Halfway House: Definition

A halfway house is a type of temporary residence with a controlled environment that allows individuals to gain (or regain) the necessary skills to reintegrate into society. The term originated in the 1840s and refers to residents being “halfway” to independent living from their previous correctional or addiction treatment facility. They provide support, accountability, and a number of practical benefits that create a safe environment free from detrimental influences. As such they may require residents to pass drug screenings and participate in regular drug testing. Some are state-funded and others are private. As such,  the requirements for eligibility can vary between them.

What is the purpose of a halfway house?

Halfway houses help individuals who have been in an alternative living situation transition back into society. These include people who have been incarcerated, enrolled in rehab, or homeless. Their ultimate purpose is to both reduce a resident’s risk of relapsing and giving them the means to do so. They provide many benefits to their residents beyond just that of shelter which can include medical, psychiatric, educational, and social services. These formal services allow residents to learn useful skills to help them gain lawful employment or to ensure their children are taken care of. 

While a halfway house may function somewhat like a rehab facility with its controlled settings, curfews, and medical access, it is not meant to be an extension of inpatient treatment nor a substitute for drug addiction treatment. Substance abuse programs may be offered within these facilities, but it is not their primary focus and does not provide detox or withdrawal-related medication. Additionally, these facilities are a short-term solution whose max length of stay is usually between 3 or twelve months. 

The Difference Between a Halfway House and Sober Living House

At first glance, a halfway house and sober house might appear to be the same thing. Both offer a supportive environment specifically for individuals involved in a drug addiction treatment program. The primary difference between the two is that a halfway house typically requires you are currently enrolled in an addiction treatment program or have been recently. They usually have a limited length of stay however, they offer several formal treatment services that can be vital to someone regaining long-term independence. 

Sober houses, on the other hand, are not as restrictive about who can reside on their properties. Many are open to anyone who simply has a desire to be sober. They tend to be structured more like private residences and can sometimes serve as long-term housing options. Residents have fewer rules than that of a halfway house but still may have to agree to abstinence, attend 12 step meetings or curfews.

Common Halfway House Rules

The qualifying rules and requirements to stay at a halfway house–and maintaining eligibility– can vary by institution. There may be treatment program requirements, work requirements, curfews, and drug testing.  However, there are a few basic rules that are universally enforced:

• Stick to curfew
• Drug or alcohol use is not allowed; you must remain sober
• There will be random drug testing
• Contribute to house maintenance with daily chores
• No fighting or violence
• No stealing or destroying property
• Attend 12-Step groups or other types of recovery meetings
• Find employment (or have proof of job applications)

These rules provide a valuable structure that reduces exposure to environmental and emotional triggers that could tempt someone to relapse. Violating these rules could result in fines or being told to leave the facility.

How To Find a Halfway House Near Me

Many of these institutions are government-funded. This allows for halfway homes to be significantly low-cost or sometimes completely free. The one downside is that because of this, a halfway house’s limited spots can fill up very quickly. The best way to find a halfway house or sober living community in Florida is to contact your addiction treatment facility and ask for housing arrangement assistance after your treatment program is complete. Finding a supportive drug-free living situation can be a great help in relapse prevention and give you the motivation you need to achieve long-term sobriety. 

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and everyone has ‘love’ on the brain. For recovering addicts, however, romantic relationships can be a tricky subject. Dating in recovery can be particularly challenging and adds an extra layer of uncertainty to an already nerve-wracking situation. While there are no hard and fast rules for dating while in recovery, there are a few guidelines that can help make the process easier (and without sacrificing your progress). Before diving into the particulars of how to successfully date while in recovery, let’s address the elephant in the room: how soon can a recovering addict start dating in the first place? 

When is it okay to start dating again?

Jumping from a relationship to another is rarely a good idea. There’s no set timeframe, but dating early in recovery is universally advised against. The general consensus is that recovering addicts should wait about 6 months to a year after treatment to consider romantic relationships. 

Recovery is intended to be a time of intense self-reflection and introspection and being newly in love can be incredibly distracting. The first stages of a relationship are exhilarating and can have you prioritizing your new romantic interest over yourself.

At the same time, recovery is a lifelong journey that never really ends so a recovering addict may not ever feel truly “ready”. One of the best ways to go about this is to involve your support system. Speak to your therapist or your sponsor, someone who is invested in your recovery and has witnessed your personal growth. They’ll be very helpful in determining if you’re at a stage of recovery where it’s okay to start dating again. 

Risks of dating too early

Aside from negatively impacting your progress, there lies the risk of recovering addicts falling into harmful, codependent, or otherwise dysfunctional relationships that marked their past. Then there’s the risk of the relationship going south which is always an upsetting experience. If the recovering addict hasn’t yet internalized healthier coping mechanisms, they’re likely to turn back to their old ways to cope (a.k.a.: relapse) and end up back at square one. 

Tips for Dating in Recovery

Once you’ve successfully mastered the foundations of recovery and are sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, learning how to navigate the dating scene while staying sober becomes the next biggest challenge. How do you relax on a date if you can’t drink (or use your other drug of choice)? How do you bring up that you’re in recovery – do you even tell them at all? These are just a few of the questions a recovering addict needs to ask themselves before diving into the dating pool once more. 

Have sober date ideas ready: Whether you feel comfortable telling your new romantic interest about your struggle with addiction, it’s always helpful to have an arsenal of non-triggering date ideas at the ready. Next time when someone asks to meet up for a drink (or anything that might be potentially compromising), say something like “The weather is beautiful, I actually wanted to show you my favorite park in the city”. This is still useful if you’re comfortable with being forthcoming and letting your date know that you are sober from the very beginning. You’ll be ready with suggestions for someone who might otherwise be stumped at ideas for first-dates that don’t center around bars.  

Don’t date someone from a place you visit frequently: Places like your local grocery store or your job might seem like a perfect place to meet people. However, if dating goes badly, you might no longer feel comfortable going to these places. This risks a disruption to your routine (which we all know is an important part of the recovery process). If these places are key to your recovery like a 12 step meeting group, the damage is even greater. 

Keep your recovery support group close: It’s very distressing when a relationship doesn’t work out. Having people to talk to allows you to process your feelings which can prevent you from turning to booze or other drugs to cope. Plus, relationships can quickly become all-consuming and a close support group can keep you from getting too distracted from recovery.

Date someone who’s also sober: The easiest way to go about dating in recovery is to find someone who had similar experiences as you. They’ll understand what you’re going through which takes off a lot of the pressure of meeting someone new while in recovery. Perhaps best of all is that you won’t have to deal with the stigma of addiction. This will circumvent some of the awkwardness that comes with telling someone you’re in or recently entered recovery. One of the easiest ways to do this is through sober dating apps.

The holiday season is meant to be filled with joy and merriment, but for a recovering addict, it can be a time of dangerous temptation. Parties are frequent and there’s an overall air of indulgence where we encourage one another to do everything in jolly excess. Plus, this time of year is heavy with expectation, making holiday stress a very real burden that addicts must contend with as well. It’s no wonder that drug and alcohol relapses spike during this time of year. Even for those who have been sober for decades, the holidays can be a particularly strong trigger that drives them to their old destructive habits. Fight that urge with these 10 tips for avoiding relapse during the holidays.

10 Ways of Avoiding Holiday Relapse

1. Start each day with a schedule

Having structure has shown to play a big role in overcoming addiction. Maintaining a schedule can help prevent your day-to-day from feeling so hectic, but most importantly, it’ll allow you to start and end each day with a feeling of control. Pencil in everything from travel time to meals, you might find that you’ve overbooked yourself which might cause undue stress. If you see a lot of gaps in your schedule, that brings us to tip #2… 

2. Keep yourself busy

Having too much time on your hands can lead to boredom, and can be a recipe for relapse if the holidays already have you feeling down. Keep your hands and mind occupied with activities that bring you joy. These can include social gatherings or more solo activities like yoga, knitting, watching tv, or working out. Use this time to devote yourself to your passions or to find some new ones.

3. Get some sunlight

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is no laughing matter. It’s well documented that mental health and substance abuse have a closely tied relationship. Even if this type of depression is only seasonal, the impact it has on overall well-being are far-reaching. The winter blues is estimated to affect millions each year often in the form of feelings of hopelessness, overall disinterest, difficulty concentrating, or even thoughts of suicide. To combat these negative feelings, strive to get at least 20-30 minutes of sunshine a day. If you live in a climate that does not allow for significant sun exposure, a sun lamp is the next best thing.

4. Prepare responses

One of the biggest sources of holiday stress can come from interacting with others in a social setting. If you’ll be interacting with people you haven’t seen in a while, you may be dreading the inevitable questions about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. Depending on your relationship with your social groups you may not feel comfortable telling them that you have been in rehab – much less explaining why you can’t drink with them. Before such gatherings, plan your explanations to the common questions beforehand and decide on how much you feel comfortable disclosing.

5. Leave when you feel uncomfortable

Speaking of preparing responses, come up with some excuses that you can use to gracefully bow out when you’re in an uncomfortable situation. Be this a conversation or a gathering,  sticking it out and putting yourself in a heightened state of stress or anxiety is not worth it. Stress is one of the most well-known risk factors in the development of addiction and relapse. It may feel selfish, but it’s important that you put your physical, and mental well-being before holiday traditions or niceties.

6. Enlist your support system

Don’t forget to tap into your support system to help you get through the holidays. They can serve as your sober partner at social functions or simply being a friendly ear that you can call in times of boredom,  having someone who knows your situation and can help talk you through it can be a huge sense of relief. Before the holidays are in full swing let your support system know that you will probably be reaching out more than usual so that they can expect your calls. 

7. Don’t stop attending meetings

Don’t let the holidays interrupt your group meetings. Now more than ever, it’s important to have a sense of community and a reminder of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Sobriety is hard and the holidays make it even harder, tap into the resource that is your fellow group therapy or 12 step members. They’ve likely been through exactly what you’re going through now and can offer invaluable advice on how to get through the holidays without relapsing.

8. Make your sobriety streak prominent

Visual reminders can be a valuable source of motivation. If you’re the type of person who’s encouraged by having hard numbers associated with your accomplishments,  something like a countdown tracker could be helpful in keeping you motivated and on track to stay sober. There are plenty of apps and other software with customizable countdown timers that you can use to prominently display the number of days you’ve been clean.

9. Don’t isolate yourself

Humans are innately social creatures and the effects of isolation on mental health can be profound. There have been numerous studies on how dangerous isolation and subsequent loneliness can be. In the case of a recovering addict, it can cause extra high levels of stress significantly increasing the likelihood of relapsing.  This feeling can be exacerbated if you have not told your family or other loved ones that you have gone to rehab and are undergoing treatment for your substance abuse issues.

10. Consider your New Year’s resolutions

Last but not least, when in doubt look to the future. Even if you don’t participate in resolutions in the traditional sense, the new year is significant as a marker of a fresh start. They say it takes 28 days to create a new habit so give yourself a running start by dedicating yourself to making the upcoming new year one of a healthier, happier you. 

Your Addiction Treatment Center Can Help

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by all that the holidays can bring, don’t forget that you can always reach out to your addiction treatment center for relapse support. Having professionals that know you and that you can trust, can serve as an additional source of strength to avoid relapse during the holidays. Contact us today for more drug and alcohol relapse prevention advice and what to do in the instance that you do end up relapsing.