The Difference Between Sober Living and Inpatient Rehab

Addiction adversely affects the lives of individuals both young and old wreaking havoc on their stability, their emotions, finances and other elements of their lives. When addiction has caused interference, recovery becomes the only solution that can truly evoke a sense of security and forgiveness from all the pain and trauma that has been endured. But how does one overcome the addiction? Where should you turn for help?

Inpatient rehab is often the chosen method of treatment for someone who is addicted and it’s often the most effective solution available. Unfortunately, many people mistake sober living for residential care and this is not the case. Clean and sober living does take place in an inpatient rehab facility, but the rules between a sober living home and a residential or inpatient rehab, though similar in many ways, can be very different from one to the other.

What is Sober Living?

In a sober home you will have a chance to connect with others in recovery, like in inpatient rehab.

Sober living provides a safe, clean, drug and alcohol free alternative to living at home or on the streets. Often times, recovering addicts who have already made some progress in achieving their sobriety goals can move into a sober home to continue to integrate back into the community without taking a leap and potentially derailing their recovery efforts. According to the College of St. Scholastica, this environment provides residents with a significant level of peer support and accountability while offering proven methods of support that can help residents to sustain abstinence and sobriety.

What is Inpatient Rehab?

Perelman School of Medicine defines inpatient rehab as a place where intensive treatment and medical support can be received during the most difficult early stages of the recovery process. Here, patients will receive counseling and therapy, support, medical care and advice that assists them in making better choices and reaching the goals that they set in terms of achieving sobriety and recovery. Inpatient rehab encourages change, growth, education and involvement in treatment and therapy as well as support to help patients overcome the challenges that they face in restoring stability and balance into their lives.

The Difference

So what is the difference between these two recovery housing options?

Sober living is a place where those who have already made it past the most difficult, early phases of recovery can continue to work toward their goals and reintegrate into society; inpatient rehab is a place where patients go when they are in need of around-the-clock treatment and care to assist them in overcoming the early stages of the recovery process. Both require residents to maintain drug free status, both provide a safe place to live, but they are much different in terms of the level of monitoring and treatment that is provided.

Sober living does not provide any treatment, usually does not offer counseling and is merely a place to live with other people who are sober. Inpatient rehab provides around-the-clock treatment and counseling as well as a safe place to live. Sober living is non-invasive and generally allows reintegration back into many of the norms of society including attendance at work or school and outings. Inpatient rehab generally does not allow outings of any kind.