How Halfway Houses in My Area Saved Me from Myself
For me, it was impossible to stay sober after drug rehab without going to a halfway house in my area. I tried so many times to stay away from alcohol while living on my own but I never lasted very long. Sometimes a few months would go by but it always seemed to end with me waking up surrounded by bottles of booze and pizza boxes. Then finally I listened to the recommendations of my IOP and moved into a reputable halfway house and I have not had a drink since. My Florida halfway house was incredible. It provided accountability, gave me a sense of responsibility and helped me dive deeper into the AA community.
The halfway house I went to didn’t just provide structure it also introduced me to many young men who are still my friends to this day. Plus, it wasn’t just a great halfway house, it was a reputable hallway house. The people who ran it were not doing it for the money, they were doing it to help young men stay sober. I wish there were more sober homes like the one I went to. Everyone says they have a reputable halfway house but how can you tell a reputable halfway house from a flop-house?
What Makes a Reputable Halfway House
Wouldn’t it be nice if the good halfway houses had a sign on the door that said you can trust me and the bad ones had a sign that says beware of relapse? Well, they do. It’s just that the signs are not on the door they are on their website. Any reputable halfway house in your area will have these initials on their website NARR. They stand for the National Alliance of Recovery Residences. Some states have an additional level of certification like Florida who has FARR (Florida Association of Recovery Residences) recognition. NARR is a private 501c3 organization whose mission is to: support persons in recovery from addiction by improving their access to quality recovery residences through standards, support services, placement, education, research, and advocacy. That’s their actual mission statement but what their main purpose is setting the national standard for recovery residences.
Currently, there is not a national government standard that oversees sober homes and halfway houses. So, NARR took it upon themselves to start one. They are now the preeminent certification house for sober home and halfway house accreditation.
The NARR standard clearly identifies a wide spectrum of recovery based residences, provide services and defines four different types of levels of support. With the help of every major regional and national recovery housing organization, this uncompromised and unmatched standard was born. So, when you are looking for a reputable halfway house in your area you don’t need to look further than the internet because if it doesn’t have the NARR or FARR logo you shouldn’t go there. One question remains unanswered though…
Why Should I Attend a Reputable Halfway House in The Area
Any man or woman entering treatment hears the same thing, “Do what the experts tell you to do.” The experts all say – attend a halfway house after treatment. Science has proven that individuals in recovery from drugs and alcohol have a better chance of staying sober for 1 year or more by living in a sober home. When people relapse they almost 100% of the time say that it was because they didn’t follow suggestions. So, really this is the only reason you need to know on why you should live in a halfway house in your area – but I’ll give you some more.
Additional therapy is never a bad thing. Some halfway houses are equipped with additional counseling and support provided by licensed professionals. Even the ones who do not have therapy onsite are owned and managed by people with many years of sobriety and can provide the support you can’t find anywhere else.
Sober housing also provides a safe environment with monitoring, ensuring that each addict is safe and cared for. In early sobriety, triggers are everywhere and sober homes do their best to eliminate the desire to use.
Halfway houses also work as a great starter step towards living on your own. An addict who lives by themselves must first learn to live before he or she can live free of the threat of relapse. By spending 3 months to a year in a structured living environment such as a sober house, addicts learn the skills to live free and independent. So yeah, that’s why you should live in a halfway house, but how do they keep you sober?
How Does a Quality Halfway House Help Me Stay Sober
Community integration is the biggest reason why sober homes help you stay sober. Halfway homes direct their clients to go to several AA or NA meetings per week and encourage alumni to come back to the sober home and take others to meetings. This gets the clients out into the recovery community and involved in recovery. Many sober homes even hold meetings on property inviting men and women from the community to join them. This all brings the recovery community together building a sense of purpose and trust crucial to long-term recovery.
Another key component of halfway houses is accountability. If you’re like me, you’re far less likely to get high if someone is watching over you. In early addiction, our disease tells us that if no one is watching then it’s ok. That is not true, but early on it feels like it is. This is why having a staff present to make sure you’re home on time and clean and sober is so vital. Plus living with another person in recovery from drugs only increases that accountability.
Oh, one more thing… Halfway houses save lives. You get to learn how to stay sober with a bunch of other men and women who are also trying to stay sober. This level of peer support supplants your old using friends and replaces them with honest, hard-working people who want the same thing you do – life. Statistics show that sobriety is far more likely the longer addicts and alcoholics stay engaged in a program of recovery. So why in the world would you not give a halfway house in your area try?
Are Florida Sober Homes Dangerous
No! People are dangerous. Despite what you may have heard, sober houses in Florida are saving lives a rate higher than ever before. My life was saved by a Florida sober house. Yes, there are some places that are not being managed well, but all you have to look for is that NARR or FARR logo. Sometimes people are not doing things for the right reasons and they bring a bad name to recovery housing. The loud and dangerous and failing always get the most attention and the successful sober houses never get spoken of – you know why? Because recovery is an anonymous and humble program! The good ones maybe hard to find but in Florida, I promise you there are more amazing halfway houses in your area than awful ones.
