Completing a stint in rehab is an amazing accomplishment, but for most it represents only the first step in a long and, quite frankly, arduous journey. With that in mind, it may be wise to ease your second step by taking it in a sober home. Consider these five benefits to staying in a sober home for the next stage of your sobriety, and make the best decision for yourself:
1. Avoid substances in your home
If you live with others who still take the substances you’re trying to avoid, it can be a major impediment to your sobriety — easy access and an environment of consumption can tempt even the strongest of wills in a moment of weakness. Staying in a sober home allows you to avoid this difficulty for a time, while you fortify your resistance further.
2. Work with others facing the same challenges
Facing a difficult challenge alongside others will always be easier than facing it alone, without anyone nearby to understand and share in your tribulations. A sober home creates an environment of mutual support, which greatly improves your chances of a long-term victory over addiction.
3. Get some distance from old acquaintances
It can be a very difficult thing to face, but one of the greatest threats to sobriety can be the presence of friends and acquaintances — especially those who continue to struggle with what you’re overcoming. If you need to step away from your normal life for a little longer, and avoid those people in your life you know will represent an ongoing challenge to your sobriety, a stay in a sober home can be a good way to get the distance you need.
4. Professional support
While no one but you can make the decisions that will keep you sober every day, the assistance of a professional can nonetheless ease those decisions, giving you insight, perspective, and strategies to assist you in overcoming each threat to your sobriety that will arise.
5. Dedication to sobriety
The decision to commit to time in a sober home can become part of a positive self-fulfilling prophecy; in dedicating yourself so thoroughly to sobriety, you make it all the more likely you will succeed.