Sober Living for Women: Considerations for Mothers

Sober living homes got their start in the 1830s during the Temperance Movement. According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, religious organizations sought to create sober living environments where people would not be subjected to social pressures to drink.

Today sober living homes provide a place for recovering alcoholics and addicts to transition from rehab before reentering the fray of everyday life. Sober living for women, likewise, provides pregnant mothers and women with children with the means for getting a good start on the road to recovery.

Sober living for women addresses the unique challenges and needs mothers have when trying to eliminate addiction from their lives. While these facilities are designed to be a safety net for mothers and those expecting, women must also consider any legal ramifications involved when entering sober living for women.

Sober Living Homes

Mothers can benefit from the support and care provided at sober living programs.

A stable living environment goes a long way towards helping recovery addicts maintain sobriety after a rehab stay. Going from rehab treatment back into a chaotic home environment can easily drive even the most determined person back to using again.

Like most sober living homes, sober living for women facilities receive no funding or licensing from state or local governments so residents must cover housing costs. These homes emphasize the importance of social supports as a means for helping recovering addicts maintain abstinence.

Daily Living Needs

As many addicts are left starting at square one after completing rehab, sober living for women help residents provide for daily living needs. Residents receive assistance in obtaining –

• Permanent housing
• Education/training
• Job placement
• Parenting

Sober living for women acts as a liaison for women in need of available community services. By meeting these needs, women have a better chance at being able to provide for their babies and themselves. Without assistance, the stress of having to maintain sobriety and take of a baby while trying to piece her life back together can easily drive a person to start using again.

Emotional Needs

Being pregnant in recovery comes with its own host of worries and concerns. It’s not uncommon for a woman not to know whether or not she wants to keep the baby or carry it to term. These concerns combined with the challenge of maintaining abstinence require individual counseling and guidance specific to a woman’s needs.

Sober living for women offers therapy and counseling services to help expectant mothers deal with these difficult decisions while helping them develop needed coping strategies for maintaining sobriety.

Legal Considerations

In the case of women who have children or women who are pregnant, certain legal considerations should be taken into account before entering a sober living for women program. Certain states have laws that dictate whether health care providers must report drug addiction problems in the case of mothers and mothers-to-be.

While counselors in sober living homes will likely recommend expectant mothers seek prenatal treatment, a woman wanting to keep her baby should understand how the laws in her state work. The same goes for mothers with children.