The care that you received in the inpatient facility may have helped you regain sobriety that you once thought eluded you. Now that you are sober, you may wonder what kind of life awaits you once you are discharged from the inpatient facility. How can you maintain the sobriety that you worked so hard for and want to continue for the rest of your life?
The first few weeks and months after your discharge are critical to your success as a newly sober individual. You may not want to go back to living where you did prior to checking in for treatment. You also may recognize the dangers of associating with friends and loved ones who encouraged you to use drugs and alcohol in the first place.
You need to surround yourself with people and situations that will foster the sobriety you have worked for and hold you accountable for your actions. By choosing an approved outpatient program, networking with your medical team, and moving into a house that revolves around sober living Columbus Ohio recovering addicts like you may maintain your inpatient results and gain important resources to help you continue on the path to sobriety in the future.
Living with Fellow Recovering Addicts
If you go back to living in the same place as you did before you went into rehab, you could be setting yourself up for a relapse. Being around the same people with whom you drank and did drugs will only tempt you to fall back into your old habits and suffer a setback that can be just as difficult from which to recover.
Because of this potential relapse, you may instead focus on the Importance of sober living and choose a place like a halfway house where you can live with people who have been down the same path as you. This place acts as a go-between after you get out of inpatient care and before you go back to your normal routine. It gives you time to learn how to live sober before you enter back into society as a newly recovered addict.
The people who live in the halfway house with you also will have been in recovery programs like yours. They will know your struggles and relate to your experiences as you go back to work, school, and regular society. They will be there to encourage you and provide a sympathetic ear when things get tough.
In turn, you will have the chance to lend the same sympathy and understanding to people who live with you. Together, all of you can hold each other accountable for your actions and learn how to navigate life once again.
As part of the arrangement of living in the halfway house, you and your housemates may be required to attend 12-step meetings and other outpatient programs to help you maintain your sobriety. If you do not comply, you could be forced to move out of the home. The programs are there to help strengthen and encourage you as you reenter society.
The length of time you can live in the halfway house will depend on a number of factors. Many patients live in halfway homes for up to three to six months. Others say a year or longer. It will depend in part on how well you are able to integrate back into regular society without relapsing into drug or alcohol use.
It also will depend on your financial situation and whether or not your expenses are covered partially or fully by your insurance or government programs like Medicaid. You may need to get a part or full-time job to help pay your rooming expenses if your insurance will not cover your costs.
These questions have to be answered if you plan to move into a halfway home. You can use the online form to request information from the organization. It can put you in contact with another entity that can guide you toward a halfway house that may accommodate your financial and recovery situation. You can then make the decision of where you would like to live after you are discharged from the inpatient recovery program.
Your journey toward sobriety continues long after you are discharged from inpatient care. The weeks and months that follow are critical to how long and how well you stay sober. You can readjust to life after rehabilitation by moving into a sober living halfway house that provides support and encouragement for recovering addicts.