Keep These Points into Consideration While Choosing a Sober Living Home
People struggling with addiction are hard to tame. The last thing that anybody would want is to admit these individuals in an establishment that would end up doing worse than good. The probability of things going wrong is already at high stake, so the last thing that anybody would want, is to find a place that contributes to their recovery.
While choosing a Los Angeles sober living home, there are a number of factors that play a quintessential role. If you have been struggling to find a good loving home, it is because of unfamiliarity. For people overcoming substance abuse, the one obstruction they often tend to face is a stable and a drug-free environment that would motivate them to do better and to achieve things that they have struggled with.
What are the Types of Sober Living Homes?
You would be surprised to know that a “rehabilitation center” isn’t technically the daunting and morbid area that people usually dread visiting. Although recovery isn’t easy, there are ways to help fight through your struggles, by sourcing a good and reputable sober living home or rehabilitation center that is both drug-free and filled with supportive people.
Sober Living Houses (SLHs)
The first type or variant of sober living homes are the ones that provide drug addicts with a drug-free and alcohol-free environment. Here, they are able to recover in stable housing that is surrounded by a very supportive community.
SLHs are not funded or licensed by the government, and are often under the scrutiny of state licensing agencies. Given the recovery model is a little different for this one, SLHs tend to encourage their patients to attend peer support groups in addition to other associated works with it.
People who stay here are welcome to stay as long as they need in order to recover completely, given the fact that the residents are expected to cover for their cost of living there. With the increase of overall substance abuse in the United States, the number of sober living houses is on the increase as well.
Halfway Houses
Next on the list under sober living homes is the halfway house. Halfway houses are residences that allow recovering drug addicts or alcoholics to stay after being in a treatment center for a long period of time. Additionally, halfway houses are for those who are in need of a place to begin a positive transition into their lives.
A majority of the time, halfway houses usually accommodate individuals who have been in prison. Given the kind of support that is provided to the people around here, halfway houses are an amazing place to spend your recovery period getting sober – helping lead a healthy and happy life ahead.
What are the Factors in a Sober Living Home One Needs to Avoid?
Often times, there are numerous sober living homes or rehab centers that charge hefty prices while actually causing recoveries to become worse. In such cases, the one important thing to ensure is to indulge in some factors that you must absolutely avoid while looking for a sober living home. Look out for some of the red flags while choosing a sober living home, detailed below.
Possible Claims of “Paying” Upfront
No available sober living home is for free or pays you from choosing recovery altogether. That is never how it works, and is often the first red flag that you need to be aware of. There are some “possibilities” SLHs use to entice its residents, such as deals, but this is usually not the case. A majority of sober living homes tend to cost a fortune, even if it’s aided by the government and such. When they present deals and attain the details of your health insurance, along with your personal details, there are chances they might use them in the wrong way, thus resulting in a scene of fraudulence.
For the most part, an SLH tends to charge around $300-$1300 a month, with the average amount to be paid accumulating up to $650 a month. If you have any of these rehab centers calling you with such claims of providing free services, it is best to decline.
One That’s Not Safe
The main reason why people opt for a sober living home is to bring safety and stability back into their lives. If you are someone who has suffered from substance abuse, and is looking for a good place with effective services, the last thing you want is to indulge in a service home that offers low-quality services. These types of homes usually result in issues with your health and stability.
Opting for a reputable home ensures all your needs and emergencies are taken care of. A good quality sober living home keeps you in high priority, much like all the other residents. The last thing anyone would want is to end up being faced with a rundown facility that lacks the necessary and important services that play crucial roles in the path to recovery.
Don’t simply rely on the pictures available on the internet. If you are admitting your loved one or are the one getting admitted, the best thing to do is to get the place verified and confirmed by someone, in addition to looking through the reviews.
Lacks Proper Records of Prior Residents
A well reputed and responsible sober living home will not just provide much-needed services to the patient, but it will also maintain proper records for safekeeping for future records. Given the severity of the conditions patients are admitted with, it is very important to look for a reputable living home that has a standard admission procedure.
Admitted residents should be allowed to do things that bring them happiness and satisfaction as those are some of the most important factors during the recovery process. Apart from indulging in daily activities, other admission criteria that residents should include are timely attendance in group meetings, and a fair, clear idea about what their end goal after the program is.
Looking for a home with a harmonious living environment is quite important for steady and fast recovery. This is the reason why every single resident, before admission, should be evaluated well before being accepted into the program. It is very crucial for the sober living home to maintain a genuine track record of each of the patients admitted under their care. This is possibly one of the most crucial markers of being a legitimate process of running.
Doesn’t Require Regular Drug Testing
Given the level of desperation and despair that drug addicts experience, one of the most common red flags for a sober living home is when they fail to implement regular drug testing. Irrespective of whether you are getting admitted in a sober living house or even a halfway house, it is mandatory for both of them to conduct regular drug testing to ensure that the area around is drug-free and won’t end up affecting the residents on their path to recovery.
Conduction of toxicology testing should be done by fair and dignified professionals. Not just that, it is also important to ensure that every single one of the medication policies around the house should be followed without any mistakes.
Lack of House Rules
Another red flag to notice is the lack of house rules. For someone who has subjected themselves to the extremities of substance abuse, there are chances they can spiral back to their old ways if they are not supplied with the necessary amount of house rules to keep them grounded throughout the process.
To keep the residents and the functions of a sober living home in order, it is important to ensure that they do come with its fair share of house rules and protocols. Some house rules include being supplied with chores on a daily basis or to indulge in work around the home.
Why Should You Choose a Sober Living Home?
Sober living homes eliminate a huge chunk of risks that are associated with the process of recovery. Relapse is part of the recovery and while it is a common phenomenon, it is not the best when a patient needs to go through it on their own without any professional guidance.
Sober living homes play a quintessential role in reversing that. Some of the reasons why it is good to opt for a sober living home include:
Elimination of Trigger and Risks
Staying in a sober home guarantees patients can keep their faith and not be lured with temptation and demons. Given the fact that they are substance-free zones, it is not surprising that staying in a sober living home does eliminate the risks associated with getting reacquainted with drugs or alcohol. Staying there also imbibes the assurance for patients that they will end up achieving their sobriety in a predefined amount of time.
Better connections
One of the primary reasons why people detest “rehab facilities” for their recovery is because it prohibits them from staying in touch with their loved ones, who tend to be the only mode of support through such a hard time. In sober living homes, you won’t necessarily have to worry, because they do allow people to stay connected with peers who are struggling through the same journey. This often sticks around as a model of motivation, thus helping them do better during their recovery.
Development of Life Skills
Suffering from the abuse of drugs and alcohol can uproot you from a normal life that you could have been leading all along. Reemerging from setbacks by living in a sober living home can actually be quite effective in making people stand back on their feet. It helps reinstate the overall skill set in terms of their development in life to help them get back into a normal life with ease after such a drastic change.
Take it as Easy as You Want
Sober living homes allow patients to recover on their own time. There is no judgment and no pressure on how much time is “ideal” for recovery. If you are struggling and need more time, you are assured of getting the same there. What this does is help you get the very best in terms of recovery, and lets you go at your own pace. This factor is very important for someone who has been struggling through the process all along.
The path to recovery is not easy at all, especially when patients need to fight against their own internal demons. Sober living homes provide patients with not just an amazing environment but also with a talented and experienced group of both professionals and caregivers who are there to give support all throughout the process.
