Sober living homes provide a variety of benefits that help reinforce skills learned during therapy and ease the challenges often experienced during the earliest stages of recovery.  

While staying in a sober living home, you are living with others who not only support your recovery goals but share in your goal to remain sober. As a result, other members of the household will support you and hold you accountable each day. Both other house members and the house managers (trained staff) are there to offer support and guidance should you encounter potential issues during recovery such as cravings, mental health concerns, medical concerns, or simply needing someone to talk to. 

While helping each other to stay accountable, you will also form lasting peer relationships with other members of the sober living home. This benefit may not seem significant at the moment; however, as you transition out of the sober living home, back to your community environment, it is likely you will notice changes. Many who are new to sobriety find it necessary to distance themselves from friends and even some family members who do not share similar sobriety goals. The peer relationships formed during your stay at a sober living home provide a way to avoid the loneliness and isolation that are common outcomes of changes in your social circle. Loneliness is a crucial factor in relapse and having people you can turn to when you struggle (or when things are great) is a significant element of relapse prevention. 

Another benefit to sober living homes includes life-skill development. Addiction often has a significant and negative impact on one’s daily life. This may consist of everything from self-care and personal hygiene to maintaining a clean home or keeping a job. Although sober living homes provide far more freedom than an inpatient care setting, they also provide structure. Many sober living homes offer assistance with reinforcing vital life skills and personal responsibility. 

Perhaps most notably, a sober living home helps ease your transition back to your “normal” life while still helping you heal and reinforce your relapse prevention skills. Addiction is a disease. It is often called a chronic, relapsing disease because although it can be successfully treated, it is never 100% cured. Sobriety and lasting recovery require an ongoing commitment. This is part of the reason why sober living homes are a vital part of any comprehensive addiction treatment plan. Without the support of a sober living home, the “real world” and all of its potential relapse triggers could quickly reverse all the hard work done during treatment. A sober living home provides a safe and secure place away from triggers so you can transition out of supported care at a pace that is comfortable for you.