Graduating from drug rehab is a personal triumph for any teenager who has struggled with substance abuse, and it’s easy to get carried away. If your teenager just finished an inpatient treatment program, it’s okay to be proud of them, but remember that your teen isn’t “cured” by any means. If this sharp transition into the real world seems like too much, even with outpatient services going on, and even if your teen thinks they’re totally fine, you may want to research sober homes. Many of these facilities are built specifically for teenagers.
Benefits of Sober Homes
According to research, sober living homes are highly effective recovery services. A study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs linked the use of these homes to improvements in several key recovery areas:
- Alcohol and drug use declined
- Involvement in 12-step programs increased
- Employment rates were higher
- Psychiatric symptoms were less severe
Most sober living homes make use of the twelve-step program; at the least, they all require regular meeting attendance from all their live-ins. Wherever these meetings take place, they are usually open to the general public.
Teens in sober homes must follow rules, but they are also given some personal freedoms they didn’t have in rehab. They have the tools and guidance they need to recovery–a curfew, a weekly activities schedule, a support network of fellow recoveries–yet they can also go to school, work part-time jobs, spend time with their families, and so forth.
Rules
- No alcohol or drugs
- Residents must follow a curfew
- No guests after certain hours.
- Must attend counseling sessions or community meetings.
- Teens must participate in house meetings.
- Teens are assigned chores and tasks
- Teens must go to school or work at a job
The strictness isn’t meant to punish, but to teach and encourage discipline. Many teens in sober homes will find themselves contributing to order and organization themselves.
Finding a Sober Home
Sober living homes can be found in all states. Some are privately owned and can be found in big towns; others are located within addiction treatment clinics so that residents there can easily advance forward once they’ve completed traditional rehab, which must come first. Most addiction programs offer the service by default once your teen’s treatment is over, but you should look elsewhere as well. You need a facility that appears right for your teen and his or her personal growth, not just the most expensive option. Pay attention to where the facility is located to make sure there are no negative influences too close by.
Before you can adopt a sober life, you have to overcome your addiction. For a consultation, give us a call at (949) 637-5499
