In the early stage of recovery, your sobriety may be on shaky grounds. This holds true mostly for hardcore addicts who have lost their job, relationships, and even homes due to their addiction. You need these things to build what you call a ‘life.’
Halfway houses in New York help such individuals build a life by laying a strong foundation of sobriety. This one is important. Once you achieve this, everything else follows.
A house is dedicated to providing recovering addicts a home-like environment, a strong support system, healthy meals, and an emotionally healthy atmosphere.
Here, they can:
- Practice round-the-clock sobriety
- Address their emotional issues
- Pursue their hobbies
- Correct their nutritional deficiencies and physical health
- Regain their personality, which got lost somewhere during active addiction days
Initial days in a house
During the initial days in a halfway house, you would spend most of your time in counseling sessions, therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and others, and group meetings. You will interact with other people in the house and build a bond with them.
Nobody is allowed to fight or show violence in the house. You can disagree with people, but you still must be amicable. This is the place wherein you can make some good sober friends.
You will be amazed to see people who have been living for quite some time in the house. They are so particular about their sobriety! And, it seems, sobriety comes naturally to them.
Will you ever be like them?
Yes, if:
- You are serious about changing your life
- You consider living in the house as an opportunity and not as a punishment.
Learning the true meaning of recovery in the house
Recovery is not merely living without drugs or alcohol. It is more of being stable during the ups and downs of life. It’s when life takes a roller-coaster ride that people are more likely to turn towards substance abuse or alcoholism.
Stabilizing your emotions and learning to deal with life’s idiosyncrasies without taking to substance abuse is what sober living can teach you.
Working while recovering
Certain houses help inmates find a job. This not only helps you correct your finances but also gives you a chance to be more productive and responsible.
This usually happens in the later stages of living in the house. You are allowed to spend more time outside. You, slowly, build your connection to the outside world.
A major benefit of the house
It is easier to stay sober and recover fully when you have people around you who follow sobriety like the Bible. Thanks to the rules of a halfway house, you get no chance to sneak out at night and get a drug. You cannot drink even once inside the house. Everybody around you practices sobriety and lives life accordingly.
So, in other words, it is easy to be sober in a sober atmosphere. You build a strong ground of sobriety. Once you do so, you are ready to face the outside world, which is not sober everywhere. However, you can stand firmly against temptations after full recovery.