What It Is Like Living in a Sober House: A Complete Guide

Conversely, a court or correctional facility may mandate that a person resides in a halfway house. Sober living homes and halfway houses are frequently confused and for good reason. There is a lot of overlap in the function of these homes, as the main goal of both is to keep residents abstinent from drugs and alcohol. While these facilities maintain much in common, there are key differences in the formation, funding, regulations and logistical aspects of sober living vs. halfway houses. Let’s say you or a loved one has almost completed an alcohol or other drug addiction treatment program.

We also include a discussion of our plans to study the community context of SLHs, which will depict how stakeholder influences support and hinder their operations and potential for expansion. Central to recovery in SLHs is involvement in 12-step mutual help groups (Polcin & Henderson, 2008). However, some houses will allow other types of activities that can substitute for 12 step groups, provided they constitute a strategy for maintaining ongoing abstinence. In this phase, the individual takes on more responsibility daily to build stress tolerance while gaining more freedom, such as being allowed to return to school or work alone. Also, the sober living home may restore certain privileges such as leaving the house or riding the bus alone, reducing curfew and keeping personal belongings withheld during the first phase. Residents in this phase continue with support group meetings and therapy sessions.

The Challenges of Sober Living Houses

Residents may remain in a sober living home for as long as they want – if they continue following the house rules. The length of time depends on an individual’s unique journey and how long their treatment and recovery take. One study reports that an average stay lasts between 166 and 254 days. In general, sober living homes are privately owned homes for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Houses are usually located in quiet, peaceful neighborhoods, where members can destress and focus on their growth and recovery journeys. Sober living houses are alcohol and drug-free environments where residents can establish or maintain their sobriety.

• While some may be hungry to integrate back into society after a stint in a treatment program, there is an expectation that you will remain an active participant in the home and follow its rules.
• The option that sober living homes provide is one that is significantly useful to many in recovery.
• Lack of administrative attention suggests that the facility may not be well-run or legitimate, which could put your sobriety at risk.

Not only are they there to enforce rules, but they’re also there to help you with problems you might be having. Without structure, it can be easy to slip back into old habits that are destructive to your sobriety. One of the main sober living home benefits is that it provides you with the ongoing structure and support you need in your recovery. If you’re seeking substance abuse treatment, consider us here at Harris House. Feel free to reach out with any questions about our different programs — we’d love to talk to you about your options.

Finding A Sober Living Home

First, if you’re recently leaving a rehab stay or have just wrapped up an outpatient program, a sober living facility may provide you with the structure you need. While a sober living house doesn’t offer individual or group counseling, it offers structure and support to help you maintain your sobriety. sober house Additionally, maintaining your sobriety typically requires a home that is free of substances. Sober living facilities are often thought of as a sober person’s pipeline to life in mainstream society. These are residential facilities that provide structure and support for those healing from addiction.

A strict abstinence policy is central to the policies of all halfway houses. Residents are expected to participate in rehabilitative programs and to complete all court-mandated requirements, such as community service. The cost varies by the type of sober-living environment and length of stay. Some sober-living https://www.healthworkscollective.com/how-choose-sober-house-tips-to-focus-on/ homes have a base rate with additional costs for added services. When you’re looking for a sober recovery home, be sure to ask what’s included in the monthly rate and what is extra. Some examples of additional services may include transportation to appointments, recovery coaching, meals and gym memberships.

Improving Outcomes for Criminal Justice Referred Residents

The best place to start is usually just reaching out to a program you’re interested in and asking some questions. If they think you might be a good fit, they’ll likely ask you some of their own. You might be placed on a waitlist, as these tend to be in fairly high demand. The information provided by AddictionHelp.com is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Prison and jail overcrowding in the U.S. has reached a crisis point. Each year more than 7 million individuals are released from local jails into communities and over 600,000 are released on parole from prison (Freudenberg, Daniels, Crum, Perkins & Richie, 2005). Although the need for alcohol and drug treatment among this population is high, very few receive services during or after their incarceration. Housing instability has contributed to high reincarceration rates in California, with up to two-thirds of parolees are reincarcerated within three years.

Who Should Consider Joining a Sober Living House?

Inpatient treatment programs provide the most structure and highest level of care, whereas outpatient programs offer more flexibility. The phrase “drug rehab” is a catch-all term for the variety of services available for treating substance use disorders, including alcohol and drug addiction. However, within the scope of rehab, there is a whole range of programs that offer varying levels of care. This Recovery Review post is by David McCartney, who is an addiction medicine specialist and Clinical Lead at LEAP, a quasi-residential therapeutic community addiction treatment program in Scotland. He trained as a family medicine practitioner and spent much of his career in practice in inner-city Glasgow.