The Grounds Merges Transitional Living with the Best of San Diego Lifestyle
Recovering from a substance use disorder takes a great deal of growth, personal strength, and support. Those who make it into the transitional living phase of recovery have likely gone through some major challenges. Getting off the path of addiction and deciding to get sober is just the first step. Then there is detox, rehab, committing to the twelve steps and doing the work of managing each day without succumbing to temptation or being exposed to people and situations that trigger relapse.
Some might even say that as difficult as they are, for people committed to achieving sobriety, those first steps are often the easiest because there is such a high level of support, and there are plenty of people invested in the recovery process. Detox- and rehab-assisted recovery happens in a highly controlled environment. Every minute and every interaction are accounted for. And while it’s difficult being watched all of the time, constant supervision makes it a lot harder to use – especially when the person in recovery is committed to the process.
But once rehab is over, there is often an expectation that people in recovery can just go back to their old routines and live a life of abstinence with little more help than perhaps a weekly therapist and an AA/NA meeting. But the reality is that it’s incredibly difficult to maintain sobriety without support and within the lifestyle framework in which the addiction was able to blossom in the first place.
The truth of the matter is that it’s simply too big of an ask to expect a person to go back to the same stressors, people, and environments that provided a setting for the addiction to flourish without the expectation of relapse. Because of this, transitional living homes make a good buffer between rehab and fully independent living. But not all transitional living situations are created equal.
The Grounds Transitional Living Aims to Help Our Residents Develop A Healthy Lifestyle that Can Go the Distance
The Grounds transitional living homes are dedicated to helping men aged 18-35 who are transitioning from highly structured addiction recovery programs to fully independent living. Because sobriety is so delicate during this time, our mission is to support this transition.
We believe that freedom and responsibility should be gradual, peer influence should be monitored, and lifestyle habits should be created that lead to lasting life satisfaction. We want to help our residents build lives that they love – lives that are worth protecting and fighting for. This requires building skills including self-reliance, self-confidence and self-efficacy. It requires creating lifestyle patterns built around other healthy people and within healthy environments. And it requires opportunity – in relationships, in employment, in adventure and in health.
We believe that San Diego is an ideal place for this effort, and here’s why…
San Diego Has Ample Education Opportunities
With some of the best universities in the state and numerous community colleges, technical schools, vocational programs, and apprenticeship opportunities, San Diego provides many avenues of higher learning that can meet the needs of nearly every personality.
San Diego Has Access to Nature and Adventure
San Diego is home to some of the most beautiful coastline in California, and with it comes opportunities for surfing, boating, fishing, snorkeling, paddle boarding and more. The inland region has hiking and biking trails, rocking climbing, and desert exploration. There are plenty of natural wonders to explore and plenty of ways to challenge yourself physically and mentally. Access to nature and exercise outdoors can improve mental and physical well-being, boost mood, increase happiness and foster independence.
San Diego Has a Diversity of People, Food, Art, and Culture
Whether it’s trying a new restaurant, visiting a museum, exploring a new neighborhood, or participating in a local heritage event, there is always something interesting to do in San Diego. Meanwhile, San Diego’s diversity is unparalleled. It is home to the largest military population in the nation and is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse places in the nation.
San Diego Has Employment Opportunity
San Diego currently boasts a 7% unemployment rate with ample opportunities for both entry-level and advanced hiring. Because of the strong military presence, the leading industry in San Diego is defense, but there are also numerous job opportunities in the healthcare sector, digital marketing, service industries, retail and tourism.
San Diego Has a Robust 12-Step Support Network
There are dozens of NA and AA groups located throughout San Diego, which means you can find a nearby meeting just about anywhere in the county. There are meetings just for men, meetings that are designed to support the LGBTQ+ community, meetings that are focused on literature/study and ones that focus on discussion and participation. From 5:45 am pre-work meetings to 9 pm Friday night meetings, San Diego has support groups ready to help how and when you need it.
We’re Here to Help You Build the Life You Want
Recovery is hard. It’s even harder without a strong support network. We know – we’ve been there. Many of our team members are themselves in recovery – including our founder, Alex Zemeckis. We created this program because after walking the path, experiencing set-backs, and studying the nature of addiction, we’ve learned that the secret to lasting recovery is creating a life that we want to protect. The secret is being invested in our own success. San Diego is a great place to make that happen.
