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The benefits of sober living

For many recovering addicts, the journey toward sobriety starts in detox or rehab. Detox and rehab provide serious and continuous medical, clinical, and psychological care for those deep in the throes of addiction. Additionally, and perhaps just as importantly, in-patient rehab provides a setting where the addict is completely removed from substances for a fairly long period of time. When we become sober and then immediately return to our old environment–our apartment or house, our jobs, the shops and restaurants and streets where we used to use–it can be very difficult to remain sober. Often, we need thirty, sixty, ninety, or more days without substances in order to allow for our brain to heal and the cravings to reduce. Rehab provides this setting.

After leaving rehab, the question of how to best reintegrate into our lives arises. A lot of rehabs offer very structured transitional houses or halfway houses which offer a much larger degree of autonomy than formal rehab but also ensure that clinical and psychological support is available, along with accountability and regular drug and alcohol testing. Many of us, however, do not have the luxury of remaining in a clinical setting and must return to our jobs and our families. With a few months of sobriety under our belts from rehab, this is certainly feasible and many in recovery succeed in returning to their lives with new healthy habits and mindsets.

Others, especially those who have perhaps relapsed before, choose to continue living in environments with a lot of sober support and accountability. Whether it is an independent house or a rehab-run location, sober living offers a wonderful degree of ongoing help with beating addiction. In a sober living house, such as Harmony Haus in Austin, you will be in the company of other recovering addicts who are serious about getting better and committed to supporting one another and building strong bonds with others in recovery.

Sober living allows for a fully autonomous life while also giving you a safe place to call home. Recovery meetings such as AA are usually available in-house and there is often routine drug and alcohol testing. House activities are usually arranged on weekends, and the simple presence of others in the house prevents the addict from feeling isolated and lonely. Indeed,“the opposite of addiction is connection” and one begins to really feel this while being in sober living. Although it may seem harsh, those who seriously relapse are often asked to leave the house so that a continued environment of strong, serious sobriety is maintained. Sometimes, the knowledge that one’s living situation is truly dependent on maintaining recovery from substance use is a very strong motivator to stay clean.

There really is no substitute for coming downstairs in the morning to find friends doing morning reflections or asking you with genuine care how your recovery is going. Or to be watching a movie at night and have someone invite you to an AA meeting. Others may encourage you to go to the gym or join you in cooking healthy meals. Residents are working jobs or in school, which further encourages the recovering addict to move forward in life and further reintegrate into the world. House managers and residents also give you a strong network of others in recovery, including connecting you with possible AA sponsors, sober coaches, and therapists.The bonds that we forge with others on the same journey of recovery can last for life and be vital lifelines during times of stress.

A good sober living such as Harmony Haus provides a pleasant place to live in a transitional house with plenty of amenities–it is not a place where one feels “punished” for being in recovery but a place where one begins to feel the real material and emotional benefits of being sober. Harmony Haus in Austin, Texas, offers spaciousness and high quality that is all-too-often lacking in other sober living. Located in Austin’s premier neighborhood, near forests and trails and with easy access to pleasant areas for shopping and socializing, Harmony Haus gives residents a fun, comfortable, and meaningful experience that reinforces the benefits of sobriety and the importance of forging a healthy and happy life for ourselves without substances like marijuana, alcohol, opiates, benzodiazepines, and others. Harmony Haus Villagio in Westlake and Hyde Park is a large, new house with spacious living areas with televisions and couches, dining areas, full-size kitchens, a pool, and large bedrooms. The houses are kept very clean; residents have daily chores to ensure this. Harmony Haus is a sober living you can be proud to call home. Free gym memberships are included in the monthly rent.

A sober living like Harmony Haus is much more than simply a house where you live. Harmony Haus is a community where residents and managers truly care about each other and uniquely empathize with everyone on the journey to recovery. Regular meetings, morning reflections, meditation, acupuncture detox, healthy food, and the encouragement and accountability from peers are just some of the invaluable benefits of being at Harmony Haus. It is a place of safety from substance use in a world where substances–especially alcohol–are prevalent at so many business and social gatherings. It is vastly preferable in early recovery to living on one’s own, as loneliness and isolation are serious triggers for relapse. We hope that you will choose Harmony Haus for your sober living and come join us in the remarkable, joyous, and fun experience of working toward and maintaining sobriety and a healthy lifestyle.

Harmony Haus is a men’s sober living home in Austin, TX. It offers a wide array of support for those in recovery, in addition to luxurious accommodations and an atmosphere of serious recovery. Give us a call anytime.