If you’re considering sober living in Irvine, you may be curious about how effective these programs can be. The answer can vary based on the facility you choose and where you’re at in your treatment.
That being said, the general rule of thumb is that sober living facilities help people remain sober. To help you better understand why that’s true, we’ve created this article, which highlights five key benefits of sober living in Irvine.
Let’s get into it.
What is sober living, exactly?
Before we get into the benefits, it’s worth first taking a moment to review what sober living homes are.
Sober-living homes are group homes you can go to live in after completing rehab. You typically get a room to yourself and may be assigned some household chores by whoever is in charge of the home.
The number of people living in a sober living facility can vary. But most companies try to keep homes relatively small to create more community cohesion and minimize the potential for disruptions.
People who are in recovery from different substances can live in the same sober living home. For example, if you’re healing from alcohol addiction, you might live in a home with someone recovering from an opioid dependency or methamphetamine.
5 Benefits of Sober Living in Irvine
Now that we’ve covered what sober living is let’s take a look at some of the main benefits you can get by pursuing one of these programs in Irvine.
Reduce the Risk of Relapse
First, and perhaps most importantly, your risk of relapsing will be greatly diminished while living in a sober home. This is true for a few reasons.
First, you’ll be in a home surrounded by other people who are living sober lifestyles. That alone can have a positive impact on you by keeping you committed to working towards your long-term sobriety goals.
Additionally, you’ll keep busy while living in a sober home. This typically involves working a job, completing some basic chores around the house, and spending time with others in group meetings.
The bottom line is that while you’re living in a sober home, you won’t have as much of an opportunity to relapse, and your cravings will be easier to deal with when you’re surrounded by others who know what you’re going through.
Transition Your Recovery Gradually
One of the biggest challenges for someone in recovery is transitioning from rehab to the real world.
During a rehab program, you get removed from your environment and are free to focus entirely on the healing process. Once that’s over, going back into the real world right away can be jarring. You have to suddenly fend for yourself again and may be placed back into an environment that’s not conducive to maintaining sobriety.
A better path is to transition from rehab to a sober living facility. That way, you still have some support available to you and are able to gradually adjust your recovery to the real world instead of having to try and do it all at once.
Develop Real-World Skills
When someone is living with addiction, healthy habits are typically difficult to keep up. This creates a situation when, once treatment is completed, the individual may not have the life skills necessary to succeed in the real world.
Sober living helps with this as well. You’ll get the opportunity to work with professionals who can help you develop healthy routines and habits so that you learn how to be a functioning, healthy adult again once you’re back on your own.
In sober living, you get the opportunity to try out new routines and habits to see what works for you without feeling pressured to figure everything out all at once. That can set you up for success once you’re ready to transition back out into the real world.
Build Meaningful Relationships Founded in Sobriety
Another challenge of the recovery journey is getting back into the real world and realizing that many of your closest relationships might’ve been detrimental to your sobriety. This can lead to isolation, which can be a contributing factor to relapsing.
Sober living homes give you the opportunity to start forming new connections with people who are in the same stages of the recovery process that you are. These connections can turn into friendships and make you feel supported in a way that you might not be able to achieve if you didn’t spend any time in a sober home.
Receive Constant Guidance and Support From Professionals
Another huge benefit of sober living is the opportunity it provides to continue working with a variety of substance abuse specialists. This includes group leaders, therapists, holistic healing experts, and more.
Sober living homes aren’t an extension of rehab. But they give you access to many of the same forms of care that you received while in rehab. Your manager will likely be available 24/7 to help you in times of crisis and provide you guidance whenever you need it.
Having access to this kind of support can be highly beneficial to your recovery process. It can help you continue improving and gaining the skills that you need to keep up your sobriety once you transition back out into the real world.
Is sober living for everyone?
Now that we’ve covered some of the main benefits of sober living, it’s worth also taking a look at whether this form of care is right for you. As you evaluate that, here are three questions you can ask yourself to make a more informed decision.
Do you have a stable home environment?
One of the main benefits that sober living homes provide is a stable environment. They give you a safe, sober place to live that’s always going to contribute to your recovery instead of making it harder.
That’s why it’s worth asking yourself how your current home environment is when deciding whether sober living is right for you. If you don’t live somewhere stable or sober, then spending some time in a sober living home can be a great idea.
But if you do have a great home life that’s supportive of your sobriety, sober living may be more of an option than a requirement. It can be helpful, but if you already have a strong support system in place, going to therapy and keeping up with group sessions may be enough for your aftercare plan to be successful.
How secure do you feel in your recovery?
It’s also worth considering your own internal feelings about the recovery process you’re currently going through while deciding on sober living. At the end of the day, we’re often the best judges of our own journey, and that should absolutely be taken into account.
Of course, it can also be challenging to be objective sometimes. So take your feelings with a grain of salt, and consider discussing them with treatment professionals before making a final decision.
Have you relapsed after rehab before?
You should also think about your past experiences with recovery while deciding on sober living. If you’re someone who has struggled to transition your healing into the real world previously, then sober living could be the piece that you’ve been missing.
Or maybe you don’t have any experience with life after rehab yet. In that case, you don’t necessarily know if you need sober living or not, and it may be best to rely on the advice of your care team when finalizing your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sober Living in Irvine
If you’ve never experienced it before, you may have a ton of questions left about sober living. This section will answer some of the ones that we hear most often.
But if you still have some after reviewing these answers, you’re always welcome to reach out to one of our addiction specialists for a personalized response.
What’s the difference between sober living and a halfway house?
The terms “sober living” and “halfway house” are often used interchangeably with one another. However, there are some differences that you should know about.
Most importantly, halfway houses are typically government-run programs that are for people with criminal backgrounds in addition to those struggling with substance abuse. People are these facilities may be mandated to stay at them by a court decision and may have to leave after a certain amount of time has lapsed.
Sober living homes, on the other hand, are specifically for people who are in the middle of an ongoing recovery process. This often makes them safer and more peaceful places than halfway homes.
Will I be drug tested in sober living?
Yes, the vast majority of sober living homes require those who live in them to be drug tested. That makes sense because these are places that need to remain free of drugs and alcohol in order to be effective places of recovery.
The kind of drug testing that you go through while living in a sober living home can vary based on the facility you’re at. Some places will test you randomly, while others will test you according to a set schedule. It just depends on how they do things at that home.
How long do I stay in sober living?
One of the benefits of sober living homes is that you can typically stay in them for as long as you feel you need to. That may mean spending a few months in a sober home, or it could involve a stay of as long as a year.
Research from The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that the average stay in a sober living home is between 166 and 254 days. However, it really depends on how quickly you make progress with your healing journey, what your care team thinks, and the kind of environment that’s waiting for you outside of the sober living home.
What rules do I have to follow in sober living?
Every sober living facility has its own set of rules that residents have to follow in order to remain in the home. This often includes getting home at night by a set curfew time, remaining sober, and avoiding romantic relationships with other members of the home.
Sober living homes can be very strict or more relaxed than you expect. That’s one reason why it’s important to do some research before selecting a home. You want to make sure you find one that provides structure and keeps you safe without restricting you so much that it feels like you can’t breathe.
Can I have visitors in a sober living home?
Policies toward visitors can also vary from home to home. However, as a general rule of thumb, residents typically are allowed to have visitors, but they often need to be approved by whoever manages the home.
For example, if you want to have a friend over at the end of the week, you may have to make that request by a certain date in order to get it approved. But it really just depends on which sober living home you choose.
Will I be able to stay away from the home overnight?
Yes, residents in sober living homes are often granted overnight passes based on the progress they make with their treatment. In fact, staying away from the home overnight can be an important step in the recovery journey.
The number of overnight passes that you get and the requirements you need to satisfy in order to earn them will vary from facility to facility. But the bottom line is that it’s usually possible to stay away from the home overnight as long as you’re making good progress.
Can I use my cell phone, laptop, or tablet in sober living?
Yes, most sober living homes allow you to use electronic devices like these and offer WiFi so that you can use them. You’ll have more freedom around how you’re able to use these in sober living than you did in rehab.
Get in touch with Zoe Behavioral Health if you think sober living in Irvine is right for you
If you’re interested in sober living in the Irvine area, then consider reaching out to Zoe Behavioral Health to learn more about your options.
We offer a wide variety of treatment options to choose from, including sober living facilities. These provide the opportunity to forge new relationships and continue working on your sobriety in a supportive environment.
We’re happy to answer your questions, verify your insurance coverage, and tell you more about why sober living at one of our facilities could be the best fit for your recovery journey.
So why wait? You can take the first step by reaching out to one of our addiction specialists today for a free consultation. We hope to hear from you soon to get started.