Healing from addiction is a process. Many people do not understand that the process takes much longer than 30 days, which is the average length of residential treatment that is initially recommended and covered by insurance. Making such significant life changes and overcoming a medical condition like a substance use disorder within one month is highly unlikely. Most people need support for a longer period of time as well as a way to transition back into the real world after treatment.
One powerful way to support your recovery is to participate in a sober living community. Your housing needs are addressed, and you receive support in a safe environment with accountability while still re-establishing your independence and building new skills. Lasting friendships are formed as you support one another through early recovery and truly build a community. Taking advantage of a sober living community might be the perfect opportunity for you.
What Is a Sober Living Community Like?
Imagine a group of drug-free residents committed to building a better life for themselves in recovery. A community of men committed to supporting one another, lifting one another up, and making each other stronger in their new lives. A place where healthy friendships could be forged through working together and having fun while rebuilding their lives. It is a place where your healing can continue in an environment where you can learn to have fun in healthy ways.
This is what a sober living community is like. It is a place where you can live, be supported, be accountable, be yourself, and have fun. It is a community of people who will support you as you get your life together and learn to put one foot in front of the other in sobriety. It is a place to learn basic life skills, possible school or vocational training, and find employment. It is the place you call home while you gain strength in your new skin of recovery, a community of people you can relate to doing this alongside you.
What Are the Living Conditions in a Sober Living Community?
A sober living community like Real Recovery offers fully furnished modern apartments that are clean and also affordable. Each community is unique, but all of the apartments are furnished with all of the amenities you need, including high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, high-definition televisions, a full kitchen, appliances, and more. These apartments go beyond the basics and help you feel good about yourself and your living conditions. Additionally, each sober living community has different amenities such as a barbecue, swimming pool, or gathering area for social activities.
Outside of the sober living community, there are multiple 12-Step meetings nearby and other resources available within walking distance in the larger community, such as shopping and employment. The environment is safe and inclusive but also allows you to have real-world experiences. Real Recovery has chosen its locations carefully to allow participants to make the most of the community around them.
Why Do They Use the Word “Community?”
According to Oxford Languages, a community is defined as “A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” When you are just out of treatment, surrounding yourself with others who are also new to recovery can be a comfort. You are not putting yourself back into the same situation where you used substances before, nor are you putting yourself in a neighborhood where you will be easily triggered. You are surrounded by people who are going through the same thing, who understand when you have a bad day, and who also understand when you have a good day. This is a community.
Another definition of a community that is representative of a sober living community is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. You accept responsibility for your actions, abide by the rules of the community, support one another, celebrate achievements together, and work together for the common goal of bettering yourselves and one another. This creates a feeling of fellowship, a brotherhood, and a community in recovery.
What Does It Mean When They Talk About Accountability?
Another benefit of sober living is that you are held accountable. This includes random drug and alcohol testing each week to ensure that you are maintaining your sobriety. Knowing that you are accountable to someone else can offer that extra motivation when you are struggling with a craving. This accountability helps as you are building good habits and learning to manage your newly found sobriety. You are also accountable for your full participation in the program, including attending meetings regularly.
The structure and rules of sober living can provide your recovery with the stability that you need while you learn to put good habits into place. Maintaining your living space and shared spaces and following rules regarding community hours and behavior will help you develop important skills for your future. Being accountable to others will help you learn to be accountable to yourself and others going forward.
What Are Some Benefits of Sober Living Instead of Living on My Own?
Particularly when you are coming straight out of treatment, a sober living community has many benefits for you in your recovery. Just a few of these benefits are:
- Stability
- Sober friends
- Fun and recreation
- Furnished apartments
- Low-cost living
- Built-in support network
- Fewer triggers
- More accountability
- Support for your transition to real life
- Education for your recovery
When you leave treatment and live on your own, you are truly alone. However, in a sober living community, you are a part of a fellowship of people who are engaged in improving their lives alongside you. You have common goals and can support one another, and have fun along the way. You can learn how to thrive being sober with the help of others before standing on your own again.
Can Sober Living Help Me Learn New Habits?
Within a sober living environment, you can learn or re-learn habits and skills for your success in recovery and in life. These include waking up on time, keeping your living space clean, cooking for yourself, and managing your finances. You can also develop social skills, learn how to live and cooperate with others, and how to live with more overall discipline in your daily life.
Additionally, Real Recovery provides a free gym membership, with the condition that you go at least three times per week. You can gain habits for your recovery such as regular exercise, attending 12-Step meetings, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and other important daily habits that will help prevent relapse and improve your overall quality of life.
Can I Go to School or Work While in a Sober Living Community?
Learning to work hard and improve yourself is an important part of the recovery process. Being in a sober living community is the perfect time to attend classes or find a new job. While you are a part of the community, you have the support you need to take these big steps. A sober living community can connect you with training, education, and employment opportunities.
This is the perfect time to transition back to school, work, or do volunteer work. You can explore new careers and gain valuable education for your future while you still have the strength and support of the sober living community to help you adjust and make these big decisions.
What Is Expected of Me in a Sober Living Community?
Everyone within the community is expected to do their part. When you join a sober living community, you will agree to the monthly rent and agree to abide by all of the rules of the facility and community. You agree to abstain from all substances and to submit to random drug and alcohol tests. You are expected to attend weekly 12-Step meetings, participate in the in-house meetings, and attend community events, such as barbecues and other fun social events.
You are also expected to cooperate with others and be willing to resolve any differences in a respectful manner. While you should obviously feel comfortable and at home, you are expected to fulfill your responsibilities to the community and be respectful to others. Living by these guidelines will not only help reinforce your sobriety but will strengthen your character and help you in your future recovery.
How Do Sober Living Communities Help Me Transition to the Real World?
After living in active addiction, your mind and body need time to heal, which takes longer than just 30 days of treatment. Simply going from one lifestyle to another very different lifestyle is difficult enough. Your body is also changing physically and chemically as you are healing. This process can be quite a shock mentally, emotionally, and physically if you try to make the changes so quickly. One reason that relapse is so common is that people are not given the support they need after their initial residential treatment to reinforce the good habits and changes in their lives.
A sober living community gives you the opportunity to transition from treatment while you have reinforcement and support. In treatment, you are restricted to the facility, which basically makes compliance compulsory. In sober living, you are gradually given more freedom and independence as you learn to stand on your own two feet. In the beginning, you can lean more on others as you are just learning what it means to be sober. Later on, you can be the one others lean on in the community.
Sober living gives you the chance to learn and grow in an organic way while still offering you the strength of community. Creating a fellowship of men who are also in early recovery creates a safe yet fun environment for your continued healing after treatment. Being a part of a sober living community helps to prepare you for the real world by teaching you responsibility and accountability while offering you valuable support as you learn new life skills.
Is a sober living community right for you? After treatment, a sober living community provides an ideal way to transition back into the real world by offering you stability, support, fun, and friendship with others who share a common bond and goals. You learn accountability and new skills as you re-enter the workforce and build new habits to help you in recovery and in life. You can build friendships that will last for life as you learn to support each other in your recovery. Real Recovery Sober Living provides safe, clean, affordable living for you after treatment for addiction. We are the best-rated and largest sober living community for men in Florida. We help you build a strong foundation for your recovery while having fun and building healthy friendships. Contact us today at (727) 290-9156 to learn more about our programs.
