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Women’s Sober Living: A Guide to Recovery for Women

Women’s Sober Living: A Guide to Recovery for Women
May 17, 2024
by ascensionhouse

Addiction treatment is an incredible journey of willpower and self-discovery during a highly vulnerable situation. It begins with making the life-changing decision to get sober and survive rehab. Finally being ready for the next transition is an incredible personal accomplishment.

Women’s sober living housing can continue to support sobriety. In addition, they can encourage further personal growth, and protect the valuable physical and emotional investment in self. Recovery is a valuable asset. Clients utilizing the tools available can help them limit their struggles and aid in the challenges make sense. 

Exploring Gender-Specific Sober Living

Not all sober living housing is gender-specific, but there are advantages to participating in this form of transitional living environment. Gender-specific sober living arrangements add a higher level of safety and stability in a drug and alcohol-free homelike atmosphere.

It is not uncommon for each gender to have unresolved trauma and emotions. This can stem from dealing with the opposite sex in the past. However, women deciding to eliminate as many stressors as possible leads to more time to heal. Relapse prevention immediately following rehab is a priority to focus on. 

Its Purpose and Benefits

Gender-specific detox, treatment, and sober living are proving to be worthwhile considerations for a life-changing recovery effort. Women’s sober living housing offers supervision from a same-sex staff and provides specialized care to vulnerable women. 

Healing can take time, and building self-confidence and self-esteem for a sober living foundation is possible when addressing specific needs. Feeling comfortable and safe with women-based resources can eliminate feelings of anxiety. As a result, it makes the effort easier to reach out and participate. 

What Should A Woman Look for When Selecting A Sober Living Home?

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the most essential factor in choosing a sober living environment is for it to be recovery-centered. In other words, it embraces all aspects of recovery. The goal of recovery, according to SAMHSA, is for recovering individuals to improve their health and wellness. They also strive for their full potential and learn how to live a self-directed life.

The sober living environment needs resources to achieve specific goals. This can include addressing medical, mental health, and social needs while providing stability and safety. Residents must be accountable while participating in the group for the well-being of all. SAMHSA also supports four significant factors that help those living in recovery.

The following factors are essential to adopting healthy habits in recovery, which may be more manageable through women’s sober living:

  • Health: Abstaining from alcohol and drugs, non-prescribed medications. It also means choosing to use healthy, informed decisions that support emotional and physical well-being. 
  • Home: A safe, stable, and secure home environment without exposure to enabling relationships that encourage addictive lifestyles. 
  • Purpose: The best recovery housing environments promote meaningful lifestyle habits and activities and require the residents to work, attend school, or volunteer. Household chores, responsibilities, and leadership roles are beneficial for the residents. 
  • Community: Principles in the social recovery model include housing that cultivates family-like relationships and social networks. Support, friendship, and hope are essential to success in personal growth. 

How Does Sober Living Help Women’s Mental Health?

Individuals with a substance use disorder are at high risk for having a co-occurring mental health condition. When a dual diagnosis occurs, the treatment staff specializing in this problem develop a comprehensive treatment plan. This is a unique set of approaches and treatments catered to each individual to address both situations.

Evidence-based therapies teach individuals to create positive and healthy coping mechanisms while identifying negative thought processes that may trigger unhealthy behavior. Individual, group, and family counseling lays the foundation for healing substance use disorder and mental health conditions.

Life Skills workshops and community-building events provide an opportunity to add a whole-person holistic treatment approach and build self-confidence. 

Women’s Sober Living Benefits: Building Friendships

Women’s sober living opportunities offer the perfect environment for developing friendships that breed empathy, understanding, and healthy relationship-building skills. Social model recovery principles built into recovery homes cultivate prosocial bonds, a sense of community, and peer support.

The combination of trained recovery housing staff, community resources, and peers with like experiences is the perfect recipe for building friendships, sustaining sobriety, and enhancing recovery skills. Group therapy opportunities, often a requirement, are a great source of friendships and a wealth of experience through sharing. 

Finding Support

Astaff on site by understanding and empathetic women offers a supportive, intimate environment. Gender-specific programs provide a family dynamic that breeds openness and honesty. Feeling safe through a supportive peer group and leadership team inspires accountability and strength.

12-step programs are essential in learning to support others, understand, and offer empathy to build trust in relationships. Maintaining close contact with therapists and housing staff can lead to additional assistance for individual needs. They can access this through our sober living program for extra support. 

Improved Feelings of Safety

Many women leaving behind a substance use disorder felt unsafe and often had traumatic experiences in the past. A sense of safety is essential for feeling secure and protected. Sober living homes maintain confidentiality and support personal privacy.

Women who feel safe and comfortable can relax and maintain focus on recovery. Those who were in abusive relationships must rely on safety protocols to remain free from anxiety, fear, and panic. 

Women’s Sober Living Opportunities Offer Transition to Independent Living in Texas

Everyone is different, and each recovery journey is an individual experience. The Ascension House in Texas provides safety and security in a gender-specific sober living environment. Time is essential for healing and recovery. Commit to sobriety by utilizing all the tools for longevity in sobriety and transition slowly into independent living.

Contact The Ascension House today for specific admissions information.