Leasing a Sober Companion ?
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,927
Originally Posted by Katiekate 
I personally do not see anything wrong with it.
There are many functions that can be served by having a coach, if you can afford it, do it.
Some people don't want to go to AA or NA , don't want to go to counseling, the idea of a coach is to not tell someone what to do, but rather to help them to see it, bring them to it if you will.
It could be a good option, addiction is a multifaceted issue, some people use withdrawal coaches, some addiction specialists fill this need. Coaches can also be available for friends and families of A's. Sometimes I don't think it matters how you get there , but only that you are making the effort.
I think it's an idea that in time, will become more popular. It can be a hell of lot less expensive than rehab. Of course time will tell, and I don't think all coaches will be charging 750 dollars a day. Sometimes addicts need babysitters.
There are many functions that can be served by having a coach, if you can afford it, do it.
Some people don't want to go to AA or NA , don't want to go to counseling, the idea of a coach is to not tell someone what to do, but rather to help them to see it, bring them to it if you will.
It could be a good option, addiction is a multifaceted issue, some people use withdrawal coaches, some addiction specialists fill this need. Coaches can also be available for friends and families of A's. Sometimes I don't think it matters how you get there , but only that you are making the effort.
I think it's an idea that in time, will become more popular. It can be a hell of lot less expensive than rehab. Of course time will tell, and I don't think all coaches will be charging 750 dollars a day. Sometimes addicts need babysitters.
I think the idea of a sober companion is perfectly fine; anything that is of help to another in their battle to end addiction should be applauded. People are unique; their solutions to ending addiction will be unique.
I watchd both episodes of the new show ‘ elementary’ – based on Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Tonight they did bring the 12 steps into the mix. The father is forcing the son to attend meetings; and the female sober companion went along with him. But they didn’t stay long and were off to track down a killer. Good timing because the meeting was kinda gloomy and I personally wouldn’t have wanted to watch much of it. I don’t think the addiction is a primary in the show, more like it gives the character some angst. Pretty good show I thought; main character is rather adorable, and the companion is tough Lucy Liu
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: In Today
Posts: 6,101
In a way my first 3 months I had 16 'sober coaches, rofl ....... 14 other women
in varius stages of sobriety, 1 sober housemother (11 years) and a sober asst.
house mother (5 years) and I only paid $50 a week room and board in a Recovery
Home for Alcoholic. About the only time someone wasn't with the person (me in
this case) someone frm the house was, whether it was to a particular meeting,
shopping, errands for 'the house' etc A combination rehab and sober living house.
However, had I not WANTED recovery with every fiber of my being, it (this living,
learning situation) would not have worked. And yes, there were quite a few
women that came for a day to a week and left. Sober Living Environment (Houses)
have similar rules and your different privileges, ie going shopping, errands, meet-
ings, doing overnights with family, etc ALONE. And there again the residents are
paying for their rom and board and getting a lot more intense recovery than
someone who goes straight home from rehab.
So a sober coach does not seem odd to me. And as far as getting paid for, well
many A's go back to school to get their degrees to become therapists and/or paid
counselors and learn how to keep their 'counseling out of their meetings, sort
of learning how to wear two hats. Others become 'house mothers or fathers'
or Assistants and are paid for their services.
I think it is an EXCELLENT profession for a clean and sober person to get into.
J M H O
Love and hugs,
in varius stages of sobriety, 1 sober housemother (11 years) and a sober asst.
house mother (5 years) and I only paid $50 a week room and board in a Recovery
Home for Alcoholic. About the only time someone wasn't with the person (me in
this case) someone frm the house was, whether it was to a particular meeting,
shopping, errands for 'the house' etc A combination rehab and sober living house.
However, had I not WANTED recovery with every fiber of my being, it (this living,
learning situation) would not have worked. And yes, there were quite a few
women that came for a day to a week and left. Sober Living Environment (Houses)
have similar rules and your different privileges, ie going shopping, errands, meet-
ings, doing overnights with family, etc ALONE. And there again the residents are
paying for their rom and board and getting a lot more intense recovery than
someone who goes straight home from rehab.
So a sober coach does not seem odd to me. And as far as getting paid for, well
many A's go back to school to get their degrees to become therapists and/or paid
counselors and learn how to keep their 'counseling out of their meetings, sort
of learning how to wear two hats. Others become 'house mothers or fathers'
or Assistants and are paid for their services.
I think it is an EXCELLENT profession for a clean and sober person to get into.
J M H O
Love and hugs,
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 499
I find it curious that in both cases so far the coaches are opposite sex of the addict. That's counter-intuitive to me, as I would think it might complicate recovery. I know it's not recommended in AA/NA, and the reasoning makes perfect sense to me.
Can anyone with more experience weigh in on this element in particular? Is there an instance where this would be beneficial to the addict?
Can anyone with more experience weigh in on this element in particular? Is there an instance where this would be beneficial to the addict?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Caucasian;West Coast; Husband sometimes breathes fire; hence his nickname Dragon & mine Mrs. Dragon
Posts: 176
Thank you to those that posted their personal experience with sober coaches, companions, friends. I find those testimonials very helpful in increasing my understanding of support systems.
If and when, our son does decide to stop using; then we will do our best to provide for him whatever he needs to assist in those efforts. If we do that; it will be of our own free will, and with the understanding that there are no assurances of the outcome. We try to talk about these things in advance of being placed in a situation, just so we have some footing. We have a great amount of respect for our son; and right now we have a good relationship with him despite his use of substances. Hopefully this will continue in the future, but it will happen only if we have a level of mutual respect, love, and understanding between all of us.
Im not sure about the answer to your question; but I think truly it would be based on personal preference. In some situations, I can see where if a man had a full time companion, or needed someone to accompany him to places where he was triggered; like work related events, etc. then a female companion would blend in better and allow for privacy on the issue. And then to be honest, in some situations I just think people feel more comfortable with a specific gender; for example many women prefer to see a female doctor because there is just a comfort level, while for others it makes no difference. To me, I see this job being similar in some ways to having a personal assistant for work that is basically your shadow throughout the day. The dynamics between the two of you are very important; and in time that person learns to read your thoughts and ideas very quickly.
If and when, our son does decide to stop using; then we will do our best to provide for him whatever he needs to assist in those efforts. If we do that; it will be of our own free will, and with the understanding that there are no assurances of the outcome. We try to talk about these things in advance of being placed in a situation, just so we have some footing. We have a great amount of respect for our son; and right now we have a good relationship with him despite his use of substances. Hopefully this will continue in the future, but it will happen only if we have a level of mutual respect, love, and understanding between all of us.
Originally Posted by interrupted
I find it curious that in both cases so far the coaches are opposite sex of the addict. That's counter-intuitive to me, as I would think it might complicate recovery. I know it's not recommended in AA/NA, and the reasoning makes perfect sense to me.
Can anyone with more experience weigh in on this element in particular? Is there an instance where this would be beneficial to the addict?
Can anyone with more experience weigh in on this element in particular? Is there an instance where this would be beneficial to the addict?
Im not sure about the answer to your question; but I think truly it would be based on personal preference. In some situations, I can see where if a man had a full time companion, or needed someone to accompany him to places where he was triggered; like work related events, etc. then a female companion would blend in better and allow for privacy on the issue. And then to be honest, in some situations I just think people feel more comfortable with a specific gender; for example many women prefer to see a female doctor because there is just a comfort level, while for others it makes no difference. To me, I see this job being similar in some ways to having a personal assistant for work that is basically your shadow throughout the day. The dynamics between the two of you are very important; and in time that person learns to read your thoughts and ideas very quickly.
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