Being able to look back on my recovery as a period of growth and self acceptance means I am in the best possible position to offer support as a sober companion.
Being a sober companion is about knowing the territory and being able to step back from all the family dynamics and offer genuine direct support. As a sober companion, it's about being able to relate, building rapport, and listening.
"Many families do not have experience with addiction and by the time the addict is ready to commit to a plan for recovery," says Bren Murphy, Australia's Sober Coach "families are exhausted, relationships have been tested - basically everyone is over it."
That's where a sober companion can make all the difference. Acting as a go between, support worker and family liaison means a sober companion is looking out not just for the addict in recovery, but also seeing that the family is kept in the loop.
"It is never helpful to have a family with overly high expectations straining what little connection they have left with someone who is obviously in a very vulnerable position in early recovery." Bren Murphy believes.
Once you agree to a service agreement, which can go from three days up to a month or more, the sober companion acts as the support worker for the person in recovery.
You agree to terms individually on a case by case basis and your sober companion accompanies the client on most daily activities - from attending medical appointments, to 12 step meetings to things like going to cocktail parties - sober companions help steer the person in recovery away from potential drinking situations so they can nurture their recovery skills.
In a sense a sober companion acts as a buffer between the everyday real world and the client in recovery - who let's face it might not have been in the real world, sober, clean and raw - for years. Being out and about in the community without having the ability to skip off for a few drinks is something many people in early recovery would struggle with.
It's a genuine challenge to be outside going about your business and not allow yourself to drink at some point. Having a sober companion along for your outings in early recovery helps to break the habit, and lay new, positive routines in their place.
Ideally, a sober companion acts as a sober coach at times, helping the client appreciate the little differences that go with being newly sober in a world previously drenched in alcohol. Things like choosing not to walk past an old pub, or being able to decline a drink if offered by an old friend, or even having an evening meal alcohol free are simpler and easier.
But, what happens when the sober companion or sober coach is no longer around? There is a lot of evidence to show that having positive role models and patient and accepting non-drinkers around the person in early recovery helps with making a successful transition into a long term recovery.
Especially when you consider the alternative - simply being dumped back among the old peer group of harmful and heavy drinking and expecting things to be different. Sober companions have come into being because they actually work and the momentum built from just a few days of sober coaching at the start of even the most perilous recovery can make all the difference.
Bren Murphy is available to take your enquiries by phone on 1300 084 004 - or you may prefer to follow the email introduction to life coaching below. For direct email access, please contact bren(at)thelifecoach.net.au
Remember, going through recovery does get easier - and I'm here to help you make the best of the rest of your life.
Being a sober companion is about knowing the territory and being able to step back from all the family dynamics and offer genuine direct support. As a sober companion, it's about being able to relate, building rapport, and listening.
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| Bren Murphy, Australia's Sober Coach |
"Many families do not have experience with addiction and by the time the addict is ready to commit to a plan for recovery," says Bren Murphy, Australia's Sober Coach "families are exhausted, relationships have been tested - basically everyone is over it."
That's where a sober companion can make all the difference. Acting as a go between, support worker and family liaison means a sober companion is looking out not just for the addict in recovery, but also seeing that the family is kept in the loop.
"It is never helpful to have a family with overly high expectations straining what little connection they have left with someone who is obviously in a very vulnerable position in early recovery." Bren Murphy believes.
What does a Sober Companion actually do?
Once you agree to a service agreement, which can go from three days up to a month or more, the sober companion acts as the support worker for the person in recovery.
You agree to terms individually on a case by case basis and your sober companion accompanies the client on most daily activities - from attending medical appointments, to 12 step meetings to things like going to cocktail parties - sober companions help steer the person in recovery away from potential drinking situations so they can nurture their recovery skills.
In a sense a sober companion acts as a buffer between the everyday real world and the client in recovery - who let's face it might not have been in the real world, sober, clean and raw - for years. Being out and about in the community without having the ability to skip off for a few drinks is something many people in early recovery would struggle with.
It's a genuine challenge to be outside going about your business and not allow yourself to drink at some point. Having a sober companion along for your outings in early recovery helps to break the habit, and lay new, positive routines in their place.
Establishing a Client's Long Term Independence
Ideally, a sober companion acts as a sober coach at times, helping the client appreciate the little differences that go with being newly sober in a world previously drenched in alcohol. Things like choosing not to walk past an old pub, or being able to decline a drink if offered by an old friend, or even having an evening meal alcohol free are simpler and easier.
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| My book |
But, what happens when the sober companion or sober coach is no longer around? There is a lot of evidence to show that having positive role models and patient and accepting non-drinkers around the person in early recovery helps with making a successful transition into a long term recovery.
Especially when you consider the alternative - simply being dumped back among the old peer group of harmful and heavy drinking and expecting things to be different. Sober companions have come into being because they actually work and the momentum built from just a few days of sober coaching at the start of even the most perilous recovery can make all the difference.
Book a Conversation with a Sober Coach
Bren Murphy is available to take your enquiries by phone on 1300 084 004 - or you may prefer to follow the email introduction to life coaching below. For direct email access, please contact bren(at)thelifecoach.net.au
Remember, going through recovery does get easier - and I'm here to help you make the best of the rest of your life.
