After addiction treatment, you may be excited to apply what you’ve learned in the real world. However, many clients are only sometimes ready to return to a life of responsibilities. That’s where sober living homes prove invaluable. In sober living, you’ll have the opportunity to ease back into everyday life, build a healthy routine, and gain more practice applying all you’ve learned in treatment. Here’s what you can expect from a sober living home in Illinois.
Sober living homes, also known as transitional housing, are residential environments that offer a safe, supportive, and structured living space for people recovering from addiction. These homes bridge primary treatment programs, such as residential or inpatient care, and a return to independent living.
In sober living homes, residents are typically required to follow specific rules and guidelines, such as attending support group meetings, participating in household chores, and remaining substance-free. Clients must also reconnect with family, return to work or school and engage in a relapse prevention program. These rules help foster a sense of responsibility, accountability, and structure in residents’ daily lives. Sober living homes also provide access to support services, such as counseling, case management, and peer support groups, to help clients maintain their recovery and address ongoing challenges they may face.
Sober living homes are designed to create a safe and substance-free living environment. You can continue your recovery journey while gradually reintegrating into society and applying your learned skills. The supportive environment is full of peers committed to maintaining sobriety, and you’ll find a range of services and resources to support you in your recovery efforts.
Sober living homes offer various benefits for people recovering from addiction. Expect a supportive community, accountability, structure, and continued support services. By fostering personal growth, responsibility, and a safe and private environment, sober living homes play a crucial role in helping individuals maintain sobriety and successfully transition back to independent living.
Sober living homes provide a structured, routine-oriented environment. Structure promotes healthy habits and routines, supporting an individual’s overall recovery. Daily schedules include meal times, group meetings, therapy sessions, and recreational activities. The routine can help clients develop a sense of stability and discipline, which is often beneficial for anyone transitioning from intensive treatment programs to independent living.
Residents are expected to adhere to specific rules and guidelines, such as abstaining from drugs and alcohol, attending support group meetings, following curfews, and participating in household chores. These rules promote accountability and responsibility, encouraging individuals to develop crucial life skills for long-term sobriety.
In sober living homes, residents can bond with peers about wanting to stay sober. This understanding and supportive environment can help you stay committed to recovery. You’ll share experiences, challenges, and successes with others with similar goals, which can be instrumental in recovery. The support system can provide validation, encouragement, and accountability during recovery. Additionally, moving into a Chicago sober living home means getting 24/7 support from staff seven days a week.
Sober living homes keep residents safe from harmful outside influences. These homes have strict policies against drug and alcohol use, which creates a supportive and secure space for everyone. Living in an environment free of substances reduces triggers and temptations, letting you focus on your recovery and build a solid foundation for a substance-free life.
In sober living homes, you don’t have to jump straight into everyday life following a more intensive treatment program. Instead, you’ll gradually increase your responsibilities as you improve and be able to take on more. Ultimately, the structure of sober living homes can help you reduce stress and focus on self-care.
Further, all homes are well furnished, and luxury homes have excellent amenities. You’ll get to relax and build your sobriety toolbox before returning to society.
Sober-living homes recognize how substance use can deprive individuals of essential life skills. While other people their age were forming relationships, attending school, or advancing their careers, others struggled with addiction. Sober living homes can work with these individuals to help them develop crucial life skills.
For example, you’ll get to work on building healthy relationships, improving communication, pursuing education or employment goals, and enhancing self-esteem.
Privacy is a crucial aspect of sober living homes. These homes prioritize the privacy and confidentiality of each resident. You’ll get the chance to continue recovery without the scrutiny of family, friends, or workmates, and staff and management of these homes uphold the privacy rights of all residents. This ensures a safe and discreet environment to help you heal and grow.
The sober living process involves several critical steps to support people on their recovery journey. Here’s a breakdown of Gateway’s process of sober living in Chicago:
Overall, sober living is designed to provide individuals with a supportive and structured environment that fosters personal growth, accountability, and long-term recovery. It offers a stepping stone towards independent living while providing the necessary tools and resources to maintain sobriety.
Gateway proudly services the people of the Midwest and beyond with addiction support and services. We’ve amassed numerous resources, including sober living homes, to help people recover from addiction and work toward more fulfilling, substance-free lives. Our extensive list of programs and services includes:
We provide three levels of care at Gateway — inpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs (PHP):
Withdrawal symptoms can be debilitating. While they often taper off to help clients transition into a treatment program, other symptoms can linger. In these cases, withdrawal management becomes a primary concern. At Gateway, our medical professionals will educate you on what to expect and provide 24-hour care to ensure you are safe and comfortable throughout your recovery journey. In some cases, medical professionals may prescribe medicines to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
It’s common for people with addiction to also struggle with mental health conditions like depression or anxiety or develop another substance use disorder. Whatever your specific situation, Gateway can help with dual diagnosis services. These programs target addiction and underlying mental health conditions, providing crucial medical detox, medication-assisted treatment, and various levels of care to treat your symptoms and encourage well-being. Receiving comprehensive care can be more effective, translating into a lasting recovery.
Mindfulness-based sobriety is an evidence-based treatment strategy for people with addiction and mental health conditions. This form of care can help you forgive the past, accept the present and alleviate anxieties about the future. At Gateway, you might practice mindfulness strategies like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. In these sessions, you’ll center yourself on the present moment, allowing any thoughts to pop up and pass without judgment. Mindfulness can help you recover by reducing rumination, enhancing well-being, and building resilience in the face of stressors that might contribute to substance use.
At Gateway, you can follow a 12-step treatment program. This plan offers lifelong support and is supported by a 12-step facilitation model that includes attending meetings in the treatment center and community. You’ll learn to integrate coping skills into your recovery plan and work toward a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are two 12-step groups that focus on peer engagement, accountability, building structure and routine, and practicing coping skills to prevent relapse.
Behavioral therapies are evidence-based treatment methods that can help people with addiction. They address and modify thoughts, values, and beliefs that might contribute to addictive behaviors. The idea is that if you can shift toward more positive beliefs, your behaviors will follow suit.
In cognitive behavioral therapy sessions, you’ll work with a mental health professional to identify your thoughts and learn practical strategies to change your behavior and prevent relapse. Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on helping you establish skills to manage overwhelming emotions that might lead to addictive behaviors. It recognizes that physical and emotional pain can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms like addiction and provides practical strategies to manage these feelings and prevent relapse.
Medication-assisted treatment programs involve a combination of medicines and therapies to address addiction. The comprehensive approach first aims to manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings of addiction. From there, clients can attend group and individual therapy sessions and focus on their recovery more comfortably. Medications used in these programs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can be adjusted as your symptoms improve. They work by normalizing brain chemistry and blocking the effects of substances, reducing cravings, and alleviating withdrawal symptoms.
While addiction isn’t a choice, motivational interviewing acknowledges that encouragement and inspiration can help individuals make lasting changes. These sessions encourage clients to get directly involved in their recovery and focus on the specifics of a positive, substance-free future. Counselors can work with you to identify the negatives of substance use and how addiction might impact your career, health, and relationships. Then, you can focus on positive developments, encouraging you to commit to your recovery and take actionable steps toward positive change.
Chicago sober living homes encourage residents to engage in substance-free activities and explore all the city has to offer. You’ll discover so many heavy activities in the city with its thriving arts, music, comedy scene, sporting events, nature walks, and street markets. Chicago is also home to some of the country’s most prestigious research universities. You’ll find that the Windy City is a fantastic place to begin this new and rewarding chapter of your life.
Here are just a few of the activities you can enjoy at our sober living houses in Chicago:
If you feel like staying in or aren’t ready to hit the streets, you can also do many sober activities and coping tools at home to fill your time. Writing, reading, listening to music, or practicing meditation and yoga are powerful coping skills that help you combat boredom and stay sober. Remember, recovery is a process, and be patient with yourself during your stay in a Chicago sober living home.
Here are a few common questions we receive about our sober living homes in Chicago.
Studies suggest that sober living homes are highly effective in supporting individuals in their recovery from substance use disorder. Effectiveness also depends on your commitment to change and maintain a substance-free lifestyle. Sober living homes services that can enhance the chances of long-term sobriety include peer support, access to counseling, and assistance in developing essential life skills.
The length of a stay in a sober living home depends on the resident’s specific needs but typically ranges from a couple of months to a year.
Addiction counselors or people undergoing successful addiction treatment typically run sober living homes. In either case, this person will ensure residents follow the house rules. They also assign chores, perform drug testing, manage home finances, and organize and guide 12-step meetings.
Explore the latest resources from Gateway Foundation.
Sober living homes can help you transition from a formal treatment program and back into everyday life. With compassionate counselors and encouragement from your support system, you’ll learn helpful coping strategies and life skills that promote a lasting recovery. Explore Gateway’s comprehensive programs, expert guidance, and personalized care when you opt for sober living. Contact us today to find a sober living home near you and take the first step toward a healthier, substance-free life.
