The recovery community in California is vast and wonderful. California is a fairly progressive state, so when it comes to sober living options it’s a great place to be. Sober living refers to communities that cater to people in recovery.
These places do not offer treatment. They are more geared toward supporting sober people by providing an environment made up of other people in recovery.
Once you become sober for the first time, you are going to need a lot of support. These communities are the perfect place to support a sober lifestyle.
Living Sobriety as a Lifestyle
Sobriety is a lifestyle, after all. It takes a lot of practice and work. When you become sober, hanging around with people from your past can be tricky.
If you still have friends or loved ones who use drugs or alcohol, they can trigger you without even knowing it. Oftentimes you will need to build new relationships with people who embrace sobriety.
That’s why sober living programs can be so valuable to your recovery. It is a big change so it can be difficult at first, however, there are many benefits of choosing sober living.
Getting into sober living requires you to be all in with your recovery. If you are surrounded by others going through similar circumstances, it can encourage you to move forward with your sobriety.
A sober living facility looks much like any other living facility. The big difference is there are certain rules, and drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited.
The cost of sober living is not that much different than living anywhere else, so it would benefit you greatly if you want to be surrounded by people on a similar path as you.
Sober Living vs. Halfway Housing
There are many different types of sober living facilities. A sober living facility for example is different from a halfway house. Halfway houses are usually designed to help people coming out of jail or prison reintegrate into society.
Your stay in a halfway house is temporary, whereas a sober living facility is a place you will stay long-term, much like any other house or apartment.
The rules of sober living facilities vary, but the one they all share is the obvious one. Absolutely no drugs or alcohol are allowed.
No matter where you are in your recovery, everyone needs a support system. The communities that exist in sober living facilities are very compassionate and understanding.
It’s difficult to go through recovery with people who aren’t educated on addiction. When you are with people who have a similar story as you, it can help you stay on the right track.
In Orange County, the recovery community is always willing to take in new people trying to get clean.
Getting Into Sober Living
I lived in a series of recovery homes in Orange County and felt just like I was at home. Circle of Hope has wonderful residential treatment programs and they made my journey much more tolerable.
Residential treatment facilities provide sober living in addiction treatment. In a residential treatment facility, they go out of their way to provide a home-like atmosphere combined with programs that will help you in your recovery.
They have individualized treatment programs that are geared to what works best for you. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts to find what will work for someone. They did a great job of figuring out what I needed and when I needed it.
As I mentioned before, California is a great place to start your journey. There are recovery centers, sober living facilities all over the state.
If you’re in the southern part of the state, you’ll find no shortage of sober living programs in Los Angeles and Orange County. If you’re in the northern part of the state, you will find a great network of these facilities as well.
If you’re going to pay for rent anyway, and you are newly sober, it’s a no-brainer to try and get into a sober living situation.
You run the risk of temptation when you live in a place where sobriety isn’t a high priority. Just seeing your neighbor on the porch drinking a beer can be a trigger.
Accredited Sober Living: Standards for Sobriety
Finding the right sober living network is just like finding any other place to rent. You have to do some research to find the right fit. Everyone has different needs and interests when it comes to landing a living space.
If you take a little time and look through some sober living websites, you will quickly find that you have plenty of options.
You may even live right down the street from a sober living community and not even know it. Living in California the odds of that are pretty good.
If you are going to make the leap toward living in a sober living community, you will have to take it incredibly seriously. It will not be as easy for you to get away with slipping up if you live in one of these places.
It will be more difficult for you to sneak drugs and alcohol in, and there will be more accountability. If you do end up relapsing, however, you will be in a strong community of people who will help you get back on your feet.
A relapse is not a failure. Some people relapse after achieving decades of sobriety. It’s a small misstep that can be corrected and dealt with, and it doesn’t mean you can’t get back on the proverbial ‘wagon.’
I couldn’t be prouder to live in a sober community, as I feel it is one of the big reasons I am still clean today. After all those years of addiction, I am at a place where I love my neighbors and love myself.
It’s hard to see yourself in a place like this when you are using. I never thought I’d be able to kick my habits when I was in the thick of my disease.
Now that I live in a wonderful community of sober people, it gives me the strength to carry on in my recovery.
