If you’re ready to enter a sober living home, perhaps you’re wondering whether to stay in your local area or whether to go out of state or even abroad. Of course, there are many types of sober living homes to choose from, depending upon your needs and financial condition.
You can go to a facility that provides the bare minimum, making cost of treatment less expensive. Or you might want the luxuries of participating in a more expensive sober living home in a place like Fort Worth Texas.
If you’re concerned about confidentiality in your community, consider going abroad or out of state.
However, before beginning this discussion, it’s important to point out that most recovery experts would not recommend making a big geographical change, especially if you’re early in your recovery.
As you can imagine, making a big change like moving out of state for awhile might put added stress on an already stressful time. On the other hand, you might be ready to leave old friends, neighborhoods, and family behind for awhile in order to focus on your sobriety.
Discussing a move with your sponsor or therapist might be a good idea in order to weigh out the pros and cons. You might also consider the advantages and disadvantages listed below.
If you are local to Texas, then you should know that Houston was named the 3rd best sober living city according to the Fix, an online addiction and recovery magazine.
For this reason, you might want to stay in your own neighborhood and search for sober living homes that give you access to your family, sober friends, and supportive communities.
Yet, you might be considering traveling for your sober living needs. In fact, for those who want to travel outside of the United States for healthcare, there may be less expensive options abroad than within the U.S. However, the cost of treatment abroad may be offset by the costs of traveling there.
Either way, the choice will be yours on whether to stay in your own neck of the woods or to go somewhere entirely new. Consider these pros and cons in your decision making process:
Confidentiality
One primary reason that men and women consider traveling for a sober living home includes the fact that their confidentiality is practically guaranteed.
Of course, any healthcare facility in the U.S. is legally obligated to protect your health information.
However, if you’re residing at a sober living home in your own neighborhood, people you know might see you walking in and out of the facility.
Word might get around to your friends and family, especially if you live in a small community.
And if that’s not something you want, then traveling to another part of the U.S. or abroad might guarantee your privacy.
Lower costs
Depending upon where you travel, you might be able to find a less expensive option closer to home.
If you’re traveling abroad, as mentioned above, travel costs might make the overall price of a sober residence equivalent to those right here in the U.S. Another point to keep in mind is the exchange rate.
For instance, the American dollar can go a long way in countries like Thailand.
And even if you travel within the US, you might consider the differences in cost of living between states and cities.
Quality of care
Although the costs might be less and your confidentiality is greater at an international location, you might not be able to find the kind of quality as you would in the United States.
The experience of staff and mental health providers may vary widely depending on where you go. This is a subject that may require some research before making travel plans.
And you may also find a difference in quality of care depending upon where you go in the US and the type of sober living home you choose.
Distance from family
Another potential disadvantage of traveling is the distance away from family and friends. Although living at a sober living home is a time to take a break from your daily routine, being within somewhat close proximity to your family may or may not be an advantage.
Some recovering addicts may want their family nearby while others might find their family to be a trigger. Traveling abroad or out of state would obviously make seeing family and friends all that more difficult.
Employment
For many residents at a sober living home, finding and gaining employment is a necessary part of recovery.
If you intend to travel for your sober living experience, you may have to wait until you return home in order to work.
This might be a suitable option for some but not for others. Obviously, if you stay local, you can begin working even while you’re living at a sober living home.
In Conclusion
These are facets of your sober living experience that need to be considered. If you’re aiming to stay sober and want to focus on your recovery, you’re likely exploring the various options you have for a sober living home experience, one of which may be inpatient drug rehab. The above list might help you decide whether the benefits of traveling out of state or staying local are worth the costs.
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