Red Flags To Watch Out For While Choosing a Sober Living Home
The journey to attaining sobriety after battling addiction is full of ups and downs. No wonder people with addiction prove hard to tame. Whereas you may complete your recovery program at an inpatient or outpatient facility, that's not enough to change your life for the better. Without avoiding and managing the triggers of relapse, you risk going back to your old safe.
That's where sober living homes come in handy as they provided a safe and conducive to help recovering addicts attain their goals. While choosing a sober living San Fernando Valley home, it is vital to research your options and choose carefully from the available facilities. Here are two red flags to watch out for when choosing a sober living home in San Fernando Valley.
- Does Not Advocate for Regular Drug Testing
Among the main reasons why you decided to move into a sober living community in the first place is to get support from experts in the field. After all, you want to learn what it takes to live everyday life without substance abuse. For this reason, they should offer a helping hand by making sure you avoid and manage triggers of relapse.
To pull this off hassle-free, the prospective sober living home must have rules in place that guide dwellers to abstinence. Better, they should support this goal through regular testing of all residents. Anything less than this is a big red flag, and you're better off looking elsewhere.
- Lack of a Perfect Balance Between Expectations and Empowerment
Your stay at a sober living home goes a long way in making sure you trust yourself again and avoid relapse at all costs. However, this can only happen if you have the freedom to make some decisions for yourself. Whereas some homes offer the perfect structure to help you attain sobriety, they do not guarantee independence.
Relying on such a sober living home can turn your life into a living nightmare once you re-enter society since you might have the same problem. Ensure you choose a home that has a good balance between structure and independence. With the right sober living community, you'll have an easy time once you are ready to go back to the outside world.
The Bottom Line
Choosing a sober living home is a decision that you should never rush through at any particular time. Remember, even the slightest of mistakes you make with your decision can derail your quest of reaching long-term sobriety. Be wary of sober living homes with no house rules, no regular testing, or one that does not keep records since they might not help you at all.
Take time and compare what different sober living communities near you offer before settling on one. Feel free to ask them all questions you may have before signing on the dotted line. It is then that you will not regret your decision way after moving into a sober living home.