Telling Your Friends and Family About Your Sober Living Plans

It can be difficult to make the decision to go to a sober living house, but once you do, telling the people in your life is the next step. It is extremely helpful to have the support and faith of your loved ones during your recovery, especially in the early stages, and you can often achieve this by discussing the program with them.

Be Prepared for Questions

According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, “Although sober living houses can be used as housing referrals after inpatient treatment, while clients attend outpatient treatment, after incarceration, or as an alternative to treatment, they have been understudied and underutilized.” For this reason, your friends and family members may not know about the program, and this may cause them to be skeptical. Therefore, it can be truly beneficial to you to do your research before you decide to become a resident of one of these facilities and before you discuss it with your loved ones. They will likely have a number of questions about the type of facility itself.

In addition, you may choose to go to a counselor with your loved ones so they can hear from a professional the many merits of sober living homes. These individuals can also answer any questions your loved ones may have, and they could even help you find a home close to where you’re living now.

Research Visitation Rules

It’s important to explain the visitation rules of the sober house you plan on attending to your loved ones.

Certain facilities have different rules about visitors, including when they can come to the home, what rooms they can be in, and what they are allowed to do while visiting the residents. According to the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Supported Recovery Housing Services have rules for visitors, stating, “There are no guests/visitors allowed in the house without the consent of the house staff. Guests/visitors are only allowed in common areas and are not permitted to stay overnight.” It is important that you find out what the specific rules are for the home that you choose and be sure that your loved ones are aware of them as well. Sometimes, parents are permitted to bring small children to live with them, but this is not usually the case, so you may need to arrange care if this situation applies to you.

Help Them Understand Your Choice

It can be difficult to explain why you have chosen to live at a sober house during this phase of your recovery, but being able to tell your loved ones why can help your relationship. Your friends and family members may have different feelings about what will be best for you, but it is important to remember that treatment should be based on what best addresses your needs. Make a list of the reasons why sober living is the right choice for you and go over it with them if necessary, so they can understand why you are choosing this program.

Sober Living Can Be the Best Choice

For some individuals, this is the perfect treatment option or the best aftercare program. If you are considering moving into a sober home, we can help you find the best one with your needs in mind. Call 800-953-3913 (Who Answers?) today.