Stop the Worry: How to Transition From 1 In-Patient Facility to a Sober Living Community

Do you suffer from a substance use disorder (SUD) or an alcohol use disorder (AUD)? If so, accepting your illness and seeking help in healing it are two of the most challenging initial steps towards recovery.

There are many routes to recovery. The route you take is best decided by yourself and those you trust. One of these routes is when you admit yourself into an in-patient facility or rehabilitation program.

What Is an In-Patient Facility?

An in-patient facility is a medical center that provides you with the tools and strategies you need for early recovery, including conducting regular drug and alcohol tests as well as helping you set healthy goals for yourself.

Typically, in-patient facilities uphold strict anti-use requirements for their patients, such that patients are isolated from the outside world. Although this environment proves successful while detoxing from a drug or alcohol, it alone does not guarantee that you are set up for success once outside the facility.

Wherever you end up, be it back home with your family or in another recovery program, you need to know how to transition without relapsing. It’s in your best interest to learn how to transition from an in-patient facility to a sober living community like Real Recovery.

What Is a Sober Living Community?

A sober living community is another route you can take while traversing recovery. It focuses on establishing a community of like-minded people who want help in navigating the healing process.

Unlike other recovery options like halfway houses, a sober living community grants its residents access to important living necessities and amenities. Real Recovery takes this stance seriously, as we saw first-hand the subpar conditions you endure in many of Florida’s halfway houses. We concluded that to remain sober when transitioning from an in-patient facility to the real world, you need a healthy community and environment to keep you on track.

A sober living community like Real Recovery provides just that. Starting with people like you, we grow together and help one another through the recovery process. Although the recovery process can be a long and demanding journey, it should not be a source of frustration and challenge forever. A safe and stable environment is what makes healing possible.

Getting an Early Start in an In-Patient Facility vs. a Sober Living Community

Did you find entering an in-patient facility tedious or anxiety-inducing? This feeling likely arose from inner doubt about whether you’d be able to get sober and stay sober. Withdrawal, cravings, and internal conflict may have made the duration of your stay feel like an emotional rollercoaster.

These feelings are normal and expected. The personality and behavioral changes you may experience due to withdrawal and cravings are temporary, growing weaker over time. As we discussed in our previous blog, “Warning Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse, Dependence, and Addiction,” this behavioral change is due to the long-lasting dependence you formed while suffering from AUD. It is your brain and body adapting to the sudden reduction of alcohol intake.

What about withdrawals from substances? The process of getting clean is different for every drug. Just like alcohol, it can be dangerous — even life-threatening — to cut off use entirely without the help of a trained medical professional.

Depending on your length of stay in an in-patient facility, withdrawals and cravings can subside before entering a sober living community, starting you off on the right foot for the next stage of your recovery.

How to Embrace Recovery in a Sober Living Community

It’s normal to struggle with your newfound sobriety during your stay at an in-patient facility. How can you change that mindset when going on to live in a sober living community? No longer encountering heavy withdrawals or cravings is just one step; however, a positive mindset is crucial to moving forward.

Having experienced a part of the journey recovering from AUD or SUD, understanding the fundamentals of a sober living community will not be complex. The true challenge is in following the rules laid out before you.

In a sober living community, you are accountable. You are accountable to yourself and others in the community, creating a two-way stream of support. Accountability at Real Recovery begins with upholding sobriety, assessed by the occasional breathalyzer or drug test. This forms a concrete resolution that you must follow while seeking sobriety. We understand that AUD and SUD are progressive illnesses and that some people falter in their recovery; however, given the progress you’ve already made by working through an in-patient program, our expectations are high. As such, we hold a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol or substance use.

That said, neither strictness nor hardheadedness is our focus. Our goal is to divert your attention toward community activities that re-open your eyes to the full and exciting possibilities of a life outside of drug and substance use. Additionally, a sober living community is built on the idea of successfully reintegrating you back into stable living conditions, in part by finding a job and absolving yourself of toxic communities.

Living Alone and Recovering from Addiction

In a sober living community, you have the opportunity to once again live independently from others. At Real Recovery, we offer apartment-style housing, allowing you to strike a balance in which you are never too far from the nearest person. Think of living alone while recovering from AUD or SUD as a stepping stone.

While living alone in a sober community, we encourage you to live as if you are already reintegrated into the rest of society. This can entail managing life skills like keeping a clean house, finding professional and stable work, getting an education to start you on a long-term career path, and nurturing new and old relationships with family and friends.

Living alone and recovering requires honesty and determination. It requires honesty about how you wish to recover. It requires accepting that your life will always be affected by drugs or alcohol to some extent, including recognizing when you are at risk of relapse. The risk of relapse is greatly affected by the community surrounding you; therefore, honesty in recovery also means recognizing when and how to avoid toxic surroundings.

Think of your determination as a driving force towards success in sobriety. In-patient gave you a small taste of what it is like to be sober. The world feels like a different place. No longer does your mind fixate on when you will be able to drink next or use again. No longer do you go to bed groggy and wake up incurably tired. Even when you struggle, most of the time you spend each day will be mentally, physically, and socially elevated. Determination in recovery means knowing what good lies beyond the hazy clouds of abuse, dependence, and addiction.

Reward Yourself with Fulfilling and Exciting Activities in Sober Living

If you suffer from AUD or SUD, you know that drinking alcohol or using a substance is in part a way of rewarding yourself for your victories. When suffering from these diseases, there is no reason not to celebrate. At Real Recovery Sober Living, we encourage you to diverge from that mind state. Instead, reward yourself and others by participating in community activities. It is time to realize that excitement is a reward in itself. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest.

When under the influence, operating as a high-functioning member of society is near impossible. You wake up each day with drinking or using a substance already on your mind. The hobbies that used to be your passion fall away from your priorities. Whether it is playing an instrument, an outdoor sport, going to theme parks, camping – anything – it was put to the wayside, second to none when alcohol or substances got involved.

Real Recovery Sober Living: Success Stories

Sober living transitional homes work. Just look at how we measure the success of our current and past members regarding alcohol and substance abstinence. Numbers don’t lie in sobriety.

At Real Recovery, we separate new and current members into three phases of recovery:

• • Phase 1: The first 31 days of sobriety
  • Phase 2: Between one month and six months of sobriety
  • Phase 3: Between nine and 18 months of sobriety

Accordingly, we gauge the success of our members based on these phases to directly compare the expected rate of relapse of people with substance use disorders, as reported by the Journal of the American Medical Association, at between 40 – 60%.

Some key milestones made by members and alumni of Real Recovery Sober Living include:

• • 93% of alumni remained clean 90 days after completing the program
  • 89% remained abstinent at least six months after graduating from Real Recovery’s program
  • 81% remained sober for a year or more after completing all three phases of our program
  • 88% of alumni achieved their two years of sobriety milestone
  • 87% of alumni that relapsed within six months reduced or stopped attending meetings
  • 95% of alumni with at least one year of sobriety actively sponsored others in recovery

Additionally, for those members and alumni who made it to one year of sobriety, it was actively agreed on that community-focused initiatives were what helped them achieve ongoing recovery, including:

• • Sponsoring at least one newcomer through the 12-Steps within the last 90 days
    Making at least three to five meetings per week
  • Regularly attending homegroup meetings and staying active in business-related meetings
  • Maintaining a strong social and support network made of family and friends
  • Optimizing daily and weekly routines, including relieving stress through meditation and activities
  • Calling your sponsor daily, or at least five times per week, on good and bad days
  • Exercising, which was an essential tool for stimulating mental health, self-esteem, and physical health
  • Participating in AA/NA-related community activities as well as hanging with friends outside of meetings

Sober living communities are built around the individual as a member of a group. Strength comes from knowing that you are one of many facing the same disease. Managing alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder requires establishing commitments and sticking to them while encouraging others to do the same.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Substance Use Disorder are progressive illnesses that worsen the longer they go ignored. An in-patient facility is a perfect place to begin healing while medical professionals safely supervise your detox and help you avoid the complications of substance withdrawal. However, once you leave an in-patient facility, you might wonder: “What’s my next step?”

At Real Recovery Sober Living, we are happy to offer you the next step in long-term sobriety. Our mission is to assess your condition and create an individualized treatment plan that best meets your care and relapse prevention needs. Real Recovery is Florida’s largest and best-rated sober living community. We focus on building a stable and safe environment for our members, and our ultimate goal is to work with you to transition back into the real world successfully. Don’t let drugs or alcohol derail your potential for a successful life. Call us at (727) 290-9156 to learn more.

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