Challenges in Living in a Sober House

Alcohol is the most widely abused drug world-wide, and since it is legal, people have the option to continually abuse the drug. If a person continues to abuse alcohol over long periods of time, they may develop an addiction to the substance. If a person has an addiction to alcohol, they will continually drink alcohol because they will not be able to control the urges they have to drink.

Alcohol addiction, better known as alcoholism, affects the lives of millions of Americans, and is one of the most difficult addictions for a person to manage since alcohol is legally distributed everywhere. When a person seeks out treatment for their alcohol addiction, they will have to detox from alcohol and learn how to manage their addiction. Since alcohol addiction is a chronic disease, which means that it is never fully goes away, a person has a high chance of relapsing once they leave treatment.

Sober houses, better known as halfway houses, are available for people to live in once they have recovered from their alcohol addiction. Sober houses are a way to gradually prepare a person for life back in society, and to help a person regain the social skills that they lost from their alcohol addiction.

Some people have a hard time with sober living because they have to learn to pull their weight and get along with others.

Many people do not have the option of coming back to nice home free from alcohol once the leave a treatment program, and this can cause many people to relapse. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information and National Institutes of Health, living environments that are destructive are the most problematic for recovering alcoholics who live in urban areas or have limited incomes. Individuals who are homeless once they leave treatment face constant threats to their sobriety.

Challenges of Living in a Sober House

At a sober house, a person will live with other people who are in the same situation as they are, however, there will also be professional staff there to supervise the people living in the house and to help coach them and support them in remaining sober.

Every person reacts to sober houses differently and there are challenges that a person may face while living in a sober house. The first challenge is learning to live with other people and getting along with them. Sober house programs are long-term, and a person’s housemates will be living there with them. Sometimes conflicts may arise and this can be challenging for some people.

Another challenge a person may face is following through on their responsibilities. At a sober house a person will be provided with responsibilities that they should do every day, and some people are not ready to make that step. A third challenge that a person may face is staying away from alcohol. Sober houses are not the same as inpatient rehab, and a person will have more freedom to do what they want when they live in a sober house, which means they may have the opportunity to get alcohol if they want it.

Sober houses can be a significant help for a person to relearn social skills and responsibility again, but they can be challenging and a person should make sure that they conduct research and find a sober house that they feel meets their individualized needs.