Category: Sober Living

Living Sober in Massachusetts Sun Meditation

15 Tips for Living Sober in Massachusetts

Although there are a variety of programs available to help you on your journey to sobriety, living sober in Massachusetts can still be a daunting task if not prepared.

From specific addiction targeted sober living programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, to sober living homes, finding a strategy that works best for you is what matters most.

The following tips, while simple, may each make a huge impact on your path towards living a clean, sober life.

15 Tips for Living Sober in Massachusetts

  1. Get involved with the community.
  2. Dump the friends that bring you down and make friends with the people that lift you up.
  3. Take it one day at a time.
  4. Take responsibility for your life – no blaming others or making excuses.
  5. Be forgiving.
  6. Discover your passions and pursue them.
  7. Take on a hobby that allows self-expression.
  8. Spend more time around nature.
  9. When you wake up, close your eyes and picture 5 things in life that you are grateful for.
  10. Create goals for the type of person you would like to be and the things you would like to do.
  11. Use mindfulness to become more self-aware.
  12. Meditate.
  13. Never underestimate the control that your addiction may have.
  14. Learn more about living sober.
  15. Explore the sites and scenery in Massachusetts without drugs and alcohol.

Above all try not to be too hard on yourself; we all have weaknesses that can trigger a relapse. No matter what happens there is always help and various sober living programs to help you in living a clean, sober life.

Tharros Sober Living Home in Boston, Massachusetts

Tharros house brings together a sober community of like-minded individuals with aftercare, allowing you to learn new skills to overcome the challenges ahead in a fresh, fun, and encouraging way. Learn more about how Tharros House can help you.

sober living home backyard path to recovery

What Are Sober Living Homes?

Sober living homes are places where recovering addicts can live in a safe, drug-free environment to continue with their recovery.  These homes do not provide actual treatment, but they do provide a clean-living space for recovering addicts to work on discontinuing their destructive habits.  Sober living homes have rules for their residents, which provide structure.

Benefits of Sober Living Homes

Additionally, they have organized recovery meetings.  Sober living homes also help their residents find work or connections with school programs.  They also provide their residents with connections to outpatient recovery programs.  Sober living residences also require regular drug tests, and of course, drugs and alcohol are banned from the homes.  Sober living homes are less costly than staying in an inpatient rehab facility while providing someone in recovery the same type of safety net of being separated from their temptations and having the benefit of being surrounded by others who are also working towards recovery from addiction.

Who Lives in Sober Living Homes?

Many residents in a sober living home are in active treatment or attending a twelve-step program of some kind.  The homes only provide indirect support during the recovery process, but this indirect support can make a huge difference.

How Effective Are Sober Living Homes?

There is evidence, both anecdotal and empirical, that sober living homes do make a significantly positive difference in the process of recovery.  Generally, those who reside in sober living homes show better overall results over time on their path to recovery.  Typically, recovering addicts who live in sober living homes tend to stay sober longer and more consistently, avoid legal trouble, hold a consistent job, and have a lower rate of relapse.

Sober living homes can be hugely beneficial to those working towards recovery from addiction.  While everyone is different and there are a variety of different approaches to take in recovery, these homes are a good place to start the journey.

Tharros offers a highly supportive version of sober living, which includes an extensive peer support model.  To learn what’s different about Tharros, view our Tharros Experience Page

Sober house road to recovery in Boston Massachusetts

Sober Living Residences and Half-Way Homes

When a person is working on recovery from addiction, it can be extremely helpful for them to live in a sober living facility or a half-way home to aid in their recovery.  Living in a drug-free and stable environment can help eliminate certain factors that can be detrimental to maintaining recovery.

Some of the earliest forms of sober living residences were run by religious institutions, such as the Salvation Army and also the YMCA.  These sober living homes were first formed in the 1830s.  In Los Angeles following World War II, “Twelfth Step” houses emerged to help combat alcohol-related issues that had become more widespread during that time period.

Maintaining Sobriety While Living in a Sober Living Residence

Exercise at least three times per week – Exercising can be helpful not only to help your body stay in shape physically but also can help you mentally.  While you exercise, your body releases endorphins which can help to elevate your mood.

Maintain a healthy diet – Eating healthy foods and keeping a regular meal schedule of eating three times a day will help you with your overall health levels.  Falling into unhealthy eating habits can lead to relapsing, hurting your recovery progress.

Attend a 12 Step Program and get a sponsor – A 12-step program is an addiction recovery support group.  These groups often have meetings every day.  A sponsor is a mentor who can help someone recovering from addiction.  Often, a sponsor has already gone through many of the same issues that someone new to the recovery process is currently experiencing, which makes a sponsor a very helpful resource.

Sober living residences, like the Tharros House, can be a helpful place to begin your recovery process.  Living with others who are going through the same things can be a helpful built-in support group.

Sober Living Home Fence in Boston Massachusetts

Sober Living Homes

For those suffering from addiction, sober living homes can be helpful when trying to maintain abstinence from drugs and alcohol.  A stable and drug-free environment is important for continued recovery from addiction.

Sober Living House Expectations

While there are different types of sober living home arrangements, there are some general expectations that apply to sober living houses.  These include:

-No stealing from the house

-Paying fees/dues on time

-No drinking alcohol

-No taking drugs

-No sexual activity with other residents

-No violent actions

Tips for Staying Sober in a Sober Living Residence

  • Attend a 12-Step Program – A 12-step program is a support group for people working to overcome addiction.  There are meetings every day that you can attend as needed.  Many people in the support group have experienced similar circumstances and can offer guidance on how they overcame their own personal setbacks on their path to recovery.
  • Exercise Three Times a Week – Exercising releases endorphins, which make you feel good and elevate your mood.  Exercise can also help reduce compulsive behaviors.
  • Eat Three Meals a Day – Eating healthy foods on a regular schedule is an important part of your overall health.  A person dealing with substance abuse is more likely to relapse if they also have unhealthy eating habits.
  • Get a Sponsor and Contact Them When Needed – A sponsor is a mentor for someone recovering from addiction.  A sponsor is usually at a point in their own recovery where they have already worked through many of the issues that someone newly dealing with addiction recovery is experiencing, so they can be a helpful resource.

While in the process of recovering from addiction, it is important to set goals for yourself and come up with a long-term recovery plan.  Living in a sober living residence, such as the Tharros House can help you progress with recovery from your addiction.

Living a Sober Life in Massachusetts

Living the Good, Sober Life

Stick around people in recovery long enough, and you’ll hear a common message: Sober is better.  In Boston, it sounds more like Sobah is Bettah!  But there’s a reason for the statement, however you pronounce it- for those who stay sober and get recovery, life gets really good!

Road to a better life:

Let’s be clear.  Not many people wake up one day, decide to stop using substances for no reason, and then find that life is better without them.  Usually, there is a reason to stop.  What worked for us at one time, has stopped working.  So we’re willing to try something different.  Some of us engage treatment, a sober community or sober housing.  We look for ways to engage sober support to help us stay sober while working on our recovery.  Yes, most of us had to find sobriety, in order to find recovery.  Sober recovery led us to a life where we felt better, found joy, and discovered, sober is better!

What is sober recovery?

Sober recovery is more than abstinence from alcohol and drugs.  Recovery is about changing the way we engage in life, looking at what’s important to us, and taking action to build a life we want to live without substances.  Stopping your coping mechanisms (drinking/drugs) and taking no further action isn’t likely going to give you much recovery.  If you like white knuckles, this is your path!  To get more, we do more.

What is the sober way?

Finding your path to a life of recovery isn’t easy.  But it’s worth it, and you can do it!  Most of us find it important to build a sober network, surround ourselves with a sober community, and engage sober support, like a sober coach or a sober house.  At Tharros, we’ve combined community with aftercare, and our house offers a safe place to explore sober meaning.  We focus on recovery, with you choosing the fellowship and resources that speak with you.  Our team has many different experiences in recovery, and we make many suggestions, while following a framework designed to help each person move toward a full and meaningful life.  We help you build a life you want to live!

We involve sober entertainment, sober games, sober jobs, and sober dating too!  Living life in recovery doesn’t mean giving up what’s important to you; to the contrary, it’s about finding what’s important to you, building it, and living life in a way that’s meaningful to you!  For those of us on that path, it’s easy to say, Sobah is Bettah!

To learn more about Tharros House and our approach to recovery, visit https://tharroshouse.com/about-2/ or read more of our blog posts at https://tharroshouse.com/blog/

 

Recovery House Covered by Sober Hands

Recovery Homes for Lifelong Recovery

Staying at a recovery home can be one of the most important steps you can take to on the path to lifelong recovery. The battle through addiction can be a daunting task for anyone, yet with the proper tools and help getting and staying clean can become much more manageable.

Benefits of a Recovery Home vs. Rehab Alone

Drug detox and rehabilitation can do wonders for a person stuck in the depths of an addiction. It takes them out of the toxic surroundings for a bit and helps them get clean – but staying clean is another matter.

People with addictions generally build a life around them that helps feed that addiction; from friends to the places they choose to live. While rehab is great and can be the answer for some, many times it takes building out new habits and living in a friendly sober place away from all of the old temptations.

A recovery house provides you with a safe drug-free environment with like-minded individuals on the same path to recovery. There is an emphasis on spirituality, connecting with others, and learning new habits / ways of thinking to make it through the most difficult times in life without using drugs or alcohol.

Tharros Sober Living Recovery House

When looking for a recovery home it’s important to find one with experienced staff, safety & comfort, and structure. At Tharros House we have all of the above and then some, going above and beyond to ensure you feel safe and secure while learning how to live a sober life.

Our program leadership are all Boston Massachusetts natives. They pull from experiences with various sources of intervention including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Psychoanalytical Therapy, Hypnosis, Acupuncture, Yoga, Meditation, Family  Therapy, as well as  Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs.

For more information on Tharros Recovery House visit our website at https://www.tharroshouse.com.

Sober roommates on computer in Boston Massachusetts

The Necessity of Sober Community in Recovery

(Sober Roommates and Successful Sobriety)

Contributed by a client of Tharros, 4 months into his stay (December 2016)

Where addiction takes us

As people in recovery from addiction, time and time again, we hear harrowing stories of desperation, loss, and spiritual deprivation. Often, the inherent pain suffered by an active user, before recovery, exceeds that of the average person’s worst nightmare. Complimenting the overarching theme of hopelessness and despair, one common thread in the active user’s story is that of isolation and pervasive loneliness. More often than not, the turning point in numerous stories of addiction is when the substance enthusiast morphs into the solitary pill popper, drunk, drug abuser, or addict.

Why sober community

 Combatting isolation is a driving force for the creation of sober living/sober houses.  These homes often place emphasis on promoting spiritually, physically, and emotionally progress in sober surroundings as a crucial component of successful long-term recovery. The first safeguard against relapse, as is often underlined in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, is the openness and willingness to reach out to others in recovery and expand a network of sober support that alleviates isolation and accentuates a sense of camaraderie in the battle against addiction. Living in a sober house, or at the very least living with a sober roommate or roommates, makes this extremely accessible, as finding sober entertainment, sober events, and sober jobs becomes about as painless and effortless to find as substances, confusion, and chaos once were to the standard addict.

What happens in a sober home or sober living

Experiences as insignificant as casually sharing past histories of use, talking about the struggles of sober dating, or simply distracting one another from the periodically overwhelming fixation of chemical dependence for spiritual maladies are just a few of the many blessings and advantages of living in a setting of fellow sober minded people.

My experience at Tharros in Lexington MA

In my personal experience, within weeks of entering Tharros House, I recognized the magnitude and significance by which having a fellowship of sober friends provides the definitively lonesome subconscious of my addict mind, a sense of immense spiritual and social relief. As time progressed, the bonds of the men in the house grew, cultivating a sense of wholeness, and an irreproachably guilt and shame free elevation of my self-esteem. The house morning meetings, ping pong tournaments, the bi-weekly bowling gatherings, the Sunday night dinners all constructively snowballed, compounding a positive growth in my confidence, and belief in my peers. It re-instilled a conviction in me that I was worthy of maintaining positive connections, of having faith in those who I entrusted to support me, of finding socially, intellectually, and intangibly meaningful and liberating connections, but most importantly of enjoying the basic elements of life all entirely substance free. Undoubtedly, the brotherhood of the men facing the struggles and triumphs of sobriety, living and breathing a substance free life together, fuses a comradeship that makes the strenuous days tolerable and the triumphant days euphoric. Thus, the urgency of placing the sober supports around oneself in the manner of a sober living environment is perhaps the single most critical key to my personal success in sobriety.
I was skeptical about sober living when it was suggested to me.  At Tharros, I found a wholesome and inclusive environment, and I’ve gained much more than I could have imagined.  To learn more about what we do at Tharros, click here to explore the Tharros experience.

Green Recovery House Sign

3 Things to Look for When Choosing a Recovery House

Choosing to live in a recovery house can be the difference between staying sober and going back to your old ways. With so many types of housing and options available, choosing the RIGHT recovery housing can be a daunting task. To make things easier, we’ve compiled 3 of the most important things to look for when choosing a sober living house.

Finding the Right Recovery House

      1. Experienced Staff – The early phases of sobriety can sometimes be overwhelming. Although early recovery can be exciting, it’s very important to find recovery houses that staff disciplined and experienced people. The recovery staff’s reputation for working with addiction and the ability to maintain accountability can be hugely important in both making sure you or your loved one feel safe and secure and are held accountable during the recovery process.
      2. Safety & Comfort – With stays ranging from 30 days to 1 year depending on the recovery home, it’s very important to find a place where you feel both comfortable and safe. Although cleanliness is a must, the amount of people living in that home is a pretty close second. It can actually be helpful to have roommates and less privacy, however having an over-packed house can leave you feeling uncomfortable and hinder the recovery process.
      3. Structure – Some kind of structure is important to ensure each of the residents is taking the necessary steps to care for their recovery. Recovery houses may have curfews, mandatory meetings, and even regular unannounced breathalyzer and urine screenings.

Tharros Sober Living house

Tharros House approaches recovery by looking at both abstinence and your life satisfaction/ happiness.  We employ the tenants of positive psychology to help identify what areas of your life will benefit the most from your attention, ultimately helping you achieve your goals and a life that you look forward to living!

Our program leadership are all Boston Massachusetts natives. They pull from experiences with various sources of intervention including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Psychoanalytical Therapy, Hypnosis, Acupuncture, Yoga, Meditation, Family  Therapy, as well as  Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs.

For more information on Tharros Recovery House visit our sober living website at https://www.tharroshouse.com.

Meth Addiction Artwork

Meth Addiction – Symptoms & Treatment

Meth is one of the most destructive and addictive substances in the world today and those who fall privy to meth addiction will usually have an extremely hard time getting clean without the proper help. In fact, meth has the highest rate of relapse compared to any other type of drug.  But don’t let these statistics haunt you if you or a loved one is trying to get clean; with the proper treatment getting sober can be achieved safely and effectively.

Why is Meth Addiction so Hard to Shake?

Much like cocaine addiction, meth addicts are faced with a ton of obstacles to overcome. Meth becomes a way of life for many meth users. Oftentimes they will alter their lives around the drug – from the friends they hang out with to the daily obligations they may have. Therefore when a person wants to get clean, they’re usually not only giving up a drug but a way of life.

Once an addict gets clean there is the added difficulty of overcoming the acute withdrawal effects that can last from six months to two years, depending on how long the person has been addicted to meth.

Other difficulties to overcome may include:

  • Depression
  • Weight Gain
  • Fatigue
  • Psychosis
  • Memory Loss

Staying clean in the early stages of sobriety can be incredibly difficult which is why it’s recommended to find treatment instead of going at it alone.

Meth Treatment

Getting clean is just the first step to meth recovery. Once people finally put down the meth amphetamines and try a sober life they may feel ‘stuck’ and start connecting to various feelings that they haven’t had in a while. Feelings of not being good enough or not measuring up can creep up. This, along with the various symptoms listed above, is a huge reason why people relapse and start doing drugs again.

The trick is to challenge those beliefs and ultimately change them. According to drugabuse.gov, the most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction are behavioral therapies. Although everyone will have a different path on the road to recovery the treatment option that you ultimately choose can have a massive impact on getting and staying sober from meth use.

Getting sober alone usually doesn’t work – it helps to have the support of the people around you. Recovery is best achieved with others, and that may be a scary thought for many that are getting help with their meth problem.

Tharros Sober House

At Tharros House Structured Living in Massachusetts, people have the most success battling meth addiction when exposed to various ideas and are given the power to choose their own path to recovery. It’s important to identify what’s meaningful for you in order to direct your own recovery. Visit www.tharroshouse.com to learn more about this approach.

Living Sober in Massachusetts

Living Sober in Massachusetts

The path to living sober can be much different for each individual person.  There’s no magic program or exercise – the best way to get sober and stay sober is to find your own path. There may be many similar ways of thinking as far as sobriety goes, however just because one program doesn’t work for you it doesn’t mean you’re doomed. That’s the best part about living in a sober house – you’re able to live with like-minded people and take your own path with the guidance of experienced mentors.

Sober Living Housing vs. Halfway Houses

Sober living, as opposed to a halfway house, is much more directed at people in recovery from addiction, as opposed to criminal activity or mental health. Halfway houses may carry a certain stigma about them, whereas sober houses are generally looked at in a different light.

If you’re looking for the support to solidify your foundation of living sober, you’re much better off finding recovery housing that identifies itself with sober living due to the differences in amenities, programs, structure, and support.

First Step: Getting Clean

Abstaining from drugs and alcohol is just the beginning step on the road to recovery.  It’s hugely important, as it’s hard to think clearly and face your feelings / issues while under the influence. You may feel like you’re going in the right direction if you’re going to meetings high, but it’s very unlikely that you will have any success.

Get Moving

Many times when people put down the substances that they have depended on, they feel stuck. Feelings may come up that you haven’t felt in a while due to the constant suppression – perhaps feelings that there is something wrong with you or that you aren’t good enough. Challenging and ultimately changing those beliefs is critical for recovery.

Path to Living Sober

Getting and staying sober is rarely achieved when done alone. Having the support of family, friends, and people that understand exactly what you are going through is critical.

At Tharros House Structured Sober Living in Massachusetts, clients have the best success when they are exposed to many ideas and given the power to choose their own path to recovery.  I believe that you need to identify what is meaningful for you in order to direct your own recovery.  To learn more about this approach, please visit www.TharrosHouse.com