19 Jul How Do Sober Living Homes Promote 12-Step Participation?
Many people choose to go to a sober living home after completing treatment so they can adjust to staying sober in the real world. Sober living homes promote 12-Step participation by mandating weekly meetings among residents to ensure each person is actively working on their recovery. Although sober homes are not affiliated or directly tied to 12-Step programs, the relationship between the 12-Steps and a sober home is unique as these are two vital tools in the recovery process.
What Are 12-Step Programs?
Some addiction treatment centers model their programs after the 12-Steps. The 12-Steps were originally created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They are used to help guide recovering individuals through sobriety by connecting them with a Higher Power and showing them how to live a sober lifestyle.
Due to the rapid success and growth of AA, other 12-Step groups sprang up to support those with addictions to other substances or fixations. These include:
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
- Cocaine Anonymous (CA)
- Heroin Anonymous (HA)
- Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
- Codependent Anonymous (CoDA)
- Sexaholics Anonymous (SA)
- Workaholics Anonymous (WA)
There are 12-Step groups available for all types of conditions. They exist to provide support, guidance, and accountability among members. These groups are free to attend and rely on voluntary member donations. They meet once or twice a week to discuss each other’s struggles as well as accomplishments.
Participants are encouraged to work the 12 steps with a sponsor. A sponsor is someone who has already gone through the steps, had a spiritual awakening, and is willing to help others. If you get a sponsor, he or she will take you through the 12 steps. The 12 steps, as originally stated in Alcoholics Anonymous are:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood God
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
- Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Are Sober Living Homes Affiliated With 12-Step Groups?
Sober living homes are not affiliated with 12-Step groups. In fact, AA and other groups follow a set of traditions that help meetings operate smoothly. One of these traditions is that groups are not to be affiliated with outside organizations such as businesses, treatment centers, and sober living homes. 12-Step groups are separate and independent entities.
With that being said, sober living homes strongly promote 12-Step participation. Many sober living homes in Delray Beach encourage or enforce resident participation in 12-Step groups.
Why Am I Required To Go To Meetings While Living in a Sober Home?
All sober living environments operate on a set of rules to protect you and other members residing in the home. Residents are required to stay sober, agree to random drug tests, complete their chores, be home before curfew, and join a recovery-based support group.
Most sober living homes ask new residents to attend at least 4-5 meetings each week, while older residents may only have to attend 2-3 meetings. You may be given a sheet of paper to record the meetings you attended, get the signature of the person leading the meeting, and turn it into your house mom or dad at the end of the week.
You will not be forced to attend one group over the other, so long as you are participating in some kind of recovery-based meeting. Some sober homes require residents to attend 12-Step meetings of AA, NA, CA, and more, while others are more flexible and allow residents to participate in 12-Step alternatives, such as:
- SMART Recovery
- Celebrate Recovery
- LifeRing
- Refuge Recovery
These alternative recovery-based groups do not use the 12 steps, but they do provide support for addictions. If you know you do not want to participate in a 12-Step program due to personal or religious reasons, check with your sober living first about their specific meeting attendance requirements.
Benefits of Participating in a 12-Step Program in Sobriety
Sober living homes promote 12-Step participation because these fellowships, when followed closely, have great success at helping people stay sober. Benefits of participating in fellowships like AA include:
- Having the opportunity to develop a sober support system
- Always having a safe place to turn for support
- Being held accountable by members of your 12-Step group
- Having the opportunity to confide in people who have more sober time than you do
- Growing your faith and spirituality
- Making amends for your past mistakes and rebuilding broken relationships
- 12-Step groups like AA are found in every state and most countries
- Participation is free (only a voluntary donation will be asked for)
Participating in a 12-Step program while you are in sober living will help you stay sober, supported, and accountable in your recovery.
Join Our Delray Beach Sober Living Community Today
Our men’s and women’s recovery residences in Delray Beach encourage 12-Step participation among all residents. Residents who participate in the 12-Steps during and after sober living are more likely to stay sober. If you’re interested in learning more about our sober living homes and how we promote 12-Step participation, our team is standing by to take your call. Reach out today for all the addiction help you need.
