How To Support a Friend or Loved One in a Sober Living Home

While sober living homes in Orange County are similar to others around the country, but with a unique advantage – several of them are in superb locations. Some of amazing amenities. some are close to the beach and others offer budget-conscious options. When someone you love comes finally seeks help with their drug addiction problem and makes the choice to enter an inpatient drug treatment program or sober living home, it’s often an incredible relief. At long last, relationships that have been damaged by a loved one’s drug addiction can be mended, and we go forward with new hope that our loved one is on a journey to recovery. However, the decision to enter drug treatment is just a beginning—to give them the best chance of recovery, your loved one will need your support and encouragement as they heal. Contacting loved ones while in their in a drug addiction recovery program will help remind them that you’re in full support of their recovery. However, whatever sober living home you, your friend or loved one chooses, there will be some restrictions on visitors and interaction with people who are not actively enrolled in one of the sober living home’s programs. The reasons may be obvious: they’re trying to control who and what comes in and out of the house. That being said, a stint in a sober living home doesn’t mean total isolation. In fact, at certain stages of the recovery process, outside interaction is encouraged. During a friend’s private inpatient drug rehab experience, the most important thing you can do is reach out to them. Most of us consider contacting loved ones in private inpatient drug rehab but hesitate for fear of breaking the rules, or not knowing how to get in touch. Here are a few ways you can contact loved ones in private inpatient drug rehab and bring them healthy and encouraging interactions.

You Can’t Just Call Up and Talk to Them

Depending on the stage of recovery, residents might not have any cell phone access. Calling up the sober living home’s main office won’t help, because you’ll likely be told that they can’t even verify that your friend or loved one is a resident. Why not? Healthcare privacy laws, like HIPAA. HIPAA prevents disclosures of a person’s medical records and as such, if you call in to a sober living home and ask to speak to someone, they are bound by law to refuse to even acknowledge that the person is in their care. If your friend or loved one is inside a sober living program, there will be limited opportunities to connect with them, so it’s best that you find out the rules prior to them checking in. This will help you time your communications in such a way that you’re more likely to connect.

Sober Living Doesn’t Have to Mean Isolation

Letters are wonderful ways to get in touch with your loved one during their stay at private inpatient drug treatment, as they provide a gentle approach that allows the patient to get in touch on their own timetable. Letters also can be reread, bringing encouragement and delight late at night when visiting hours or phone calls may not be accepted. Contact your loved one to ask about visiting hours at the private inpatient drug rehab or sober living home they’re attending. Few gifts are as valuable as your presence, and the sad truth is—few friends go out of their way to visit during tough situations. Even spending a few hours with your loved one during their stay at private inpatient drug rehab centers can make an incredible difference in their day—and their healing. You can also consider creating a care package. You’ll want to get in touch with your loved one’s relative or the treatment center itself to inquire first as to which items are encouraged and which are disallowed. Prohibited items usually include food, alcohol, or contraband of any kind, but most other items are accepted. Good care package ideas include books, magazines, crossword puzzles, journals, stuffed animals, mix CDs and photographs. The process of mending relationships during recovery treatment develops over time. Staying in touch with your friend or loved one is a very unselfish act. It takes a special kind of person to forgive the wrongs done by an addict. If you’re that type of person, know that your kind gestures and attempts to encourage your friend or loved one while in recovery will go a long way towards mending the relationship. Recovering addicts want you to know many things about their condition, not the least of which is that they didn’t choose to be addicted. So what do you talk about? Every conversation does not have to be about your friend or family member’s difficulties with substance abuse or their past in addiction. Talk about the things you are facing, what you are worried about, and irritations that come up. Just as you are there for your friend, giving your friend the opportunity to be there for you can help them grow stronger in recovery as well. Consider being a part of their group therapy sessions. Your friend likely attends 12-Step meetings, alumni groups, and support groups on an almost daily basis, if not every day. It can get boring after a while, but if you regularly attend one with them, it can be more interesting for them, keep them accountable for showing up, and give you an opportunity to demonstrate your support for their recovery. Remember that when they’ve completed inpatient or outpatient treatment, their activities will be very different than they were during addiction. Positive lifestyle changes can help your friend to feel better in recovery – physically and psychologically. Little things like choosing to go get a salad instead of getting a pizza, or going for a walk together instead of sitting in a movie theater, can help your friend to make positive lifestyle choices – and it’s good for you too! Remember that just showing you care is a huge thing. Your interest in helping your friend or loved one in recovery speaks volumes about your character and your hopes for their continued success in recovery. You can have a big impact just by showing up and checking in. Send a text, come over, or invite them out for coffee or for a run. Include them in your life in little ways and invite them to do the same.