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Staying Busy in Recovery

There are many drug addiction recovery homes in Austin, Texas. The city is a great place to get sober and to find a new, exciting, joyful life. The best recovery homes make sure to keep their residents accountable and encourage them to stay busy as they journey toward a life of sobriety. Often, when right out of rehab, IOP, PHP, or detox, recovering addicts can be physically and mentally exhausted and, sometimes, quite depressed and anxious about the state of their lives that addiction has wrecked. There are a lot of problems to deal with in early recovery–finances, family dynamics, relationships, jobs, and the day-to-day struggle of coping with difficult emotions and situations without our drugs of choice. 
 
Thus, it is important to keep the mind and body engaged–it is definitely necessary to rest and recover, but too much time alone or too much downtime can lead to rumination, lower energy, more anxiety, and more depression, as well as cravings. Many of us completely isolated ourselves during the last days of our addiction, and we need to work on creating a new life that moves us beyond the dynamic of being alone with our drugs or alcohol. Sober houses provide a stimulating and helpful environment wherein residents are very much engaged in socialization, activities, and making meaningful steps toward bettering their lives–often to a much greater degree than recovering addicts who go straight from rehab back home. This is why sober living is highly recommended by clinicians as a vital next step after rehab. Going back home–and especially going back to living alone–makes it very easy to fall back into bad habits. 
 
At Harmony Haus, we have immediate access to some of Austin’s best hiking spots, shopping areas, dining, and great AA meetings. We require residents to do chores each day and to keep up daily with important recovery activities such as sponsor work, Big Book studying, calling other friends in sobriety, prayer or meditation, exercising, and eating nutritiously. Our state-of-the-art kitchen helps residents cook delicious meals and our backyard is a great place to go for a swim in the pool or play catch or play with your dog. And, by being surrounded by new friends, instead of living alone, you’ll always have someone to go get dinner with, or catch a movie, or go hiking, or explore the vibrant city of Austin. 
 
Our residents enjoy sports like Frisbee Golf, or going to Cross-Fit, and golfing. Others like to walk the dog or play rugby or do martial arts. Sometimes residents go camping together out in Texas’ beautiful natural spots, or travel to nearby tourist spots like San Marcos. There is always something to do! Being around others can also help keep your sleep schedule on track so that you do not return to a “nocturnal” pattern or to sleeping too much–both of which may have been bad lifestyles during active addiction.
 
Sober livings like Harmony Haus are great choices for those still in early recovery, because they help introduce residents to a new way of living, and help residents rediscover the joyful and fun activities outside of using substances.