The Differences Between Inpatient Rehab and Sober Living Homes
• Purpose Inpatient rehabs and sober living homes have two different purposes. Inpatient rehabs’ purpose is to rehabilitate clients. They meet clients when they are at the brink of their active addiction and are ready to receive help. They rehabilitate the clients at the beginning of their recovery by providing preliminary treatment and tools. Sober living homes’ purpose is to provide a healthy place for clients to live after completing a treatment program. • Clinical Services Available Since inpatient rehabs’ purpose is to rehabilitate, they have a full range of clinical services available. They have nurses and other medical staff to aid in detox and other medical issues. Addictions counselors, family therapists, and psychiatrists are available to treat the addiction, educate the families, and treat co-occurring disorders. Sober living homes do not offer treatment; therefore, there are no clinicians on-site. Sober living homes consist of other people who are in recovery to support each other. • Activities Available Inpatient rehabs have a wide range of activities available on-site. They most commonly have gyms, swimming pools, basketball and other sports courts, farms, nature trails, art classes, cooking classes, etc. to take the holistic approach to treating addiction. Sober living homes may have some activities for the residents to do as a group, but since they are homes, they do not have as many amenities on-site to facilitate activities. • Restrictions Inpatient rehabs have many restrictions. The most prominent one is that residents cannot leave the rehab without permission. The circumstances that the resident would be allowed to leave is for a treatment center authorized activity, doctor’s appointment, or a family emergency. Sober living homes allow the residents to come and go as they place. The only restrictions sober living homes may have is a curfew. Choosing Between Inpatient Rehabs and Sober Living Homes If you are just getting into recovery, which means you have not gone through detox and psychological treatment yet, you will need to go to inpatient rehab to safely and comfortably go through detox and receive the tools to live in recovery. After you complete inpatient rehab, you have the option of moving into a sober living home. The requirements for a sober living home are to stay clean, work a program, pay rent, do the chores, and follow other house rules. Going to a sober living home after inpatient rehab is strongly recommended for reducing the chances of relapse and rebuilding your life on a solid foundation.