Traveling With a Sober Companion
Navigating recovery from substance use disorders is never easy. If you or someone you love is attempting to embark on the path of recovery, it is vital that you have a strong support system around you to keep you on track. Many times, this involves traveling with you to treatment or helping you stay safe on other travels.
Unfortunately, I know better than most people how lonely recovery can be. Not everyone has a loved one who is willing or able to accompany them to treatment which is why finding a sober companion can be helpful. Your sober companion can provide valuable emotional support as you travel to or from treatment facilities. They can also serve as a support system as you work to create a healthy life that you love at any point in your recovery process.
What Are Sober Transports & Companions?
Your sober companion is a person who is responsible for supporting you during your recovery journey. Your sober travel companion has a wide range of responsibilities, all aimed at providing you with as much support as possible. For instance, your sober companion will be responsible for all of the following and more:
Encouraging A Healthy Lifestyle
Your sober companion will keep up with you to make sure that you are engaging in healthy habits in your everyday life. In addition to avoiding substances, healthy habits include regularly exercising, eating a balanced, nutritious diet, and getting a sufficient amount of quality sleep every night.
Holding You Accountable
In addition to giving you advice and guidance for a healthy lifestyle, your sober companion will also actively hold you accountable for your actions so that you stay focused on your recovery goals. For instance, if you do not maintain healthy habits, then your sober companion will address this with you so you can work on improving yourself and your lifestyle.
Providing Personalized Guidance
Every person’s recovery journey is different. While your sober companion’s recovery journey may be different than yours, they can still draw on their experience personally navigating and working in recovery to provide guidance with regard to the many challenges you may encounter. As you work with your sober companion, you will also find that they begin to know you and your unique recovery experiences quite well, so they can give you guidance that is increasingly tailored to your needs. You can rely on your companion for advice, moral support, and more as you navigate obstacles and hardships.
Building Your Support Network
Your sober companion can provide a wealth of support and encouragement as you stay on your recovery path. However, it is useful to also build a network of family members, friends, peers, and others who can help support you. A network can be difficult to build by yourself, but your sober companion will have years of experience assisting others with building their own networks.
Traveling With You
One of the most important things your sober companion can do for you is accompany you on important travels. For instance, your sober companion can travel with you on your way to a treatment facility to provide moral support and help you stay focused on the task in front of you. Your sober travel companion can also accompany you on your travel to other places to provide support as you break your routine during the throes of your recovery. Regardless of the stage of recovery you are in, your sober companion can provide priceless support and hold you accountable as you stay committed to your goals and your healthy lifestyle.
Is A Sober Companion A Sober Coach?
It is important to note that your sober companion is not the same person as your sober coach. You might work with a person who is called a sober coach in the early stages of your recovery. This coach’s job is to review your situation and your needs and create a personalized recovery plan that is tailored to your life. Your sober coach also provides critical support aimed at helping you reach your recovery goals, but they do not provide the same type of ongoing support that your sober companion does.
Your sober companion will be by your side all throughout your recovery and provide on-site companionship when you are going to or from treatments, transitioning from one treatment to another, or if you are traveling to a new area. Their work is thus focused on being by your side and serving as a compassionate ally along your recovery journey.
How Can a Sober Travel Companion Support You?
As mentioned, a sober travel companion will travel with the individual they are supporting through recovery to make sure they arrive safely at the location of their treatment. Your sober companion can also be there for you with other travel experiences in your life, such as leaving a hospital and going to your treatment facility, moving from one treatment facility to another treatment facility, going home after a treatment program, or traveling for business. If you have a sober travel companion, you can expect that they can:
Accompany You To Treatment
Making that step to get to your place of treatment can be one of the toughest parts of the recovery path. It is also one of the most important. If you or your loved one do not want to go alone, you can count on your sober travel companion to be with you every step of the way to the facility. They can help ensure that you arrive safely and do not make any decisions on the way that could endanger yourself or others.
Meet You Upon Discharge
Leaving the facility where you have received your substance use disorder treatment can also be difficult. Even though you might feel stronger and healthier, it can be difficult to transition to life outside of treatment on your own. Your sober companion can pick you up and check you out of your facility.
Travel Between Facilities
If you are transferring from one treatment facility to a different one or a sober living environment, it can be a healthy choice to have a reliable sober companion there to make sure you safely get from one place to the next. Your sober companion can be there to make sure you safely leave the first place and get to your second location.
Accompany You During Personal and Business Travel
When you have to travel for any reason, be it a personal event like a wedding or a business trip, you can expect to be thrown out of your daily routine a bit. If this happens, you might have a difficult time sticking to the healthy habits that you are working on in recovery. To help make sure that you remain healthy and safe when you travel, especially when you go to important events such as family gatherings, you can rely on your sober companion to support you.
What Is It Like To Travel With Your Sober Companion
Although every journey is different, when you travel with your sober companion, there are certain things that you can expect to be true of the journey. Regardless of whether you have to fly, drive, or take another form of transport to your facility, your travel companion will come prepared and ready. For instance, if your companion is accompanying you to treatment for substance use disorder, they can assist with your logistical arrangements, such as making accommodations, securing transportation, and making sure you have the documents you need. This can ensure your trip goes smoothly and that you only have to focus on your recovery.
Your sober companion can also provide you with the strength and support that is often necessary to travel, especially to a treatment facility. While you might be motivated to build a life that you love, actually taking the steps to get on that plane, get in that car, and walk into your treatment center can be difficult. They can also help you identify potential triggering surroundings and help you avoid them so you can stay on your path to recovery. With your sober companion by your side, you can gain a bit of strength and encouragement and stay committed to this path.
Having a person to share your journey with can also create an opportunity to bond with someone who has been in a similar position to the one you are in. Your companion can help prepare you for the experience ahead of you, answer questions, and converse about it if you wish. However, your sober companion is not a therapist, and you can rest assured that they will not pressure you into talking about your experiences or your feelings about the matter if you do not wish to do so. Their job is to provide companionship and support as you get from Point A to Point B and journey further into your recovery.
Why Should You Consider a Sober Travel Companion?
No matter how you are feeling about your recovery journey, having a sober travel companion who can support you during transport can still have many benefits. For instance, your sober travel companion can provide encouragement as you travel and help you stay safe and stay focused while you move from one place to another. One of the most important ways that your sober travel companion can help you stay safe is by working to prevent substance use. No matter why you are traveling, when you are out of your routine and in a new space, you can face new stressors and temptations that lead you to think about straying from your recovery path. Your sober companion can keep you on that path.
Even if you believe that you do not need a sober companion and that you can face your travels by yourself, having a sober companion by your side can provide peace of mind to your loved ones anyway. Working with a sober companion can demonstrate your commitment to your recovery process and your dedication to getting to where you go safely and without distraction from your long-term goals.
Your sober companion can also provide enjoyable companionship during a stressful time. Travel can often be chaotic and add stress to your day, especially when you do it alone. However, if you travel with a sober companion, you can enjoy conversation and moral support throughout your trip. You can also have someone there with whom you can discuss your fears or anxieties about where you are going if you wish, so you do not have to keep them inside. Your sober companion will be there to listen to you without any judgment and will provide compassionate guidance.
What Happens When You Contact a Sober Travel Companion?
If you or someone you love wants to get in contact with a sober travel companion, you can expect that your companion will first want to consult with you and assess your needs. Although your companion is not a therapist or a sober coach, your companion will still want to gain a sense of your history with substance use, what, if any, treatment you have attended or considered, treatments, and your goals.
You can then expect that your companion will share what services they offer. For instance, they will likely discuss the kind of travel they can accompany you on, share how they go about providing emotional support, and discuss their approach to preventing relapse and navigating complex challenges that might arise down the road.
Reach Out To A Sober Travel Companion Today
If you or someone you love is in recovery from a substance use disorder, you should seek out personal support. I encourage you to reach out to Brad Langenberg. Brad has been providing customized support services for clients here at Jim Haggerty Recovery for years. With over 36 years in recovery, Brad has first-hand experience with this process and has supported many high-profile clients through their recovery journeys – including several celebrities. If you are in need of sober companion transport for the beginning of your recovery journey, Brad can help. I am thankful for the work that Brad does every day, and I know you will be, too.
Yours In Recovery,
Jim
