by Sally Rosa | Mar 20, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Recovery
Am I Ready To Move From My Halfway House?
As a women in recovery, becoming a productive member of society and growing into a self-supporting human being is important! A Halfway House, or sober-living home, is a safe and structured environment for us in early-sobriety. Deciding when to move out of a halfway house can be stressful!
Here are some questions (and answers!) to help point you in the right direction.
1) Have You Completed The Twelve-Steps?
If you’re in a twelve-step program, completing the steps is the first thing you should do. Wait, I lied. Getting a sponsor is the first thing you should do. After all, you can’t work the steps without a sponsor!
Working the twelve-steps is the main goal of early-recovery. Afterwards, you get to cary the message and help other addicts and alcoholics.
2) Are You Moving With Roommates?
Moving out with roommates can be tricky. Make sure that whoever you move with is responsible! A good way to tell is to ask them these five questions! If you don’t want to do that, try asking some of the questions below.
-Are your potential roommates in recovery?
-Are you at risk if they’re not sober?
-What happens if they relapse while you’re living together?
-Is relapse a risk for you?
-Do they work a good program and help others?
-Are they able to pay their bills?
-Have they had a roommate before?
These are all things you should discuss before moving with anyone. Talk with your sponsor and sober supports. Maybe moving to a three fourths house is smarter than moving into an apartment. Above all, pray on it!
3) Are You Financially Stable?
Having and sticking to a budget is important to recovery. Moving out and being held financially accountable is pretty damn stressful! Add that to all the other stress and maybe you’re better off staying put (at least for a little while!).
Make sure that you’ve mapped out a secure budget and gone over it with someone experienced.
4) Are You Being Honest With Yourself?
Though this probably seems like a hard question to answer, it’s as easy as asking yourself two questions.
-What’re my motives?
-Do I have any reservations?
If your motives are genuine and you’re trying to progress in your life, then it might be time. However, if you have any reservations, it’s not the best time to move and you should probably wait (duh!).
5) What Do Other Sober Women Say?
Ask your sponsor, peers, family, sober supports, and halfway house managers what they think. If you’re doing the right thing, they’ll be encouraging and excited for you to move on. If they suggestion staying longer, then you should follow their suggestions. Those closest to you see you day in and day out. They’ll be able to tell if you’re ready to move or not.
Read testimonials about living in a Sober Living environment!
by Sally Rosa | Dec 18, 2013 | Addiction Articles, Recovery
What Exactly is a Halfway House?
Simply put, a halfway house is a sober-living environment for addicts and alcoholics in early recovery. Halfway houses help people make the transition from active addiction to responsible member of society.
This transition, from active addiction to the real world, is hard! Looking for a way to support and help ourselves through early sobriety is also pretty tough. Halfway houses help tremendously during early recovery. You can find halfway houses all across the country, but in Delray Beach, FL, they’re a dime a dozen. So, how can you tell the good ones from the bad ones?
How Can Halfway Houses Help?
Halfway houses offer a level of structure and accountability that addicts in early recovery often lack. They offer a safe environment and promote healthy behavior, including:
– Helping to find and maintain employment
– Helping with financial issues (think applying for food stamps, etc.)
– Giving a certain amount of responsibilities (think chores, etc.)
– Providing random drug tests
– Holding regular house meetings (this helps with issues within the house, as well as with personal sobriety)
– Requiring regular meeting attendance (think ninety meetings in ninety days)
– Ensure that you have a sponsor and working the twelve-steps
What Makes a Good Halfway House?
The biggest indicator of a quality halfway house is that it be gender specific. Women with women and men with men! However, there are some larger halfway houses that do offer male and female housing, though they’re usually separated.
A good halfway house has a zero tolerance drug use policy. This means that if a resident relapses, they’re asked to leave, or escorted, off the property immediately.
Structure and consequences also play a key role. To help maintain structure, consequences should be set to reflect it. Consequences are administered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity of the situation.
Quality halfway houses have daily curfews. These curfews differ for residents and depend on factors like how long they’ve lived there, and whether it’s a weeknight or the weekend.
The house should be for clients only. This means that while family, sponsors, and sober supports can visit, they need authorization to do so. This maintains privacy, personal safety, and personal valuable safety.
How Much Does a Good Halfway House Cost?
Halfway houses collect rent on a weekly basis. This is beneficial for multiple reasons. First, it helps keep the cost manageable for residents. Second, if a resident relapses and leaves, they won’t lose a ton of money. Rent is generally between $75 and $200 per week.
There’s typically an entrance fee to be admitted to a halfway house, though this isn’t always the case. Entrance fees include first and last week’s rent and a security deposit.
Many, if not all, halfway houses are happy to meet residents at their unique finical level. This may include payment plans, discounts, or even scholarship programs.
