SAN DIEGO, April 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 100% of the time, sober living San Diego are operated and managed by recovering addicts and alcoholics.
More often than not, these managers have been through multiple treatment centers and suffered multiple relapses. At some point these individuals have found an effective drug rehab program, gotten clean and sober, and now dedicate their lives to helping others achieve recovery.
This is the foundation of most sober living San Diego. At its core, the environment is designed to be a forum where the newly sober individual’s struggles with sobriety can be supported by a community that understands how difficult it is to maintain a clean and sober lifestyle.
Sober Living is not Treatment
The most important thing to understand about sober living San Diego is that they are not treatment centers. In fact, sober living homes cannot offer residents any type of clinical or medical treatment onsite.
This means that not everyone will immediately qualify for enrollment in a sober living center. If an individual needs medical detox to get safely off of alcohol or drugs, they will have to go to a detox program first before they can enroll in an SL environment.
How do Sober Living Homes Work
No one can quite understand and relate to an addict like another addict. Sober living homes work through this basic principle. A strong system of peer support is usually the premise by which sober living homes operate. However, there are essentially two types of sober living environments. To truly understand how SL communities help addicts and alcoholics maintain recovery, you have to first understand the two basic types of sober living homes.
Structured Sober Living Homes
In this type of sober living environment, there is an incredible amount of accountability to a structured daily routine. This system of accountability will take various forms, but there will usually at least be some of the following:
A black-out period
A established curfew
A house chore schedule
Mandatory urinalysis testing
Restrictions on visitation and passes
Rules about leaving the house unescorted by peers
Strict rules about community living, 12-step meetings, sponsorship
Essentially, these rules will vary from sober living to sober living. However, the rules themselves are a type of behavior modification ideology. This can be a very effective technique for younger residents, but it often alienates the more mature population. Oftentimes, professional people seeking a sober living environment will be off-put by structured sober living homes simply because the rules restrict them from being able to go to work, drive a car, etc.
Non-Structured Sober Living Homes
This type of sober living environment is designed to meet the needs of a more willing resident. Just because a person is an alcoholic or addict doesn’t mean they require rigid rules for what they can or can’t do. Again, it is very difficult to maintain a job or pursue an education in structured sober living communities because of the restrictions placed on offsite activities. For people who are working, non-structured SL’s are often the method of choice because they are allowed the dignity of addressing their addiction without sacrificing the parts of their life they are productive in.
12-Step Programs and Sober Communities
One thing that both structured and non-structured sober communities have in common is that they almost always require residents to participate in a 12-step program.
The 12-step systems all stem from the founding program, Alcoholics Anonymous. AA is a method to helping people recover from alcoholism, but there are many other 12-step programs that have developed since AA’s inception.
Regardless of a resident’s drug of choice, there will be a 12-step program they can attend where relateability will not be an issue for them. Sober living managers recognize this fact and almost all of them require a commitment to one of the many free support groups found with this construct.
Speak with an Alcohol and Drug Counselor
If you would like to complete a free assessment to determine your eligibility for enrollment in a sober living center, please visit Soberlivinglocal.com. Credentialed staff can help you either find an SL in your area, or help you to get the rehabilitation services you need.
Contact Info:
Author: Kevin Leonard
Organization: Soberlivinglocal.com
Address: 27420 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590
Phone: 888-325-2454
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