Millions of people struggle with addiction every day. Addiction is one of the most common and deadly diseases that currently affects humanity. The good news is that there are many effective tools to help one recover from addiction. This includes joining a sober living house, which may or may not have a curfew.
You’re Sober, Now What?
Many people find themselves sober, only to then ask themselves, “Now what?” This is common. After all, many of us have lived most of our adult lives under the influence of alcohol and substances and don’t have any sober reference for what comes next after getting sober.
This lack of sober reference is also why joining a sober living home can be so beneficial. It can help to build up that essential knowledge while remaining in a safe and supportive space. It can also help an individual avoid a potential relapse early in recovery.
Many people don’t realize just how prevalent relapses are in early recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “It has long been known that addictive disorders are chronic and relapsing in nature. Recent estimates from clinical treatment studies suggest that more than two-thirds of individuals relapse within weeks to months of initiating treatment.” Also, “For 1-year outcomes across alcohol, nicotine, weight, and illicit drug abuse, studies show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and return to drug use within 1 year of treatment.” Sober living with a curfew can help reduce this relapse potential.
Better Understanding Sober Living
Sober living is essentially a housing option for those individuals in early recovery who are not ready to be fully back in their everyday lives. If you feel like you may be triggered in your early recovery, a sober living home may be just the right fit for you.
Sober living can also be built into a recovery plan. This plan may begin with a detox, followed by residential addiction care, followed by an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and lead into a sober living home. The key is to connect with a recovery plan and recovery professionals that are going to fit your individual needs.
The Benefits of Sober Living
There are many benefits to joining a sober living home. The following are just a few of those benefits:
- Helps to create safe and healthy relationships
- Reduces the chances of a potential relapse
- Helps one to avoid triggers
- Reduces life anxiety and stress
- Can connect you to a spiritual program
- Creates accountability
- Helps to establish boundaries
- It can help while one gets their finances in order
- Connects one to a regular schedule of recovery meetings
This last one (recovery meetings) can be critical. This is because recovery meetings can help one avoid potential pitfalls in recovery. It also helps one establish essential structure and rules in recovery. This structure may include having a curfew in a sober living home.
Why Does Sober Living Have a Curfew?
Not all sober living homes have curfews, but most do. The reason for this is that a curfew can help keep you accountable and stick to your proposed plan of recovery.
A curfew can also keep you safe. The reality is that there are certain times when alcohol and substance use are more prevalent. These times are usually after dark. A curfew can ensure that you have less exposure to toxic and triggering situations. Again, a curfew simply reduces the chances of a potential relapse. But accountability is not all that sober living has to offer.
Sober Living: More Than Just a Curfew
Now, sober living also offers many other opportunities. A sober living home can keep one connected to the many effective modalities that can help one experience long-term success in their recovery.
These modalities may include psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). There are also many effective modalities that reside in the realm of experiential therapy. These include art therapy and nature-based therapies like surf therapy and horticulture therapy. There are also many holistic healing methods that can be utilized in sober living.
Holistic healing methods like yoga and mindfulness meditation have been practiced for thousands of years. However, they are now becoming more and more common in the world of addiction and mental health recovery. They can help you to better connect and stay connected to both your emotions and your Higher Power, if you should choose to adopt one.
The Importance of Long-Term Success at Lantana Recovery
Here at Lantana Recovery, we believe in long-term success over short-term fixes. That is why all of our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive, with a focus on the future. This includes our plans for clients who benefit from sober living.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, the time to make a change is now. Recovery is waiting. You can do this! We can help.
Many people don’t realize the importance of structure in a sober living home. This includes the importance of a reasonable curfew. The good news is that, ultimately, this structure will help lead to long-term recovery. There are also many effective means, methods, and modalities that can help in achieving long-term sobriety. If you feel you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the benefits of sober living facilities, please reach out to Lantana Recovery today at (866) 997-2870.
