4 Life Lessons You’ll Learn
in Sober Living
But sober living is more than just a place to call home while you’re in treatment, especially at Roots. Here are four critical things you can learn from time spent living with your peers in recovery.
1. THE IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURE AND ROUTINE
In sober living, you’ll be accountable to your peers and live on a very structured schedule. There’s free time to spend as you choose, but your day will be built around a routine of mealtimes, chores, going to and from work, substance abuse counseling, group therapy, house meetings, and other fellowship building activities.
Part of rebuilding your life means getting accustomed to routine. Sober living will teach you what a routine looks like, and why having structure in your life is important to your ongoing sobriety.
2. COMMUNITY AND A MUTUAL SUPPORT NETWORK
Living with substance abuse comes with loneliness and isolation. Once you’ve started your journey in recovery, living with other individuals who share your perspective and experiences give you pillars of support as well as friendships and a sense of camaraderie that will be essential for your emotional well-being as you move forward.
Your housemates understand what recovery is like, which makes them a valuable source of support and advice. The group will collectively learn lessons and support members during hard times. Many alumni of Sober Living at Roots Recovery form lifelong friendships because of this.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE
The structure and community aspects of sober living contribute to another important skill: accountability. Whether it’s through chores, responsibilities at a job, or attending 12-step meetings, you’ll be held to your commitments by being involved and doing your part.
For example, leaving dishes unwashed or laundry undone isn’t just bothersome to you, but to your housemates too. If you miss a shift at work, you’ll have to answer to a house manager in addition to your employer. The presence of peers in your living arrangement will show you that no one is going to excuse a lack of action and sticking to your commitments will help make you more independent in life.
4. SELF-CARE AND FORGIVENESS
When you’re actively using drugs or alcohol, caring for yourself and your body are not priorities, which makes it something that most people need to be taught in recovery. Self-care activities include cooking balanced nutritional meals, getting regular exercise, maintaining proper hygiene, and more. At Roots, recreational group outings with housemates can help you get active and create healthy new opportunities.
In the process, you’ll learn to be easier on yourself. Everyone in recovery has regrets from when they were using but forgiving yourself and accepting that you can’t go back and change things is key to moving forward and embarking on a new journey.
SOBER LIVING IN MILWAUKEE
At Roots Recovery, we’ve designed our Sober Living program to teach the lessons people in rehab need to create a foundation for lifetime sobriety. Our house managers are alumni of our program, so they understand exactly what residents are going through and we’re proud to provide support every step of the way.
For more information on sober living in Milwaukee, call us at 844-447-6687 today.