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Following recovery, halfway houses (sometimes called ‘dry houses’ in the UK) are a viable option. For people who have misused alcohol or drugs for a long time, quitting might be extremely tough. A halfway home has the advantage of providing protection and assistance to the client as he or she adjusts to a new life free of addiction.

A halfway home is a sort of supportive accommodation for those who are trying to get clean. Individuals who remain here will have significantly more liberty than they had in treatment, but they will be required to act in a certain way while they are enrolled in the Halfway house. One of the key conditions is that the tenant does not consume drugs or alcohol while staying at the house; breaching this rule usually results in swift eviction.

A halfway house can be likened to a rehab in a variety of ways, including:

  • Residents are being required to attend group therapy sessions in the house each day (Monday through Friday).
  • A psychotherapist will be in charge of the facility’s smooth operation, and this professional is typically on-site between the hours of 9 and 5 on weekdays.
  • Residents have one-on-one sessions with the therapist on a regular basis (at least once a week).
  • In most cases, residents are unable to accommodate overnight visitors.
  • In the house, there are expectations regarding expected behaviour.
  • The use of alcohol and drugs is prohibited.
  • Residents are generally not permitted to work full-time while enrolled in the programme.

A halfway house is different from a rehabilitation centre in several aspects, such as

  • The fact that these facilities are typically designed to look like a regular home.
  • The residents sleep alone in the house at night.
  • Residents normally have their own keys and are able to come and go as they like in the daytime.
  • Clients can usually participate in volunteer work or go to night school.
  • In a halfway house, occupants generally have their room.

Halfway homes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are government-sponsored, while others are not (mainly mental illness homes and addiction recovery homes).

In this section, we shall only use the phrase “halfway house” to describe one of the many types of facilities: a residential centre where people who are leaving rehab after completing treatment for addiction problems stay before being completely released into their respective communities. Individuals living in these institutions are subjected to a system of regulations and obligations, which include attendance at activities, time limits, and maintaining employment.

The term “halfway house” can also apply to a few other sorts of institutions that aren’t included in this article:

Although people who have recently completed their terms in prisons are often housed in sober living facilities, their only goal is not to serve as a transitional space between rehab and reentry to the community. People with substance use problems are accommodated in sober living homes, which are often known as “halfway houses” since they frequently serve as transitional housing for people exiting drug and alcohol recovery programmes.

Instead of going to prison or jail to spend their entire term, restitution centres and residential correctional/community-based institutions serve as alternatives to traditional detention. People in restitution centres are required to work and hand over their salaries to cover court-ordered penalties, restitution costs, room and board, and other expenses. Work-release programmes are common in community-based/residential correctional facilities, although they serve as minimum-security prisons rather than re-entry services.

A person may opt to join a halfway house for a variety of reasons. Some folks require this choice right away because they don’t have anywhere safe to go after rehab. It is feasible to spend a year or more in a dry house. Individuals who stay clean in the programme are often provided council housing in many parts of the UK, which can be a powerful incentive to commit to this form of aftercare.

Another reason why a halfway house might be such a good alternative is that some people are simply not ready to return to society. They will be helped as they make this change if they stay in this type of structured accommodation. People can learn crucial coping methods to cope with day-to-day life in rehab, and a dry house enables them to utilise these techniques while still having a safety net.

Joining a halfway house increases the chances of breaking free from addiction and establishing long-term sobriety significantly. Once a person has made it past the first year, their chances of success skyrocket. The individual has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change his or her life, and enrolling in a third-stage programme boosts the chances of success.

A halfway home is not always a viable or necessary solution for everyone. It is especially beneficial to people who have been locked in addiction for a long time or who do not have a safe place to return to after treatment. In some cases, the person can use housing benefits to stay in this type of institution, but there are also alternative options.

Follow-up treatment in an extended care treatment centre has been found to significantly improve people’s chances of long-term recovery. According to one study, 11 percent of patients who completed treatment without receiving any follow-up therapy remained abstinent after 6 months. After 6 months, 68 percent of individuals who went on to engage in a halfway house setup stayed sober. Service users are welcome to stay as long as they need at the halfway house facility.

This allows them time to look for work or enrol in an educational programme and establish a routine. They can use the services available to them to find a suitable location to live once they have established. Halfway houses are a highly effective strategy to conquer addiction in the long term because they provide support and availability of services in an atmosphere where individuals may decide when they are ready to face the community.

Restoring Any Social Relationships That Have Been Affected Or Harmed As A Result Of One’s Substance Abuse Problems.

The goal of this type of programme is to teach people how to become self-sufficient and rebuild their lives. It is commonly observed that persons who reside in a halfway house have an easier time repairing broken connections with family and friends. The individual in recovery has the opportunity to learn how to put what they’ve learned in treatment and education into practice. When substance misuse is present, relationships can become turbulent, necessitating awareness and understanding on all sides.

Getting Back Into The Workforce

Addiction has the potential to ruin a person’s entire life. People frequently suffer financial, social, and personal damages as a result of their lives centring around the drug they were addicted to. One of the most destructive and devastating losses is one’s ability to work. Many people in recovery want to reclaim their financial independence, and halfway house facilities offer the tools and resources to assist them to do so.

Halfway houses give an extra layer of steadiness for recovering addicts, preventing them from relapsing. Research published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs in 2010 found that a sample of 300 people improved on measures of drug and alcohol use, arrests, employment, and mental symptoms.

In a similar line, the findings of an extensive study on past members of sober-living communities were published in 2010 in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. According to the findings, recovered addicts who went through an organized halfway house setting were considerably less likely to relapse, be arrested, or become homeless.

The most notable advantage of halfway houses is that they provide a social support system for addicts in recovery. Participants are strongly urged to provide reciprocal support and encouragement to one another in order to achieve full recovery. Indeed, a crucial finding of the latter study was that establishing a community of support earlier on enhanced performance prospects.

Nevertheless, because the period of stay is normally limited (usually no more than 7 months), some individuals may be forced to leave before they are prepared for living independently.

Sober living homes and Halfway houses are conceptually quite similar. They both provide drug-free living conditions for persons suffering from addiction, but they vary in a variety of ways. Treatment programmes are the primary determinants for the idea of halfway houses.

The goal is to give a place for the patient to stay after they finished residential treatment or while they were in outpatient therapy. Isolating the user from their prior substance-abusing surroundings so that they might heal in a sober, nurturing environment is the main goal. Most people’s treatment outcomes improved as a result of these halfway houses. However, there are a few drawbacks to halfway houses that sober living homes do not have.

Unlike halfway houses, sober living homes enable residents to stay as long as they want as long as they obey all house rules (like paying rent, remaining abstinent, completing chores, and so on.). It’s also not usually necessary to have completed official addiction treatment before moving into a sober living home. However, several sober living homes require or actively encourage you to attend 12-step programs while you are a resident. Lastly, since residents pay the rent while living there, there are no funding problems.

What a person requires from a halfway house living facility differs from person to person. It is crucial to ask questions that are specific to them. It’s a good idea to start by learning about the daily routine – the more planned and active the day seems, the better. 

  • What does a typical day actually involve?
  • What distinguishes weekdays from weekends?
  • Will I have a general physician or will I be seen by a number of people?
  • Do the current occupants of the house respect the rules?
  • Will I have access to resources for finding a job and/or a place to live?
  • What kind of therapy is available?

Halfway houses have some of the highest sobriety retention rates of any treatment method. The emphasis on obtaining practical skills, as well as the proactive way of education to live in a home setting with other people, allows those who are treated there to translate such talents into everyday life. Staff at halfway house living facilities provide additional direction and assistance, which has a substantial impact on residents’ well-being. Spending quality time in an extended care facility has the most significant advantage in that it assists people in rehabilitation, in setting individual objectives in everyday life, effectively managing their time and planning tasks so that stressful situations are controllable.

For people seeking a halfway living facility, the Internet is a valuable resource. Although halfway houses can provide a bridge between treatment and daily life, they lack the support and structure that an organized residential care facility can provide. The rehabilitation centre where you received treatment may also be the place where you might get information about sober life.

Check whether the institution has a daily meeting, gym, nutritional guidance, and regular therapy sessions, as well as that it is well staffed. The facility’s high degree of discipline and attention on routine and staying active shows that it is actually prepared to assist people in changing their lives.

The following are some of the questions to help you choose a halfway housing facility:

  • What qualifications does the staff personnel have?
  • What kind of practical help is available? (For instance, job interview preparation, personal development classes, life skill development and so forth.)
  • What is the maximum number of people who can stay in the house?
  • Is it possible to book a private room?
  • Is there any other type of group psychotherapy available?
  • Is it possible to attend 12-step meetings? Are they required?
  • What types of medical help are available?
  • Is there a curfew in place?
  • What are the regulations of the house?
  • What are the visitor regulations?
  • What is the average length of stay for residents?
  • What is the procedure for resolving domestic disputes?
  • Is it feasible to communicate with residents who have already moved in?
  • Is there any help for alumni at the house?

Recovery from substance abuse, alcoholism and behavioural addiction requires a holistic approach, one that can be aimed at healing body, mind and spirit simultaneously. This is essential to warrant long-term recovery and prevent relapse. 

Apart from premium addiction treatments and upscale amenities provided at high-end luxury rehab centres, one of the key factors in the high recovery success of these premium inpatient centres is the prompt and precise aftercare and follow up plans. Halfway house facility in various cities of the UK including Manchester and London is key to long-term abstinence. Residents after leaving rehab are seldom ready to join their communities and fight off the triggers all on themselves. An upscale transitional living facility in the shape of sober living homes or halfway houses encourage and supervise these rehab graduates to continue with their recovery and apply the coping mechanisms which they learnt during rehab under the supervision of a medical team.

If you or a loved one is finding it difficult to cope up with their addiction or if they have failed even after attending rehab without precise aftercare programmes, contact us right away to know about the aftercare plans we offer and start your journey towards recovery from addiction.

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