Will I Make Friends in a Sober House?

Sober house programs have a long history within the addictions field, dating as far back as the 1960s. When first developed, these programs acted as a bridge between detox treatment and reentry into the “real world,” according to the U. S. National Library of Medicine. Today, these programs have expanded to provide people at every stage of recovery a place to get their footing before reintegrating into the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Since sober house programs do require residents to live together for an extended period of time, it’s only normal to expect to make friends during your stay in the program. Considering the people who enter these programs are all there for the same reason, residents naturally share similar interests and life experiences.

Ultimately, people who go through tremendous life changes (like drug rehab recovery) form close bonds in the process. For many in recovery, sharing difficult life challenges with likeminded others has resulted in some of the closest relationships they’ve ever had. Such is the case with sober house program environments.

Sober House Programs

People who complete detox and residential treatment programs have acquired a wealth of knowledge and tools for overcoming addiction’s effects in their lives. Applying these tools in everyday life can be challenging, especially when daily stressors and drug cravings start to take their toll on a person’s resolve.

Sober house programs offer recovering addicts the ability transition from drug treatment to real world living within a safe, recovery-focused environment. Residents within these programs share the same goals in terms of doing whatever it takes to abstain from drug or alcohol use.

Recovery-Focused Peer Environment

Sober living homes open up a great possibility of meeting other people in recovery.

Sober house programs foster an environment of trust, accountability and support. Over the course of weeks and months of living together, residents become a type of community or family that relies on one another for their recovery success.

Residents must hold down jobs and maintain the home throughout their time in the program. Much like the interactions that take place in a family home, residents engage in ongoing interactions with one another throughout any given day.

In the midst of all this, the rule structure imposed within a sober house keeps residents focused on recovery. As most sober homes require residents to attend weekly house meetings, these get-togethers foster communication and camaraderie within the group. Over the course of a person’s stay, a sober house environment provides many opportunities for entering into friendships that last well past his or her time in the program.

Support Network

Most any type of drug treatment program places a heavy emphasis on the importance of establishing a support network when recovering from addiction. In a similar vein, the principles governing a sober house adhere to the same 12-Step model used in detox and residential programs.

In effect, sober home environments become a setting where recovering addicts can apply the 12-Step model within their interactions with one another. Ultimately, the overall living environment within a sober house promotes friendship and support as residents come to depend on one another to make it through this transitional stage in the recovery process.