Transitional living helps keep those in recovery from taking two steps back ONE STEP FORWARD

Just imagine.

Imagine the hard work of getting sober, learning to follow your program and working with your sponsor to get clean. Imagine doing that in a substance-free environment surrounded by those who support your journey. Everything seems to be going great. You’ve turned the corner.

Until you go back to your old life with your old friends and the old pressures of making a living and getting along with people from your past.

For many, that’s the critical time — the time when many recovering addicts relapse. Back to old life, back to old ways.

Jeff Mohler knows all about it.

He did it many times. Each time ended with another stint in jail and another chance to start over. “When I got out, I’d go straight home to the same place where I struggled with addiction,” he said. “Jumping right back into that life can be stressful. It wasn’t long until I’d be right back in the same cycle.”

Jeff Mohler, a construction worker, stayed in transitional living with his peers before moving out on his own. Men in transitional living use this time after treatment to prepare to live independently.

After entering Lifeline in 2022 and leaving a year later, including six months in transitional living, Jeff finally broke that cycle.

“This was the first time I did transitional living,” Jeff said. “It kept me connected to recovery while slowly integrating back into regular life.”

Transitional living at Lifeline provides clients a residential option after they complete the first two phases of inpatient long-term treatment. Clients can choose at that time to move off campus or stay on campus in a different dorm, surrounded by others in the same stage, with freedom to leave campus to go to work.

Men and women in transitional living work off campus during the day and return to our campuses in the evening to benefit from accountability with their peers. They study, engage in recreation, cook and prepare for living independently.

Robbie Sewell, clinical services director at Lifeline, said Jeff’s success is common in transitional living.

“Transitional living is different from going back home,” she said.

“It offers routine and accountability which they may not have at home. Everyone learns the importance of a routine during treatment – it’s the same every day, what they need to do, what they need to accomplish. If they vary from that, there’s accountability. The minute someone gets out of their routine or starts a behavior that’s risky, their peers hold them accountable.”

Family, even those who are well-meaning, may be less likely than peers to hold those in recovery accountable. “Some fear that if they ask their loved one if something’s going on,” Robbie said, “they’ll get angry and go use.”

Jeff, 41, struggled with addiction about 20 years before getting sober in October 2021. His treatment at Lifeline was not his first attempt to get sober, but it was the successful one – for two primary reasons.

“The spiritual part of Lifeline really helped me take the next step and stay sober,” he said. “Getting back in touch with God helped open my mind and get me back on track.”

Then, the time and support in transitional living kept him on track until he could get back on his feet – financially and emotionally. “I’ve gotten a job and a home. It was important for me to stay close to recovery, so I moved nearby and still work parttime at Lifeline.”

Transitional living helped him with more than getting sober. “Having somewhere to stay rooted while I integrated back into normal life gave me time - not just to get clean from a substance, but also to learn how to have relationships with people and follow a schedule.”

He’s grateful for Lifeline’s transitional living on his road to recovery. “It helped me slowly get my feet on solid ground,” he said.