Can I Make Friends in My Sober House?

In a way, sober houses are similar to support groups in that these facilities provide opportunities for individuals to meet other people in recovery and receive social support through interactions with other addicts. While they can be somewhat different from support groups in other ways, you also have an opportunity to make friends while staying in a sober living home.

The Purpose of Sober Homes

According to the Journal of Psychoactive Drug Abuse, “Alcohol and drug dependent individuals with… [a] lack of social support for sobriety are particularly vulnerable to relapse without the provision of long term community based services that support sobriety.” Therefore, individuals who live in sober houses often choose this option so they can be surrounded by other individuals who will support their recovery and respect their decision to avoid drugs and alcohol.

The purpose of a sober home is to provide residents with a safe, drug- and alcohol-free environment in which to live where they can also go to work, attend school, and interact with others. These individuals do often come from situations where they are hoping to make new friends, especially those who will help support their recoveries, and this can be done in a sober home. However, it is important to remember that making friends is not the main purpose of why these programs exist.

Be Involved

By being sociable and respectful you can easily make friends in a sober house.

The program is also based on the need to help the house run efficiently and effectively for everyone living there. According to another study from the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, “Contemporary sober living house associations such as CAARR and SLN emphasize a ‘social model approach’ to managing houses that empowers residents by providing leadership positions and forums where they can have input into decision making.”

Learning to follow and respect the rules of the house as well as respecting fellow residents is just as important as making friends in the home. In addition, you will want to attend meetings and take the facility’s governing system seriously in order to better interact with other residents. This is the kind of behavior that will not only help you be a better resident and roommate, but it will also make you someone the other residents will want to spend time with.

Making Friends in a Sober Home

You can get to know the people you live with in your sober house easily by being sociable, interested in what’s going on at the house, and courteous to others. After all, you are all living under the same roof, paying rent, and taking care of the facility, and it is always important to remember this.

You can achieve the kinds of social interactions that lead to friendships in your sober home by being engaged with the others in the house. Being engaged can also help you fare better with the treatment and in the facility as a whole, as well as help you make friends more easily. For the most part, it comes down to being immersed in the program and respecting your fellow residents.

Begin Your Sober House Residency Now

You can make friends and get to know other recovering addicts while living in a sober house as well as learn how to live your life in recovery. Call 1-888-460-6556 today, and find out more about sober houses in your area.

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