How do you know if a sober living is good?
Let’s start by stating that it is essential to identify with sober living to define its quality.
A sober living home is a drug and alcohol-free environment where people go after undergoing drug and alcohol rehabilitation or detox. Because detox and rehab are short twists significantly, it is recommended that sobriety be extended for it to be sustainable. Organizations and national nonprofits tend to regulate sober living homes, but what sets them apart is the leadership and management.
The way to find out if a sober living home is safe is to ensure that there are drug and alcohol-free rules.
These rules are usually maintained by breathalyzers for alcohol as well or urinalysis for drugs. Sometimes these procedures can be expensive and can deter many sober living home operators or managers. Still, we believe that it is crucial that the steps be taken, especially when someone is concerned about someone’s behavior which brings us to the next phase of making sure it’s free from people using drugs or alcohol inside the home. This might be a given, but being able to manage those who have relapsed or are using it is also very challenging. It requires tactful and non-judgemental and compassionate character.
Sober living homes with good management or leadership can support someone when they relapse or are using because it also sets off a tone in the culture by how someone is treated when they fall off track.
When a sober living home makes sure that someone can be relocated, be in another sober living home, or go back to detox and rehab, that can be an excellent sign. These are all questions that somebody can be asked before someone steps into sober living. Still, the ultimate variable and factor can sometimes be visiting it and seeing it in person and interacting with the people managing and their peers. Peers and the people you will spend time with within the sober living home can powerfully impact your recovery. Having friends and people go to 12-step meetings, or AA, can be critical to not only doing better but also thriving and enjoying sobriety.
We hope we have been able to answer some of your questions on how to define the quality of a sober living home, but it’s always this is but our own opinion, and many people look for different things. There are ranges from places having strict rules to others being very open. Ideally, it should be a place where someone can have the space to experience sobriety without the full-on transition of going back home or work and being able to be good to oneself and perhaps even working with an outpatient program or a discharge planner on how the momentum is going.
We highly recommend continuing to work with a therapist or mental health professional because sobriety brings up many issues that aren’t addressed in detox and rehab or can pop up later, such as relationships or family challenges. If you or someone you know are looking for a sober living home or needs to start a journey towards being alcohol or drug-free, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our sober living houses.