Overview of Real Recovery’s Relapse Policy

At Real Recovery, we are fully committed to assisting our residents to maintain abstinence and develop a healthy and independent lifestyle. To influence this standpoint, we have various rules and a relapse policy in place. These policies are not meant to be punitive but to help you maintain accountability for your actions during your sober living journey. There are many ways that we help you during your sober living journey to refrain from relapse and continue your success.

Real Recovery Relapse Policy

At Real Recovery, we have a zero-tolerance policy for substance use on our premises. Our policy is in place to ensure that each of our residents is provided with a substance-free environment to help them maintain their sobriety. This policy directly aligns with our mission: “To provide a safe and stable recovery environment with a strong community support system to help men successfully transition back into the real world.”

Once the relapse has been confirmed by either using or receiving a positive result on a drug screen or breathalyzer, the resident is given one hour to leave the property. They are not allowed to be left alone during this hour. This helps to ensure that substances are not on the premises during this time. A resident assistant or program administrator will be present while they gather their belongings and prepare to leave.

Our staff will respond to this situation by offering ways for them to seek help. This may mean finding detox services and potentially seeking treatment services again. If the client refuses assistance, our staff will guide them to other sober living houses, ensuring they have a stable place to live and move forward from. If the client refuses these services, we will ensure they are somewhere safe. This may mean finding a family member to stay with, a sober friend, a sponsor, or a homeless shelter for them to go to for the time being. The resident’s emergency contact will be notified, as well as the individual or center that referred you.

During this process, the safety of our community and residents is the primary focal point. If the client who had relapsed chooses to operate a vehicle while intoxicated, authorities will be notified to help keep the community and the individual safe. When a resident refuses to leave, authorities may be called to escort the resident from the property. When residents begin their sober living journey, they are required to sign agreement forms agreeing to this policy. Therefore, none of these encounters will be a surprise to our residents.

If the discharge process goes smoothly, you are always welcome to return to our sober living home if a bed is available. We understand that mistakes happen and want to provide you with another chance when specific guidelines are met. The following criteria are required for re-admission after a relapse:

• Have one week of continued sobriety (confirmed by your sponsor)
• Pass a UA test and breathalyzer
• Plea their case to the Real Recovery Community
  • Peers will vote in favor of what is in the best interest of the individual and the community
• Pay an admission fee of $150 at the time of reentry

These policies are not in place to punish our residents for relapse but to share the reality of the harsh consequences that can be involved with relapse and hold every individual accountable for their choices. Following these policies is a way to ensure the safety and well-being of the sober community and take these encounters seriously.

Response to Relapse

If a relapse does occur, the situation will be handled depending on the case by our staff. Our staff will respond appropriately, observing the severity of the occasion and the effects it may have had on other residents. If you do encounter a relapse on the premises, there is a potential of being terminated from our sober living facility, especially if it is a repeating offense.

While this may be intimidating, it is best to be honest about your relapse and seek help rather than try to hide it. It will likely show on a drug test and be known at some point. Being honest about it allows us to create a new relapse prevention plan and determine how we can avoid this in the future, potentially coming back to our sober living home.

Our Approach

While we know that relapses occur occasionally, we are here to assist you in avoiding this encounter by all means possible. The following aspects of our facility have been implemented to help you hold yourself accountable and access the resources you need to keep yourself on track in your recovery journey.

Modern Living Space

While you are at Real Recovery, we don’t want you to feel like you are locked away in a treatment facility. We want you to feel at home. To create this environment, we have modernized living spaces, just as if you were renting an apartment. Your area is fully furnished with high-speed internet and modern appliances to help you make the most out of your everyday life.

Not only do we want you to feel at home in a modern environment, but we also want your surroundings to be clean and well-kept. We work hard to ensure the maintenance of the facility is well-kept and succeeding your expectations. Your focus should be on creating a sober lifestyle for you, not stressing about the lack of care put into the facility.

Randomized Testing

Throughout your time at our sober living home, you will be required to take randomized drug and alcohol tests weekly. You will be randomly breathalyzed or required to keep providing a UA to ensure you are maintaining your sobriety. These tests are not in place to “catch you in the act” but to help keep you safe. Ensuring that everyone in our sober living home is abiding by the rules in place and maintaining their sobriety is essential to make sure each of the residents is in a safe space, including you.

Equality Without Exceptions

Every resident at our sober living facility has a different background. We have all made mistakes and engaged in choices that led us to where we are today. Everyone needs to be welcoming and respectful to other residents, regardless of their situation. To ensure this level of equality is present, we have a zero-tolerance policy for disrespect or treating others unequally at our sober living homes.

Balanced Comprehension

Real Recovery also maintains a high focus on treating the mind, body, and spirit. If one of these areas is lacking in your recovery journey, you may be more likely to relapse to try and compensate for the lack of balance within yourself. However, by taking this approach in our practices, you can establish a balanced state to build your life. You will be able to develop the skills to manage each of these aspects and cater to your needs without relapsing during future endeavors.

Loosely Structured

At our facility, you will have requirements to fulfill within your recovery journey to ensure you are staying on track with your sobriety maintenance, but you will not be held to a strict schedule. You have the freedom to engage in work or social activities outside of the facility on your terms. There are some rules to follow, but your schedule is ultimately up to your discretion.

This structure allows you to dip your foot into independence while still having a background of support. The transition into full independence can cause many individuals to feel overwhelmed and potentially relapse as a form of coping with the drastic changes. This structure is in place to help our residents adjust to their independent lifestyles.

Availability of Resources

One of the most challenging aspects of sobriety maintenance for individuals in sober living is having access to appropriate resources to manage the conflicts that arise in their newfound sober lifestyle. We have a variety of resources available to you to help you overcome any of the hardships that come your way.

From tuition exemption, education, and employment opportunities to health and wellness resources, we have got you covered. If there is any conflict that arises that may be disrupting your sobriety maintenance, inform our staff, and we can direct you to the appropriate resources, easing the stress of many adulthood responsibilities.

How Does Our Approach Pertain to Relapse?

You may be wondering why our approach to providing a substantial sober living experience for you has anything to do with our relapse policy. Each of these aspects of our facility is in place to help you to avoid encountering a relapse. As our facility has no tolerance for substance use, we want to ensure that you have access to all of the resources you need to uphold that obligation.

Having a clean living environment can help you feel more put together and not label yourself as a recovering “addict.” Randomized breathalyzers and drug tests can help you to maintain accountability for your choices. These tests can be a strong deterring factor if the opportunity to relapse is presented. Being treated with respect by other residents of the sober living home can help you to avoid stressful encounters in your everyday interactions.

Treating your mind, body, and spirit allows you to develop the skills in all aspects of your life that are necessary to create a sense of balance and refrain from substance use. The loose structure of our facility allows you to still manage a set of responsibilities while also adjusting to a life of independence, creating an opportunity for you to make decisions on your own with the support to stay sober. Having access to resources you may wish to utilize can help this adjustment run smoothly.

Each of these approaches within our sober living home is in place to help you maintain your sobriety and avoid relapse. One of the most important focuses regarding relapse is learning how to avoid and prevent it from occurring. Each of these aspects can play a role in the prevention of encountering a relapse and can help set yourself up for long-term success.

Every treatment center and sober living home has its way of dealing with relapse encounters. By reviewing and understanding our relapse policy, you can be prepared for your sober living journey ahead. While aspects of our policy may seem extreme, these policies are in place to help keep each individual and the community as a whole safe and sober. If you encounter a relapse, we want to help guide you to appropriate resources and to take accountability for your actions, setting yourself up for success in the future. Relapse is not inevitable in recovery, and we are here to help you see that first-hand. To learn about our relapse policy at Real Recovery Sober Living Home, call (727) 290-9156.