An unfortunate statistic: 40 to 60% of individuals new to recovery relapse within their first 30 days of leaving an inpatient treatment center, and up to 85% relapse within their first year. Oftentimes individuals in their initial months of recovery will resume their day-to-day lives that they lived prior to recovery with the expectation that they can continue to live life as normal without using drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, this is not possible for many new to recovery. The first year of recovery is especially fragile and meaningful. Studies suggest that once an individual is able to maintain 12 months of abstinence, their chances of continued long-term success in sobriety dramatically increase.
Research shows that a safe and substance-free living environment as well as social support are critical to long-term success in maintaining abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Sober Living Homes, also known as Transitional Living Homes, can serve as a vital tool and conduit of change, allowing for new social support systems to develop in a healthy living environment that is conducive to recovery. Otherwise, if individuals are placed back into their previous living environments when they are not stable in their recovery studies reflect an increased risk for relapse.
Despite how “strong-willed” one might believe they are, the fact of the matter is that when returning to an environment in which one was once active in their addiction there is the risk for increased exposure to triggers that can lead to relapse. This is because individuals who have developed addictions have neurally embedded associations and memories with their addictive behaviors, resulting in minuscule things triggering them that may not even enter the conscious mind. Sights, sounds, smells, people, places, and other such things can trigger euphoric recall. As such, sober transitional living homes serve as a great resource in early recovery when individuals are most vulnerable and susceptible to relapse.
Willow Manor 