Why Do I Need a Sober Companion?
10-13-2020 by Chris Cobb
Have you been to sober living facilities? Rehabs? Detoxes, Hospitals? If you have, we have something in common: Jails, Institutions, and Death (if you’re reading this, you’re probably alive, luckily…). So, you have been ordered by a judge to attend Drug and Alcohol Treatment Classes, or have voluntarily handed over your will to an inpatient treatment facility, because you finally admitted you can’t get clean on your own. Some of us even decided to give outpatient treatment a try, whether it’s a methadone / suboxone zombie dosing station or the more sensible approach, counseling. Besides any 12-Step Program, or Sober Living Home / Halfway House, some of us even need another approach to get to the underlying issues that may have caused us to use or drink in the first place. Mental health and drug addiction certainly go hand in hand. There are many forms of addiction treatment out there for many of our situations. But what if none of these approaches truly help us? Where’s the accountability after we leave for a pass from our sober living house? Where’s our support once we leave an AA or NA meeting, and go sit alone at home? Is our sponsor too busy doing step work with another sponsee at that very moment we need them the most? What if we don’t have a ride to an appointment, or that one meeting we needed this week to get out of our own head? This is where a sober companion comes into play. In recent years, we have seen a rise in non-12-step based treatment models. With this all being said, let’s look into what a sober companion does to help us with our recovery from addiction. Here are a few reasons why I need a sober companion:
- High Quality Training:
Most sober companions make between $300 to $2500 per 24-hour period, based on clientele and services rendered. This might sound pricey, but it’s still much cheaper than alternative methods that may not even help us out in the long run. Imagine needing to spend 3 days in a medical detox for over $10k, without insurance… A sober companion is trained in many aspects of addiction / alcoholism and is experienced in handling virtually any situation that can occur not only in treatment facilities, but also in everyday life, with and without elements of active addiction.
- Relatable Experience:
I’ve been to anger management, counseling, loaded sermons, drug and alcohol treatment, you name it. One thing that most of these approaches didn’t include were experienced leaders. Sure, I’ve been through 12-steps with a sponsor, and heard him hold me accountable, but it felt more like someone with a big ego over more clean time than me trying to look like they knew more than me. In fact, I felt quite uncomfortable half the time pouring my heart to my sponsor, because I felt judged every time. They say you have to do things you don’t want to do in order to live a better life. But my experience not just with sponsor, but also residing in a sober living were actually not so great. The owner of the last sober living house I was in got way too far into my personal space. I’m talking an interrogation every time I went out to see my family, friends, or even out to eat. It was like no matter how good I was doing staying sober and staying out of trouble, I had to dread going back to face the music for shit I didn’t even do… A sober companion is not only trained professionally, but also has much of the same experiences that we do, with former active addiction or alcoholism. He/she has the same “street smarts” that we do, and is someone we can relate to, and feel comfortable with sharing our thoughts and feelings with, without having to feel judged, or forced into something we don’t want to do.
- No Excuses:
Say we are tired of being forced to do go to 5 meetings a week, tired of being wrote up and put on restriction over forgetting to sign out when we leave. We end up despising meetings because we went to them under strenuous conditions. Now think about being away from all these dick-headed judgmental people in “recovery”, and we still want to go to meetings, but we find ourselves making excuses. We don’t have a ride, one of the biggest excuses I’ve heard (and used). A sober companion/safe transport is my answer. Whether I need to attend a meeting to clear my head or just vent to a group of like-minded individuals without being watched with hawk-like eyes by Joe Cool, or I need to make it to my therapist, my sober companion has me covered with transportation to and from meetings, appointments, and so on.
If you are in need of a stress free, non-judgmental experience on your road to recovery, I highly recommend a Sober Companion. If you’d like to learn how to become a Sober Companion and help others overcome struggles similar to your own in past addictions, contact Dr. Cali Estes (The Addictions Coach) and The Addictions Academy at 800.706.0318 ext. 2
