What is a halfway house?
A halfway house is a sober living environment of shared living space with others like you who are beginning a life of recovery from drugs and alcohol. Halfway houses are the next step down in structure and intensive care after your inpatient or residential rehab program. Although a halfway house does not offer the same intensity of therapy as rehab, it is a safe and drug- and alcohol- free place for recovering addicts to begin rebuilding their lives in sobriety while employing the tools learned in drug treatment.
Should I go to a Halfway House after Rehab : Additional therapy and Support
There are varying degrees of drug treatment in different halfway houses. Some may not offer additional therapy, but will require its residents to maintain a certain code of conduct, such as no substance use, having gainful employment, abiding by curfews and random drug testing as requirements to continuing to reside there. A better and more supportive halfway house may offer continuing drug treatment in addition to its requirement of social conduct, and 12 step meetings may take place within the house. Some halfway houses also offer other aftercare programming and social education courses.
Should I go to a Halfway House after Rehab : Benefits
Living with fellow recovering addicts allows for fellowship, and through a shared experience, halfway house friendships are common. Because most newly sober men and women struggle initially with recreation time and need to relearn how to enjoy life without intoxication, it can be very beneficial to maintain the support of others with a similar situation for strength against a return to substance abuse.
A halfway house is a bit like a practice run at real life sobriety. The lessons of drug rehab can be practiced from within a safe and sober environment before the recovering addict returns completely to the environment of temptation, and free access to drugs or alcohol.
Should I go to a Halfway House after Rehab : Statistics
Clinical studies also show that the long term sobriety rates of those people that continue drug treatment in a halfway house are far better, and that aftercare participation rates remain significantly higher for those people residing in a halfway house. Some halfway houses will go so far as to mandate continuing and full participation in drug treatment aftercare as a requirement of residency, and failure to attend meetings can result in eviction from the house and program.
Should I go to a Halfway House after Rehab : A Personal Story
Being in early recovery and following a 12 step program, I understood the importance of taking suggestions. I was serious about getting and staying clean and so I welcomed suggestions with open arms and an open mind. When I decided to get clean, it just so happened that I lived in an area of the country that is well known for its abundance in recovery resources such as treatment programs and halfway houses. Being a local and still miraculously having a decent relationship with my family who lived nearby, I had the option to move home after rehab. It was part of my aftercare plan to attend an IOP and I initially planned to do so while living at home. Then, a suggestion was made to me by another young woman in the program who had something in common with me: she, too, was a local and had the option to move home after rehab. But, upon taking suggestions made to her, chose to live in a halfway house after rehab even though her family’s home was in the very same town. In my opinion, you should go to a halfway house after rehab in order to reap as many benefits as possible in order to fortify your program of recovery and give yourself the very best chances at success.
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