More Than Just A Safe Ride: Sober Escorts Help Keep You Strong in Recovery

Intensive treatment at a residential facility removes distractions from your world, allowing you to address the underlying causes of your addiction and find your path to healing. The immersive environment of a residential treatment center allows you to focus fully on your recovery. Once you go home, you’re confronted with potential triggers and stressors, and need an aftercare plan in place to help you stay the course. To smooth the transition back into your everyday life, Alta Mira offers a comprehensive Continuing Care Program, which crafts individualized plans that line up support groups and continuing therapy after your time in treatment.

The first year after treatment is especially difficult, but the good news is that maintaining sobriety is completely achievable. Many addicts feel especially vulnerable directly after leaving treatment, and find that they have to re-learn how to resist surrounding temptations. It’s not uncommon for addicts to exit the treatment facility and be drawn straight to the same circle of substance-using friends. The addicted mind can be impulsive and insidious; all your hard work of detox and therapy can swiftly fall victim to various environmental stressors. But your odds of success increase exponentially when you’re surrounded by people who support your sobriety. During aftercare, outpatient care, and treatment groups, it can be helpful to have a sober escort—he or she will provide the supervision and encouragement necessary to help keep yourself on track.

A sober escort can help share the burden of environmental triggers and temptations so you can stay focused on recovery. Escorts will be there when family and friends cannot, whether it be driving you to and from an AA meeting or back and forth from aftercare check-ins. Escorts can arrive early and stay late at group meetings with you, and may encourage you to meet people and get phone numbers as an added level of support. Sober companions can take an active role in your life by exercising and meditating with you, attending stressful meetings, or whatever the situation necessitates. You can work with an escort to make your home a clean and sober environment, verifying that all triggers are removed.

In some cases, a sober companion may actually reside at the recovering addict’s home 24/7 for a week, a month, three months, or whatever it takes. Those working as sober escorts will do their utmost to ensure their clients follow through on their plans for recovery.