Companions are hired to provide a sort of buddy system for patients in treatment and recovery, whereas escorts are generally used for transportation to and from meetings, treatment appointments, and more. These individuals also serve to aid in transporting persons to treatment facilities when a family member or guardian can’t be present, as is the case for many youths who are sent to treatment in areas across the nation by busy, working parents. Likewise, a drug abuser who must walk through areas of town where drug abuse or dealing are present, or an alcoholic who must walk past their favorite corner bar to get from a meeting to their home may greatly benefit from having a sober escort. Sometimes, professional interventionists also act as sober escorts.

For some, companions even move in and live with the recovering addict, aiding them by supervising their daily life and limiting their ability to use again as they keep vigil over where the addict goes, whom they have contact with, and what they do. To make better use of their time together, the sober companion may engage the recovering individual in wellness activities including chiropractic techniques, diet, fitness, yoga, and even meditation — shown to be highly effective for the treatment of addiction and relapse prevention in recent years. According to a study published by the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., a group of 286 people were split into three treatment groups; 17 percent of those in the classic relapse prevention cohort reported drug use within the year following treatment, as compared to 14 percent in the 12-step program, and only 9 percent in the mindfulness meditation group.

Why Do They Help?

The sober companion position is a relatively new one, so if you’ve never heard of people like this before, you’re certainly not alone. But don’t let the strangeness of the idea keep you away from examining it and considering for yourself. It could be the key you need in order to get well.

In a study published in the journal Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, researchers examined the factors that led people to relapse to cocaine even when they’d been sober for months or even years. Close to 500 people were included in this analysis, and researchers found that the most common reason for relapse was “impulsive action with no known cause.”

That means these people had worked on their addiction and achieved a level of control. Then, due to some factor they didn’t quite understand, they went back to the drug. They didn’t see the relapse coming early enough to stop it.

A sober companion can help, as this professional can see all of the little relapse warnings that might be hidden to you. A companion might notice that you mention alcohol more frequently when you’re hungry, for example, or a companion might spot the fact that you’re watching many movies that contain drug use, as though you’re rehearsing for a relapse. It’s easy to ignore these warnings, especially when they’re happening at a subconscious level, but a companion can provide an outsider’s perspective that could make the danger clear to you.

In a separate study that included women who were addicted to alcohol, published in the journal Addiction, researchers found that women tended to relapse in the company of friends of the same gender or while they were spending time with romantic partners. These social outings might have felt fun, but at some point, they took a bad turn. The friends might be users, as might the partner. And when those people use, you might be tempted to do the same.

A sober companion can provide friendship and an opportunity to be social, but these professionals aren’t at all interested in taking a drink, shooting up, or lighting up. They want their clients to stay sober, so they also stay sober. That could mean that they help clients to feel connected, while they remove some of the relapse dangers.

How It Works

While it might be easy to understand the help that a sober companion can provide, it can be a little difficult to understand how the industry works. That’s because, according to an analysis published in US News and World Report, the industry isn’t tightly regulated.

When you hire a mental health therapist, there are rules in place that help you both to define your relationship. That person is required to hold a specific medical degree, and you’re expected to pay a fee that’s set by the industry or by your insurance company. You may know of others who have used a therapist, so you have a general idea of how your appointments should work. And if something goes wrong, you can complain to your state’s medical board about the issue.

The sober companion industry is different. The field is new, so there haven’t been many studies on what is ideal and what should be avoided. There aren’t set rules on what sort of education is needed and what sort of experience people need. There aren’t even rules about how much these people should charge.

Not all sober companions are created equal. While some are strong proponents of traditional treatment methods — like 12-step programs and support groups — others prefer alternatives to such, like therapy and holistic healing. In many cases, these professionals provide services free of charge, but that trend seems to wearing off some in recent years as the popularity of sober companions and escorts keeps growing. In an analysis on The Daily Beast, reporters suggest that companions can cost as little as $900 per day or as much as $1,900 per day. That’s a huge range, and it can be hard for you to know whether you’re paying too much or too little.

Sober escorts are often former and recovering addicts themselves. There is debate amongst the substance abuse community as to whether the use of sober companions is safe, noting the threat one recovering addict can impose upon another, but the concern is unfounded. For years, sponsors have served members of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous — being recovered addicts themselves — without hindering the recovery of those they sponsor. Likewise, you certainly don’t have to be an addict to be an enabler.

Not all sober companions are utilized on a live-in basis. Some people only need the added protection from their addiction at certain times or when in places that may trigger their urge to use. For example, an addict who has completed a full course of detox and treatment might need help readjusting to their life at home. Perhaps they only need the boost of care a companion provides on the weekends when they are more inclined to drink now that their social life has to change. Others might need help on evenings that they don’t have support group meetings to pull them through. Then there are those who do need round-the-clock advocacy, like recovering addicts who must return home from inpatient treatment to a household where others are drinking and using drugs — something that is still highly unadvisable.

Sober companions can also assist you in making positive changes in your life. They can walk you through the many ways you can deal with triggers, aid in treating the symptoms of mental illness non-medically with coping mechanisms, encourage healthy relationships with others, and assist you in removing yourself from past relationships that may be toxic to your goal of sobriety.

Length of Help

The decision to terminate the companionship period is generally a mutual decision made between both parties. The companion will regularly observe the recovering addict’s behavior, and look to see how well the addict handles stress, confrontation, emotional upset, change, and more before broaching the subject of ending the arrangement. Companions want to make sure you are ready to tackle life’s toughest problems without returning to substance abuse before they leave you to your own means. It might take longer to heal than you might think.

When you emerge from treatment, you might be filled with a sense of hope and empowerment. You might feel as though you can handle almost any challenge that life can throw at you, and that your new set of habits will help you to stay clean for good. But sometimes, there are small landmines lurking in your life. It might be the wine aisle in the grocery store, the unexpected call from an old boyfriend, or a twisted ankle. Problems big and small could awaken your urges to use, and sometimes, a companion can be a great ally in helping you to deal with those issues carefully.

In the past, researchers thought that it took about 21 days to form a new habit. That would mean that you’d only need a companion for a few weeks. But as a writer for U.S. News and World Report points out, addiction habits can last much longer. This writer was a smoker for many years, and even with 20 years of no smoking, he still sometimes feels the need for a puff. Old habits like that can be sticky.

It doesn’t mean that you’ll need a companion for 20 years, of course, but it might mean that you need to work with someone like this for an extended period, riding out a few crises until you know just how to do it yourself. Or you might be a fast learner that doesn’t need such extensive assistance. It’s personal, and your companion will work with you to develop the best schedule.

Are Companions Effective Helpers?

There are definitely critics of the sober companion method, many of whom waste no time noting the lack of authority and supervision overseeing sober companion services. Some doubt the efficacy of having an addict rely on another individual so heavily, with many believing rehabilitation should instill a sense of self-reliance and ownership in addicts. There is room for concern that having a sober companion will merely limit the addict’s exposure to triggers, and that sheltering them from such creates a false perception of what their reality is truly like outside of treatment. This leads one to question whether or not — after the companion’s departure — the addict is honestly any more prepared to abstain on their own than they were before the companion entered their life. One Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs review noted the treatment readmission rates among groups of alcoholics or drug addicts, those suffering from alcohol or drug psychoses, and addicts and/or psychoses sufferers with at least one mental health disorder, touting 57 to 70 percent of them being readmitted within

the four years following treatment. Thus, are companions helping recovering addicts to stay in recovery permanently or just delaying relapse?

Those who are entirely dependent upon someone else to manage their upsets and triggers may be missing out on the experience of coping with these events on their own — a vital part of learning how to resist relapse. There are individual organizations that have sprouted in recent years offering informal certifications to these professionals, but you should thoroughly review their standards prior to accepting such certification as being worthy of praise. The majority of sober companions have some sort of educational or professional background in social sciences like psychology or human services, and many couple that with their own personal experiences with addiction or have a wealth of knowledge on substance abuse recovery.

Advanced Treatment

Sober companions can also provide extensive support for individuals who are suffering from co-occurring disorders. Mental illness commonly plagues substance abusers and addicts. Among all alcoholics, 37 percent also struggle with at least one serious mental health disorder, per Helpguide, and 53 percent of drug addicts do, too. Individuals struggling with mental health problems or environmental factors that greatly inhibit their recovery generally warrant and benefit from additional time with a companion.

Sober companions assist most patients for at least a month’s time, but generally stick around even longer. Since the price associated with them can be quite high, they often cater mostly to the wealthy.

If you’re struggling with addiction but feel like treatment may be a waste of your time due to worries of what happens afterward, know that you have supportive options post-rehab. With a hired sober companion, you can extend the wealth of willpower and fortitude treatment instills in you far past the day you leave the treatment facility. Call us here at Orlando Recovery Center today and inquire about the many ways we can help you, from start to finish.