- Comprehensive therapy using a range of modalities
Once you’ve committed to getting clean, find a sober program as soon as possible! (You might even find this article helpful on deciding between a sober living apartment, house, or halfway house) Use the momentum of breaking your addictive behaviors to dive into the deep behavioral therapy that’ll lead to long-term success. Every addict is different, but usually some sort of sober living program is crucial in the journey to sobriety. It acts as a stepping stone from detox but before living back in the real world. A clean and sober housing program provides consistent individual, group, and family therapy to help deal with the underlying causes of addiction. At Lighthouse Recovery in Dallas, all of our therapists are experienced in substance abuse, licensed, with a Master’s degree, and utilize a range of science-based behavioral therapies. We employ cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), psychodynamic interpersonal therapy (PIT), and eye movement desensitization, and reprocessing (EMDR). No single type of therapy works on every addict, so our therapists are trained to work through a variety of modalities and work with you closely to help you understand the why behind your addiction and how you can actually live free from it.
- Progress-based and tailored programming
Whether through a group program or a sober living facility, look for a program that is progress-based and personalized. Having and meeting milestones is key to building your confidence that you can and will continue to live a sober life. But, those milestones need to work on your schedule of sobriety progress; so the program you choose cannot have a one-size-fits-all-approach. It simply leaves too many addicts to fall through the cracks.
- Continued care and community
Once you’ve gathered the skills through a clean and sober housing program (like at Lighthouse Recovery) to lead a healthy, substance-free lifestyle you’ll likely return back to your “normal” home. Once you graduate from a sober living program, staying involved in the sober community and seeking continued care is crucial. Most of our graduates continue with their case manager for 6 months to a year. That extra level of support provides the encouragement and accountability needed to stay sober back at home. If you don’t choose to keep up with case management, please find another type of group therapy you can attend weekly, like Alcoholics Anonymous. Stay in touch with your fellow sober housing residents who are still clean, and remember the tips your therapist went through in family therapy to involve your family and friends in your sobriety. You must actively seek care and community even once you graduate.
- New habits, environment, and goals
As part of a solid sober living program, your therapists and house managers will incorporate programming around life back at home. You might have sessions on job training, avoiding triggers, navigating toxic relationships, goal setting, and/or healthy living. Remember these sessions once you’ve returned home. Part of staying clean and sober when housing alone (or in your old environment) comes through your new, healthy habits. Maintain your sober momentum of days sober and set new goals for a new amount of time sober! Set goals unrelated to sobriety but that focus on a healthy lifestyle change, like a new sport, art hobby, or work. Remember to make your environment work for you. All the therapy cannot combat a truly negative, unsupportive, and toxic roommate who wants you to fail. Ensure your environment when you return home supports you, even if that means finding a new clean and sober housing situation. Check out our article on how to prevent relapse for more on this.
Regardless of which sober living program you choose, staying sober is a lifelong commitment. At Lighthouse Recovery in Dallas, graduates of our sober living program achieve a 78% success in maintaining sobriety because of our highly qualified therapists and proven progress-based programming. Give us a confidential call to discuss if enrolling at Lighthouse Recovery is right for you, and we can give you a tour of our sober living homes.