Accountability can make a world of difference when you’re working toward sustained recovery following residential treatment for drugs or alcohol. And one of the best and most effective ways to achieve these goals is with the guidance of a sober coach.
With that in mind, you’re in the right place to learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about having a sober instructor. In this post, we’ll cover not only what exactly a coach does, but we’ll also cover things like how they can help your family, signs you need a coach, and how to choose the right coach for you.
Whether you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol, finding a sober instructor is an option you don’t want to overlook on the path to recovery. Let’s begin!
Sober Coach: An Overview
At Elysian Sober Services, we offer both coaching and companionship. These two terms are often conflated, but they have some significant differences.
Take a look at these definitions we offer on our website for what each of these roles entails:
Sober companions:
“A sober companion is someone who confidentially guides someone in their new path of recovery. Our goal is to help to maintain sobriety and focus on setting goals towards a better future for you.
Sober companions engage with individuals in their home environment to achieve these goals. We typically live in the home of the person receiving help. This can be done for any period of time ranging from two weeks to a year, depending on the circumstances and the individuals’ needs.
We are a continuum of care to residential treatment and provide 24/7 accountability for the day to challenges of early sobriety. We will immerse you within the recovery community and get you quickly acclimated with your new way of life in recovery.”
Sober coaches:
“A sober coach is someone who helps individuals through the low spots of early recovery. Sober coaches do not live with individuals, but they do offer a multitude of services very similar to Sober Companions. Our sober coaches are much more of a mentor to the client, helping to guide them in decisions & integrating them into the recovery community.”
As you can see, one of the biggest differences between a coach and a companion is that a companion lives with the client, while a sober coach offers services and support outside of the home, particularly during low points.
Next, let’s focus on exactly what a sober coach does to support you in your recovery.
What Does a Sober Coach Do?
Depending on where you find a sober coach to connect with, the services and support they offer can vary. At Elysian Sober Services, we take a comprehensive approach that includes getting you set up with sober resources in your area and creating a service plan for you to follow.
Usually, these plans look something like this:
- Sober Coaches check in with clients once a day.
- They meet face-to-face with clients five times per week. During these meetings, they encourage healthy living and set daily goals.
- Sober coaches connect individuals with the recovery community in their area and find out which path is best suitable for them.
- At Elysian Sober Services, our coaches offer 24/7 support through the phone as well.
During these meetings and phone calls, clients can discuss specific challenges and struggles they’re experiencing with their coach. Our coaches are all in recovery themselves, so not only have they been through many of these things themselves, but they also have the insight and training to assess clients and to detect relapse patterns and behaviors.
- Maintain sobriety naturally
- Create a healthy lifestyle
- Help with short-term and long-term goal setting
- Identify challenges on the road to long-term recovery
- Develop problem solving techniques that will be useful for years to come
- Build relationships and repair healthy relationships that may have suffered as a result of addiction (more on this in a moment)
As such, sober coaches prove to be an invaluable resource for many people on their journey to recovery. And it isn’t only the person in recovery who coaches can help.
How Can a Sober Coach Help My Family
As you may have heard, addiction is a family disease. That’s why it’s important for sober coaches to keep the needs of the entire family in mind during their coaching. Throughout the thick of the addiction, a number of relationships in your life may have suffered, or even ended. We strongly believe that the majority of these relationships, particularly familial relationships, can be healed to the benefit of everyone involved!
To support the families of our clients, we help the family reengage slowly while also setting healthy boundaries. Because our coaches have been there themselves, we understand there may be a lot of pain and damage done that can seem impossible to overcome. But we also understand how important it is to have family support for the recovering addict.
And our coaches don’t just support the recovering addict on their path. Our coaches also supply any additional helpful resources needed along with the 24/7 support for families. Healing the family from the inside is one of the main objectives of our services and we make it our goal to make this happen.
Often, the addition of a neutral third party can make or break the success of healing these relationships. And when these relationships can mend, it is not only the addict, but also their family who benefit in the long-run.
Supporting the Family on the Road to Recovery
Here are some of the specific ways our coaches help the family unit too.
- Directing families to the right resources, including counselling
- Rebuilding family ties
- Helping families navigate the medical system for addiction and addiction recovery
- Encouraging positive, open communication between family members
- Educating families on addiction and helping them identify problematic or triggering behaviors
Understanding Enabling and Codependency
Speaking of these potentially harmful behaviors, let’s take a moment to discuss two of them in a bit more detail: enabling and codependency
These are two words you won’t go far in the world of recovery without hearing. When family or friends enable addicts, even unknowingly, the consequences can be horrendous.
In many cases, enabling and codependency can look and feel like you’re helping the addict. But in truth, you’re helping them continue their addiction more than anything else.
Definitions
Enabling an addict involves doing things for them they could be doing for themselves. You might be tempted to do things like housework, grocery shopping, or even lending them money. You do these things because you feel as though you’re helping them and reducing stress in their lives. But in truth, you’re making it easier for them to continue their addictive behaviors.
Similarly, codependency often involves enabling. It often comes with an exaggerated sense of responsibility for another person’s health or happiness. In fact, it might even come before yours, or at the cost of your own peace or health.
Here’s how Mental Health America defines it:
“Co-dependency is a learned behavior that can be passed down from one generation to another. It is an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual’s ability to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship. It is also known as “relationship addiction” because people with codependency often form or maintain relationships that are one-sided, emotionally destructive, and/or abusive. The disorder was first identified about ten years ago as the result of years of studying interpersonal relationships in families of alcoholics. Co-dependent behavior is learned by watching and imitating other family members who display this type of behavior.”
Now that we’ve covered the differences between sober companions and coaches, what a coach does, how they support your family, and other important details, let’s move onto some signs a sober coach might be right for you.
Signs You Need a Sober Coach
Making the decision to find a sober coach can often be the turning point on the path to recovery. For many people, this decision comes from looking for an alternative to traditional treatment services. Or in most cases, other treatment services complement sober coaching.
Here are some signs a sober coach would be right for you:
- If you have been to residential treatment and it has not worked
- If you are preparing for a big life change or event and the extra support for staying sober during this time would be helpful
- You are seeking accountability on your recovery journey
- When a client is unable to enter a residential facility
- You could use helping mending broken or damaged relationships in your life
- You’re feeling stuck and you know it is about MORE than just what is in your glass – you would welcome the support from someone impartial and you are eager to get started.
- You are questioning how much and how often you are drinking and comparing your consumption with others
- You constantly adjust the rules you set for yourself and struggle with sticking to your word or holding yourself accountable
- You’re convinced it’s time—you’re ready for something different. You understand this won’t be easier if you do it next month or next year. They should do it today.
Essentially, there are no downsides to opting for a sober coach for additional support throughout your recovery. However, it isn’t any sober coach who will be right for you. It’s incredibly important to choose the right match for your needs if you want to reap the ultimate rewards from this service.
Choosing a Sober Coach
With all of that in mind, how do you know what kind of sober coach is right for you? Are you ready to find a sobriety coach and a company that offers sober coach services? We offer these services in Florida, but we’ll also help you learn what to look for no matter where you live or what you’re looking for.
Generally speaking, there are three main areas to consider if you’re going to hire a coach: standards, insurance, and level of service.
Standards
When you choose a sober coach, be sure you’re working with an individual and a company that upholds the highest ethical standards. For your coaching to be a success, adhering to these standards is non-negotiable.
Different coaching services companies have different standards. Before you choose one company or one person, make sure you’re very clear on these standards. This will also include things like the frequency of your contact, what’s expected of you, what’s expected of your coach, and more.
Cost
We know cost is also a consideration when it comes to choosing a sober coach or companion. The truth is, the cost of sober coaches depends on the demands of the job and the unique needs of the client. While these prices do vary, the cost per day is usually equal or close to the daily cost of a mid-priced residential program.
On that note, there are also a lot of questions we get about sober coaching and insurance. At this time, most major insurances are not able to cover sober companionship services.
Level of Service
The level of service with your sober coach or companion will influence the price. But it’s important to choose the correct fit for your needs regardless. For 24/7, live-in support, a sober companion is a good choice. On the other hand, sober coaches still offer consistent support and service, but it is not on a live-in basis. Regardless of whether you choose a coach or companion, be sure to look into what these specific services entail. You’ll want to sure the services match your unique needs. Also you’re able to receive the level of attention and care that’s right for you.
Hire a Sober Coach in South Florida
At Elysian Sober Services in sunny South Florida, our commitment to helping people who suffer with alcoholism and addiction to live a clean and sober lifestyle is at the forefront of everything we do. We are pleased to provide one on one support with meetings, health, nutrition, transportation, and spiritual guidance to help maintain sobriety. Whether you are in need of a sober companion, coach, or escort, we are here to help support you and your family on this path.
Our compassionate, experienced sober coaches are on standby to help you on this path to a better life. Call us today to learn more.
