Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers are a great start to overcoming addiction. They have an amazing track record of changing and saving lives. Rehab centers are effective because they remove addicts from harmful environments full of temptations. Access to dealers and bad influences are eliminated. As great as rehab centers are, once the program is completed, addicts face a challenging transition back into ordinary life. A halfway house can be a saving steppingstone where recovering addicts can put what they learned in rehab into practice in a safe environment before returning to independent living.
Halfway House Friendships
Perhaps the biggest hurdle recovering addicts face when leaving a rehab center is maintaining positive influences and friendships and keep old negative influences away. Feeling alone can send recovering addicts into relapse in little time. A halfway house gives you a sense of fellowship and camaraderie as you’re living with recovering addicts facing the same challenges. They, too, are going through the most difficult time in their lives, and together being together can provide a positive support system to get you to full independence.
Work Programs
Many halfway houses make holding a job mandatory in order to stay there. Some even provide training and skill classes to help recovering addicts gain confidence and learn how to sharpen professional skills. Few things provide a sense of accomplishment and responsibility, like succeeding in your work environment.
Responsibility
Each house member is given their own chores and is taught how to care for themselves. It may seem trivial to someone who has never been an addict, but many addicts have abstained from basic responsible acts for years while being trapped in addiction. Responsibility builds upon itself and gives recovering addicts the momentum and confidence needed to move forward and live amazing lives.
Reduced Temptation
Halfway homes have very strict rules and monitor recovering addicts’ behavior very closely. Reducing or eliminating temptations gives recovering addicts the ability to focus on their life and solve daily problems using new and rediscovered skills. Halfway houses bridge the gap between the therapy received in the rehab process and the much less accommodating reality of independent living. Halfway houses provide a stable and structured lifestyle for addicts, allowing them to focus on their own goals and responsibilities while still enjoying the guidance and fellowship they experienced in their rehab facility.
Are you or a loved one struggling with alcohol or other drugs? Call us to speak confidentially with a recovery expert now: (901) 521-1131 or visit our website serenityrecovery.org
