Statistics show that the relapse rate for recovering drug addicts in America is between 40 to 60 percent. Once you detox from substances, the challenging life of managing the addiction begins. Recovering addicts ought to replace bad habits with good ones that sustain their sobriety. Keeping up with recovery demands on your own can be tough. Sober living homes provide a conducive environment that you need to adjust to a sober life.  Sober living homes, also known as transitional living arrangements, or recovery residences, provide structured surroundings to support your sobriety. Going straight from an inpatient detox program to living in society, free from many addiction treatments rules, can be challenging. Sober living houses provide the structure you need to integrate into society slowly.

The First Year of Sobriety Can Be a Challenging One 

Substance dependence will have helped you deal with stress and some emotions. Once the effects of the drugs go away, coping with these occurrences will be challenging. You will also have to cut ties with friends that you took drugs with. It will be difficult during the first year as you get new acquaintances and learn different coping techniques. Adopting healthy habits will require effort, especially in the first year of being sober. Transitional living arrangements can help you get used to a life free from drugs.

Sober Living 

Sober living is a technique that recovering addicts can use to help them stay on track. It involves staying in facilities with fewer rules than inpatient programs. You can stay in recovery residences for as long as necessary, and you will have some freedom of movement. Sober living allows recovering addicts to use structure to continue with sobriety as they slowly pick up the aspects of their lives that substance dependence might have affected. Residents engage in various programs that keep them on track.

Sober Living Homes 

What is a sober living home? Any recovering addict needs to know the answer to this question. Sober living houses are drug-free living surrounding recovering addicts. These facilities are available throughout the country, and they help former addicts embrace their sobriety.  Residents can stay in these centers until they are ready to continue with their life in society. They provide informal treatment, which makes them fly under the radar of state licensing bodies. Sober living houses have different programs that help recovering addicts. The intensity of these undertakings reduces as you get close to leaving the recovery residence. 

Specifics of Sober Living Arrangements 

Sober living houses belong to individuals, groups, or companies. These owners formulate some regulations that you will need to follow during your residence. The rules may vary from one recovery residence to another. Administrators expect you to comply with their requirements as they seek to provide a conducive sober living environment for you and other recovering addicts.  You can stay in a sober living facility for as long as your recovery needs you to reside in one. Sober living houses allow residents to continue with some aspects of their lives while returning to the facility. Some let their clients sleep away from the center during the weekend during their recovery. There will be some mandatory activities during your stay. Residents often have flexible payment arrangements, and some pay by working jobs the sober living house finds for them.  Some transitional living arrangements have ties with nearby treatment centers. These sober living houses liaise with the addiction treatment programs to provide the best environment for recovery and integration into a sober life. Addiction experts may come in to check on the residents frequently.  Expect some chores and mandatory programs during your stay in the recovery residence. Residents do errands to help them be responsible. Recovery is an ongoing process that will require you to make the right choices. Being accountable enables you to stay on track, and it ensures you deal with obstacles in your path by facing them. Attending group meetings, some counseling sessions, and observing curfews are mandatory. Accept these obligatory programs as they help you stay sober.

Tips for Choosing a Sober Living House  

There are many sober living facilities for you to pick one from them. While the essential services they provide are closely similar, some considerations can help you settle on the appropriate one. Sober living houses will play a vital role in your integration to a drug-free life. You need to pick the best one that will give you the best chance of a comfortable transition.  

Here are tips that can help you choose the best sober living homes:

• Central location: the home you pick should be close to your school or work, therapy, and family. This proximity will allow you to move from one point to another with ease. You can also incorporate your life out of the sober living house, at home, to the recovery. 
• Be comfortable with the rules: different facilities have their regulations. Ensure you are conversant with them, and you are ready to live with them before checking in with them. Hastily moving in may complicate the recovery. You will be uncomfortable, and the sober living house may impose measures that you may not like. Most of these regulations are there to facilitate your transition and that of other residents to a drug-free life. Ask them to help you understand any that does not seem right with you before making your decision. 
• Look for referrals or reviews from past and current residents: people who lived or are living in the transitional residence can paint a picture of how life in the facility is. Their referrals can be online, or you can get them by asking friends or other people you know about a sober living house. Filter their feedback to what you think may be relevant as their experience may not necessarily be similar to yours. 
• Compare the prices: while sober living houses are often affordable compared to inpatient treatment, they charge differently. These differences in pricing could be due to the different services and luxury they provide. Pick a facility that satisfies your requirements and is within your price range. Examine their payment plans to settle on one convenient for you. 

Is a Sober Living Home the Right Choice? 

You can get an answer to this question if you meet these criteria. 

1. You have tried living on the outside of an inpatient facility, and you struggled to stay sober 
2. Outpatient treatment does not cater to your needs
3. You recognize the challenge that is ahead, and you need help to transition into a life free from drugs 
4. There is no support for your recovery from friends or your family 
5. You need to get better while continuing with aspects of your life, such as your job or school 

If you meet these criteria, search for sober living homes near me and get into a sober living residence.

Signs That Sober Living May Not Be the Best Choice

While sober living has many benefits to many recovering addicts, it is not always a viable option for everyone. It might be inappropriate for you under these circumstances: 

• Your addiction requires more considerable care than that provided by sober living houses 
• You struggle to get acquainted with new faces and new surroundings 
• Charges of recovery residences are too high such that you cannot afford them 
• You tend to isolate yourself from people 
• Rules, such as curfews and mandatory activities, set by others are uncomfortable 
• You suffer from uncontrollable social anxiety 

How Do I Select the Best Sober Living Program?

Sober living houses offer unique services to residents. These guidelines can help you make the right choice of a transitional living arrangement. 

1. Conduct your research about a facility before joining it. Know their capacity, services, and charges, among others, to see if it is right for you.
2. Ask questions. For any vague findings that your research concludes, feel free to seek clarity from the relevant people in the recovery residence. 
3. Know their rules in advance. Different facilities have regulations that guide their residents. These requirements could be about mandatory meetings, chores, curfews, and what do I need to bring to sober living home, among others. 
4. Tour the sober living house. Once you have a facility you may like, visit it before seeking entry. This trip can help you confirm what you know and add to your knowledge. It will also help you see whether you can comfortably stay in the transitional living home as you recover.
5. Talk to your treatment provider about sober living. Doctors have extensive knowledge about programs and facilities in the area. Consult them to get valuable insights that will help you make an informed choice. 

Riviera Sober Living: Best Sober Living Houses in L.A 

Riviera Recovery is among the best sober living homes in California. We believe that your recovery deserves the best care possible. 

We have two different locations:

Our Pacific Palisades sober living house is co-ed with separate washrooms for each gender. The facility has ample parking space with beautiful ocean scenery where you can take long walks. Our Barrington House located in west L.A is an all-male facility. We have a large cozy lounge area within the facility, an outdoor patio with BBQ and a library. Both sober living houses are within walking distance to a gym, yoga studios and museums within the surrounding area. Consequently, we provide a conducive environment and the care you need to safely and satisfactorily replace bad habits with good ones to support your sobriety. We host a specific number of residents at a time to ensure our residents receive quality services. Our staff support residents after their stay to ensure they continue with sobriety.  Riviera Recovery provides clean, luxury, and pet-friendly surroundings to help residents in their recovery. Our facilities in Los Angeles provide services that include some mandatory meetings, nightly check-ins, and food management systems, among others. We prioritize your recovery, and we design our programs to give you the best chance of comfortably getting used to a life free from drugs and bad habits that encouraged substance dependence. 

Conclusion 

Overcoming a substance use disorder is challenging. Once you are through with detox, the process of staying sober begins. The first year of recovery can be challenging as you adopt new habits and cut ties with people that make you susceptible to relapse. Sober living residences provide recovering addicts with a conducive environment to facilitate their recovery. Choose the best sober living houses and ensure you are ready for sober living to have the best outcomes. Riviera Recovery provides a reliable and comfortable living program for our residents. Our facilities are across California, including Los Angeles. We design our sober living procedures to ensure our clients are happy, and they transition to a drug-free life seamlessly.  Call us today (866) 478-8799 or send us a private message to learn how we can help with your recovery.