How Long Will I Live in My Sober House?

How long you will stay in a sober living home mostly depends on you. While sober living communities have been proven to indeed strengthen your resolve towards sober-free living and provide you with valuable skills to move forward, your continued success in recovery will always be a lifelong journey. Addiction is a destructive illness and it takes a lot of time and effort to continue the success. Staying in a sober house, unlike a halfway house, may provide the time needed to adjust to a very different life; a life structured towards recovery for you or someone you love.

Support is an Important Factor

As you transition into the recovery phase of your addiction support is a key factor in your success. While in a sober living home you may find the much-needed support of your peers, the professional staff of the home and your sponsor. Also, family and friends who can commit to supporting your new lifestyle choices will play a key role as you get through this phase of recovery. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse recovering addicts who can maintain positive and healthy relationships going forward during their recovery have a much better success rate.

Abstinence

How long you stay in a sober home will depend on your situation.

Abstinence from the drug or alcohol addiction is a learned process. During your first phase of recovery you are taught several mechanisms and coping skills to get through the difficult times. Being in a sober house allows you to apply those skills and mechanisms in a more structured environment. The peer support groups and 12 step programs will help you as you begin to apply these skills and know that you have somebody to lean on should you have some difficulties.

Financial Responsibilities

Now that you know the importance of a sober living house you need to consider the financial obligation. The aftercare program plays an important role but must fit into the budget of the recovering addict. Living in a sober house does require that the resident pay a rental fee upon admission. Most programs can work with the resident and are sometimes based on a sliding fee scale making it more affordable for them. There are also free or grant based programs out there that are available to some recovering addicts. You should explore all options of sober house living before you commit to a program.

In the end the options that are available to you as a resident of a sober house can be many. The length of time you remain there is up to you, some addicts only stay for a short period of time and others remain much longer until they are comfortable going back to living on their own to continue their journey to a successful life without drugs or alcohol.