What Is a Halfway House

What is a halfway house?

A halfway house is exactly just what it sounds like, a bridge between the drug or alcohol treatment facility where you go to get sober and returning to full integration in day. Although, after you have gone through drug treatment in a rehab centre or facility and are in recovery, it is advisable that you join up with a half way house because it’s critical that you do not put yourself into any situation that can jeopardize that recovery or cause a relapse. According to statistics, the average stay in a halfway house is from three to six months at a stretch. Also, one of the major purposes of these halfway houses is to monitor the sobriety of individuals, and their urine and possibly blood samples will be collected and tested to verify that they are not using drugs or alcohol. By being an addict it is all about being out of control in your life. Living in a halfway house gives you a place that is safe from the pressures of the outside world while you are working on your recovery with others with the same aim as you.

Living with other fellow recovering addicts allows for a joint fellowship, and through shared experiences, halfway house friendships are commonly formed. Since most newly sober men and women struggle initially with recreation time and need to relearn how to enjoy life without intoxication, it can be very beneficial for them to maintain the support of others with a similar situation for strength against a relapse to substance abuse.

Clinical studies have also show that the long term sobriety rates of people that continue drug treatment in halfway houses are far better, and that aftercare participation rates remain significantly higher for these people residing in halfway houses. Some halfway houses will go as far as to mandate continuing and full participation in drug treatment after care for individuals as a requirement of residency, and failure to attend these meetings can result in eviction from the house and program altogether.

While most halfway houses impose mandatory employment as a condition of residency to clients, some of them also offer work training and work release programs, allowing the recovering addict to develop their employable skills in a safe and sober environment.

Finally, by asking, what is a halfway house we have come to know that it keeps addicts motivated to sobriety, and growing together, recovering addicts learn how to fill their time without been involved in substance abuse. Recovering addicts improve better social interaction skills with others in a like situation, and they gain valuable employment and life skills, while been much more likely to remain active in aftercare drug treatment programming.