Transitional Living For Addiction: Learning How To Live
Addiction treatment is relatively young. Only since 1949 and the initiation of the Minnesota Model through the Hazelden Foundation has there been any semblance of formal treatment for addiction. Prior to 1949, there were few options, including jail, psychiatric hospitals, and the growing community of Alcoholics Anonymous. The understanding of addiction and alcoholism was only beginning to gain ground. Without any understanding of addiction and alcoholism as a dysfunctional disorder, there could not have been any understanding of how to treat it.
Since 1949, addiction treatment has been an evolving development. In a few decades, treatment has become a cutting edge, innovative, highly individualized, creative approach to saving lives. There are different kinds of programs available catering to the needs, beliefs, and philosophies of many different people. Also available are intervals of care, creating a full continuum of options to ensure long term success in recovery. Through decades of trial and error, a distinct understanding has formed that merely a few weeks in treatment is not enough.
Long term recovery stems best from long term structured support and recovery guidance which not only “treats” an individual in recovery but teaches individuals in recovery how to live. Transitional living is the perfect opportunity to put the knowledge of treatment into practice.
A transitional living home is a residential home in a residential neighborhood, either operated by a treatment center as part of their continuum of care or independently. Often, residents of a transitional living home are in lower levels of clinical care, like intensive outpatient, outpatient, or aftercare. Others may be starting to live their lives more independently, creating their own appointments and structuring their lives in preparation for moving out of a monitored environment. Transitional living offers the comfort and security of accountability, carrying some of the structure from clinical programs. Daily meditations, group processing, scheduled activities, cooking classes, and fitness are just some of the components of transitional living. Residents live with curfews, regular mandatory urinalysis, and other protective measures to enforce sustained sobriety.
During the months staying in transitional living, residents have the support needed to safely make the transition from clinical treatment to independence. The high numbers of relapse and overdose rates have made it clear that addiction and alcoholism are powerful, necessitating a powerful approach to recovery.
O’Connor Professional Group can help you curate a plan of treatment which meets the specific and unique circumstances of your life, working toward your goals, and keeping your recovery in mind.
Let the O’Connor Professional Group take the guesswork out of putting a treatment plan together. Our combined personal and professional experience empowers us to empower you with a private consultation and customized plan of action for getting the help you need. Call us today for information: 617 910-3940
