When you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the initial stages of withdrawal and early sobriety can retrospectively seem like the easy part of the long, difficult journey towards lifelong abstinence. For many people, resisting the urge to indulge in unhealthy behaviors is straight-forward while they’re in a protected residential treatment facility, but becomes incredibly difficult when they’re back at home, in their old job and still surrounded by familiar, powerful triggers. A popular option to assist in staying clean, at least during the early stages of recovery, is to use a sober companion.
What is a sober companion?
As the name suggests, a sober companion is a person who spends time with you “in the real world” reminding you of the strategies and techniques you learned during your addiction treatment, which lessens the chances of a relapse. They may also enable you to attend group therapy sessions, 12-step meetings or locate other useful services in your neighborhood which can assist you in remaining drug or alcohol free. Sober companions are a popular service of some of the most successful detox centers.
How long are sober companions employed for?
Typically, input from a sober companion lasts for around a month, but can be for much longer if required. Support varies between accompanying newly sober individuals to meetings or events, to simply being there on the end of the phone to provide support and encouragement when temptation rears its ugly face. The services which a sober companion offers are specifically tailored to the needs of individuals, giving those who receive treatment from a reputable detox center an excellent resource to help them stay strong in those early, difficult first days of new sobriety.
When to use a sober companion?
Sober companions have been found to be particularly useful when addicts leave residential treatment and being to pick up their old lives. Although their key role is to assist and support newly sober addicts, they are also a useful resource whenever sobriety is threatened. Sometimes a series of unfortunate events can see even the most determined clean addict sorely tempted to relapse, months or even years after recovery has started. At such times input from a sober companion as well as easy, quick access to appropriate therapy and interventions from a professional detox center can be pivotal in allowing sobriety to be maintained.
At The Sober Companions there is commitment not only to world class treatment for residential patients, but also to providing all the support necessary to enable addicts to live fulfilled, abstinence based lives once they leave. Sober companions are part of a package of measures which they provide, offering a high level of post-residential care which has a significantly positive impact on their excellent success rates.
