Category: Sober Living

Woman with red hair sleeping in bed with white sheets.

Tips to Fall Asleep When Restless

Trying to fall asleep and being unable to is a frustrating feeling. Tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable sleep position can sometimes just make it worse. Luckily, there are some things that you can do to help yourself get to sleep and have a restful night.

Sleep in a Cooler Environment

One of the easiest ways to get yourself to fall asleep faster is to turn the room’s temperature down a bit. Studies have shown that cooler temperatures allow us to fall asleep faster and to sleep more deeply.

The reason this works is thought to be that our body temperature tends to naturally drop as our circadian rhythms get close to the sleep phase. This temperature drop tends to remain lower until a few hours before your typical wake up time.

Calm Your Mind and Focus on Breathing

Your breathing patterns have an impact on your autonomic nervous system. This system regulates your heart rate, motivation levels, muscle tension, and other aspects of excitement or relaxation.

When you breathe shallow and rapid breaths, you might experience a sense of anxiety. On the contrary, when you breathe slowly and deeply, you can experience feelings of calmness. When you lay down at night, try to focus on taking slow, deep breaths.

Upgrade Your Mattress

While a mattress upgrade can be an expensive solution to this problem, it might make a huge difference in your sleep patterns. It is a good idea to go to a store to get a feel for different mattress types. Everyone is different, so there is no perfect mattress that fits everyone’s needs. Test out some mattresses to see if a firmer (or softer) mattress might be best for you.

Tharros House is a sober living community that helps its residents continue to live a restful, sober lifestyle. If you are interested in learning more, reach out to us today.

Sober community with hands on top of each other

How Can My Community Keep Me Sober?

Becoming and remaining sober can be challenging, but it is genuinely worth it in so many ways. By staying sober, you can begin to rebuild former relationships that may have suffered throughout your addiction and become healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your community can also have a significant impact on helping you stay sober.

Find Support Groups and Meetings in Your Community

Support groups and meetings are designed to help former addicts come together to share stories, advice, and support. There are many different types of support groups, so you are sure to find one that fits your needs.

Some support groups are religion-based, so if that is something important to you, it can be an excellent way to get started finding others like you in your community. Other support groups are activity focused. These types of support groups are great for people who share similar hobbies, and it is an easy way to make new friends with the same interests as you.

Sober Living Communities

Another way that your community can help you to stay sober is to move into a sober living home. A sober living home is geared toward individuals who have been sober for a while and want to remain sober while starting to get their life back on track. Many people living in sober living homes have begun searching for jobs or have even started to work again.

These living communities are a great resource because you can live with other people who have gone through similar struggles as you have. It can be a place for support and encouragement, and even true life-long friendships. Many sober living communities also have group activities on a regular basis, such as game nights and other entertaining activities. The can not only be fun, but also work to build lasting connections with others.

Tharros House is a sober living home in the Boston, Massachusetts area. We are a sober living community that offers our residents many benefits, such as onsite support groups, group activities, and more. If you are thinking about joining a sober living community, we would love to speak with you to help you decide if we’re a good fit. Give us a call today to learn more about what Tharros House has to offer.

Three people excited about living a sober life

Relapse Prevention Tips

Although you are committed to sobriety, you should prepare for some of the challenges ahead. Unfortunately, relapses are a relatively common setback. But just because relapses can happen—it doesn’t mean that it must happen to you.

1. Understand the Signs of a Relapse

One of the most critical steps you can take to avoid a relapse is to educate yourself on the signs of it. Knowing what to look for can help you recognize when you need help. Some common signs to watch for include:

  • Becoming defensive
  • Feelings of anger
  • Poor sleeping and eating habits
  • Isolating yourself
  • Mood swings
  • Lying about your behaviors or feelings
  • Spending time with friends with who you used to drink alcohol with
  • Fantasizing about drinking alcohol
  • Thinking about or planning to try using alcohol or drugs again in the future.

2. Fill Up Your Free Time

Another thing that you can do to help avoid a relapse is to find fun hobbies and activities to fill up your free time. When you are involved in many other things and have additional responsibilities, it makes it hard to slide back into old habits.

3. Continue to Attend Meetings and Support Group Sessions

After you have been sober for some time, you might start thinking that you don’t need to attend meetings and support group sessions that help sober individuals stay that way. Try to resist the urge to give up these meetings and support groups—as they can be helpful for long-term sobriety.

You can also consider a sober living home, where you reside with other sober people similar to you. Tharros House is a great place to continue living a sober lifestyle. Give us a call today to find out if it might be the right fit for you.

Asian couple reading a book in nature

How Do I Deal with Cravings as They Arise?

After you make the decision to stop drinking, it is common to continue to experience cravings for alcohol for some time. Also, after committing to a sober lifestyle, you might be more aware of your cravings since you have made a conscious decision to avoid alcohol.

To remain sober, you will have to face your cravings head-on and stay strong. Knowledge is power, so one crucial step you can take moving forward is to plan for how you will handle cravings when they pop up.

What Causes Alcohol Cravings?

Cravings often occur as a response to a trigger, which can be automatic. Triggers can be different from person to person. Common triggers for many individuals include stress and specific emotions and memories of something associated in some way with alcohol.

People who experience cravings for alcohol often have both internal and external triggers. Internal triggers can include emotions, thoughts, memories, or even physical sensations that give you the urge to consume alcohol. External triggers include environmental cues that you associate with alcohol—such as places, people, certain situations, and the time of day (such as the end of a workday).

Managing Cravings

While cravings for alcohol can be intense, the good news is that they often can pass after a few minutes go by. When you experience cravings for alcohol, it can help to remind yourself that the craving will soon disappear. Positive distractions are another excellent way to manage your cravings. Reading a book, watching a funny show, and going for a walk are all positive distractions that can help.

Tharros House Sober Living

The early stages of sobriety bring many challenges. One thing you can do to have a better chance at remaining sober is to live in a sober living home. Tharros House is a sober living home in Massachusetts that has helped many residents continue their sober journey. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help.

Woman in pink exercise gear stretching her arm.

How Can I Listen to What My Body is Telling Me About My Health?

If you pay close attention, you can catch certain signs about your health by listening to cues from your body.

One thing to keep in mind is that every person is different, so it is essential to learn your own body cues. Various health indicators can show up in different ways from person to person.

How to Listen to Health Cues from Your Body

The first way to make sure that you are ready to listen to your body’s cues about your health is to make sure that you know what is normal for you.

To get used to your baseline health indicators, you can keep a journal of how you are feeling daily. You don’t have to limit yourself to writing down just physical changes—tracking your emotions and mental health is beneficial, too.

There are many apps out there that you can use to log how you are feeling each day. Of course, writing things down in a notebook or journal works too.

By tracking your health and any changes each day, over time, you will have a good understanding of your general health and well-being, and you will be able to notice small changes that could be significant.

If you notice something unusual, consider doing a little research to clarify or isolate your concerns. While online research is certainly not a substitute for medical care, it can give you a little more clarity on the topic and allow you to explain your concerns to your doctor better.

Listening to your body and paying attention to any changes is crucial for your health, especially as you move forward in your sobriety journey.

A sober living home facility can be beneficial in many ways. If you are interested in learning more about this option, contact us today at Tharros House.

Woman relaxing with a cup of coffee

Relaxation Techniques for Times of Stress

One way you can help manage your feelings of stress is to begin practicing relaxation techniques. When you think about relaxing, the first thing that comes to mind might be enjoying a hobby or experiencing peace of mind. However, there is much more to it than that.

What Does Relaxation Do for Me?

Relaxation is a process that allows you to decrease the amount of stress on your body. By incorporating relaxation techniques as a daily part of your life, you can learn to cope with everyday stressors better. Additionally, relaxation techniques are useful in helping you manage long-term stress or health issues caused by stress—such as heart disease.

Relaxation Techniques to Work On

Many different relaxation techniques can be effective, so it is vital to find the right ones for you. Below are some standard relaxation techniques.

  • Visualization – To use this relaxation technique, simply begin visualizing mental images that allow you to imagine a peaceful and calm setting. It is helpful to sit somewhere comfortable and quiet and to close your eyes.
  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation – When using the progressive muscle relaxation technique, you begin by tensing and then slowly relaxing each group of muscles. This process helps you become more aware of physical sensations and learn to distinguish between tensing and relaxing.
  • Autogenic Relaxation – With this relaxation technique, you will use both awareness of your body and visual imagery to reduce your stress levels. Simply repeat phrases or words in your mind that help you relax and reduce muscle tension. For example, think about being somewhere peaceful and focus on breathing in and out slowly and lowering your heart rate.

Relaxation techniques are a simple way you can work on reducing your stress levels.

Tharros House

Tharros House is a sober living community in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Contact us today to learn more about what we have to offer.

Woman laying down smoking in Massachusetts

What Are the Best Ways to Quit Smoking?

Many people decide to quit smoking once they realize the negative impact of the habit on their overall health. Fortunately, once a smoker does quit, there are significant health benefits that take place almost immediately.

Why Is Smoking So Addictive?

Smoking is an addictive habit due to the active ingredient in tobacco called nicotine.

When you smoke cigarettes, your brain quickly adapts to the nicotine, causing you to crave more and more of the chemical to feel the way you did after your first cigarette.

Over time, your brain begins to predict when you are ready to smoke a cigarette, then you have one, and then the cycle repeats again.

How to Quit Smoking, Once and For All

It probably won’t come as a surprise that the most challenging days of quitting smoking are the first few days.

Although it probably will not be easy to get through the first couple of days after quitting, it is essential to stick with it.

One helpful way to quit smoking is to choose a day and commit to being done with smoking that day and beyond. Having an end date that you commit to will make the process feel final and give you a better chance at success.

Another way to quit smoking is to make a list of all of the reasons you want to stop smoking and write down all of the benefits you will gain once you achieve your goal. Having a plan written out in front of you with reminders of why you are quitting in the first place can help you focus on your goal and move forward.

You may also want to consider nicotine replacement patches, gum, or prescription medications that can help curb cravings. These options can be extremely helpful.

Tharros House

Tharros House in Massachusetts is a sober living home facility where individuals can live and work on maintaining their sobriety in a collaborative atmosphere. Give us a call today to learn more about how we may be able to help you.

Girl working out, trying sober things to do during Covid in Boston Massachusetts

Sober Things to Do During Covid

With many places shutting down and the ongoing limitations on in-person gatherings and activities, sober individuals may have difficulty finding sober activities to engage in. Fortunately, there are still many different things to do so that former addicts can continue to avoid activities that could trigger a relapse.

Covid-19 Restrictions and Sobriety

It is no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic that the world is currently facing may cause added stress and some complex challenges for everyone as we all attempt to move forward. For sober individuals, dealing with these additional stressors can make them more likely to suffer a relapse. This is particularly true for people who have poor coping skills. In order to continue on a sober path, it can be helpful to stay busy and participate in a variety of activities to occupy your time.

What Are Some Ideas for Sober Things to Do During the Pandemic?

There are still plenty of things to do for fun despite the pandemic. Although the weather is getting colder, outdoor activities such as hiking, running, and going for walks are still great ideas, even in a pandemic. These activities allow for plenty of social distancing while also giving you the added health benefits of exercise.

Other sober things to do include reading books and listening to audiobooks. Reading or listening to a book are great ways to engage your mind and learn new things. For those who enjoyed reading before the pandemic—now is an excellent time to continue enjoying this hobby that you love. For others, now is as good of a time as any to give reading a shot as a new hobby.

Tharros House

Tharros House is a sober living facility in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you maintain your sober lifestyle.

Man and woman holding up home blocks for sober living house

How Do Sober Living Homes Work?

Sober living homes are group living residences for people who are in the process of recovery from addiction. Most sober living homes have a set of house rules that the residents must follow in order to live there. The most critical house rule is that the residents must remain sober and free from substance abuse.

Residents of sober living homes also often contribute to the house in different ways, such as completing chores based on a schedule. A structured living environment like a sober living home can be a great way for someone to adjust to life during and after treatment.

There are many people that use sober living homes to help them in the transition from rehab to independent living. Generally, those living in sober living homes can come and go as they please as long as they are following certain rules established by the home. For example, residents may be required to be home by a particular time or may have a curfew.

Who Can Live in Sober Living Homes?

There are some basic requirements for individuals who are considering living in a sober living environment. Most importantly, residents of sober living homes must be sober and be committed to remaining sober while they live in the home.

In the majority of cases, sober living home residents have already completed a substance abuse rehabilitation program before they move in. Residents who have already started living a sober lifestyle and have begun learning tools to help keep them sober tend to be more successful with adjusting to a sober living environment.

Tharros House and Sober Living

Tharros House is a sober living home in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Sober living homes offer many benefits to someone who is in recovery from addiction and wants to live with other sober individuals before living independently. Give us a call today for fill out the contact form on our site to learn more about how a sober living home can help you maintain your sobriety.

How Do I Stay Sober?

It takes hard work and dedication to recover from a substance use disorder. For many people, it will require a lifetime of dedication to stay on the sober track.

Unfortunately, relapses are common. Approximately 80% of those in recovery who have found long-term sobriety have experienced at least one relapse along the way. Staying sober is challenging for many people, but the more strategies you learn to identify triggers and cope with stress, the easier it can be to prevent a relapse.

Identify Your Personal Triggers

External triggers can be people, situations, places, and things that elicit cravings or thoughts associated with substance abuse. Internal triggers are thoughts, feelings, or emotions that are associated with substance abuse.

Identifying both your external and internal triggers can help you remain sober. When you know what could cause or contribute to a relapse, you can then create a plan to avoid or prepare for these triggers.

Build Healthy Relationships

An essential part of the recovery process is building healthy relationships. As someone newly sober, you may have noticed that some of your past relationships were unhealthy or even toxic. You may need to make changes with many relationships in your life, including cutting ties or limiting contact with people with whom you used to partake in substance abuse.

It can be beneficial to work on improving relationships with supportive friends and family. You can also join support groups and find peers that are also working hard to maintain their sobriety.

Sober Living at Tharros House

Tharros House is a sober living facility located in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Sober individuals who want to maintain their sobriety and reside in a collaborative living environment are an excellent fit for Tharros House. Contact us today to learn more about how Tharros House can help you continue and strengthen your sobriety.