07 Jan What to Look For in a Halfway House in Palm Beach County
Halfway houses are becoming more and more popular as those in recovery seek extended help, especially when coming out of a treatment center. There are advantages to those in recovery living in an environment that provides structure and community, especially during the early years of sobriety. The willingness to submit for an extended period of time to a sober living environment is a great sign of the overall recovery of an individual.
What makes a good halfway house? What are the benefits of choosing to live in a halfway house as opposed to an apartment in the early stages of recovery? These are questions that many in are asking, especially in communities like those in South Florida where drug and alcohol recovery is such a prevalent industry and there are so many options available. When searching for a halfway house, the first things to consider are what separates that halfway house from others and makes it an environment conducive to the recovery of those who are living there.
3 Key Components of a Quality Halfway House
Tenants with Lengthy Sobriety
A halfway house with many recovering addicts or alcoholics with only a handful of weeks in recovery is not going to be the best environment. A solid halfway house will have people from many different stages of recovery, some with a handful of weeks and hopefully others with a year or two. This helps the newcomers have mentors to guide them along the way, and it helps keep the veterans humble and remembering where they have come from.
A Structured Environment
There are certain guidelines that make a halfway house a halfway house. People in recovery living together doesn’t necessarily mean they are in a sober living environment. What makes a halfway house is an environment with structure and rules, designed to assimilate those living there back into society from treatment facilities.
It is important to have random drug tests, if for no other reason than to protect the tenants from someone who may be living there and using. It is also important to have certain curfews, at least for newer residents. It is also critical that a sober living environment, or halfway house, mandates that its residents are employed and are attending meetings and/or meeting with a sponsor.
Let Joy be your Compass
A great benefit of living in South Florida is the proximity of many halfway houses to the beach. One thing to remember about a halfway house is that it’s not a treatment center. It’s not meant to be another 6 months of treatment. The idea of a sober living environment is to invite those in recovery back into society, to re-teach them how to have fun in life without the use of drugs, alcohol, or other habitual, destructive tendencies.
To do this it’s important that a halfway house promotes community, hobbies, and a social life for the residents. Sunrise meetings at the beach, or weekend tennis matches are a couple examples of ways a halfway house may promote a sober lifestyle.
