For many people, the biggest obstacle they face after leaving drug and alcohol rehab is finding a supportive, drug-free home environment. Relapse is much higher with individuals who do not have access to stable housing. Unstable housing doesn’t support sobriety and can be full of triggers that lead to a relapse. For that reason, it’s important to plan for what happens after your residential treatment by finding the best sober living home in Michigan.
What is Sober Living?
Sober Living is a form of drug and alcohol-free housing usually monitored by state agencies. There are several benefits of Sober Living homes, the biggest of which is that they provide a stepping stone between the end of treatment and your long-term recovery and independence.
Many sober living facilities integrate the 12-step model, requiring residents to attend peer support groups. With the best sober living home in Michigan, you will be allowed to remain as long as you want while covering your costs of living and working towards finding stable work and independent housing.
What Makes the Best Sober Living Home in Michigan?
You want to look out for several things when evaluating different sober living facilities. For example, you’ll want a facility that does not allow abusive language or violence. If you are a woman with children, you’ll want a facility that doesn’t allow adult males to live on-site. It should provide separate living spaces and bathrooms for different genders if it’s a mixed-gender, sober living home.
Facilities
The best Sober Living homes will have state-of-the-art facilities that are well-maintained. If you see a facility that is run down, it might be good to consider looking elsewhere.
You should look for:
- Sleeping quarters are inside the building
- Well maintained grounds
- Clean interior
- Adequate lighting
- Working bathrooms and kitchens
- No broken doors or windows
Similarly, good facilities will provide safety and privacy provisions. You will typically share a room with one or more people, but some facilities give you higher privacy at a higher cost where you can enjoy private rooms.
Rules
A reputable sober living home will also require you to abide by certain rules. Some of these rules include the following:
- Regular drug testing or abstinence testing
- Curfews
- Inspections
- No drugs or alcohol on site, nor can you come back high or intoxicated
- Attendance in Twelve Step or other support group therapy sessions
Each facility will differ slightly in terms of the rules they enforce, but a reputable facility will have these rules for your benefit.
Good facilities will provide a written policy of the disciplinary process in case you test positive for drugs or alcohol. They will enforce adherence to medication as prescribed by a therapist or doctor and conduct any regular drug screening in a fair and dignified fashion, overseen by professionals.
Benefits of Sober Living Homes
Studies have found there are several benefits of Sober Living homes, including the following:
Length of Stay
Clients are allowed to stay at a facility once they receive admittance for as long as they want as long as they abide by the rules. There are no arbitrary discharge dates or forced evictions in order to free up space like there are with halfway houses.
This means individuals can decide when they are ready for higher levels of independence and aren’t constrained by time limitations.
Cost
Compared to halfway houses, Sober Living homes are a bit more affordable. They are particularly valuable in communities where individuals can’t access things like ongoing residential treatment but want to continue with outpatient care.
Liberty House’s Aftercare Program
With Liberty House, we work hard to provide comprehensive residential treatment. A big part of that treatment is to prepare you for what comes after leaving our facility.
In order to achieve these preparations, we offer aftercare planning as part of your program. Clients benefit from aftercare planning because it provides support and services for recovery. It helps clients understand things like:
- How to resume a regular life
- What support might be needed after treatment
- How to manage an addiction
This aftercare support involves finding sober living facilities for some of our clients. There are several benefits of Sober Living homes, but the biggest is that it provides a safe place for you to continue in your recovery supported by a sober living environment.