfreesboro and Bellevue, while the women’s only Searchlight and Honest Manor Houses foster recovery-oriented communities in Gallatin and Nashville.
These homes encourage community involvement, sober activities, and aftercare meetings within just minutes of an outpatient center for continued care. If your loved one is about to leave full-time treatment, call 800-646-9998 to learn more about our opportunities for sober living.
