Our staff work diligently in pursuing the highest credentials so that they can provide the most client focused care and keep up on the latest trends in the recovery community. We believe that those we serve deserve the most ethical and equitable treatment possible. Sober living houses, like halfway houses, maintain a strict abstinence policy which may be enforced with drug testing. Additionally, a sober living home may offer resources like career support, housing assistance and so forth, but each sober living home will differ in its requirements. While sober living homes are open to people who have not attended formal addiction treatment, they are often recommended by caseworkers at inpatient and outpatient treatment centers as part of an aftercare plan. Staying in a recovery network longer allows individuals both the time and the resources to build a better life for themselves in sobriety.

• Since sober living typically follows addiction treatment, getting a referral from the treatment provider is recommended.
• Unlike halfway houses, though, sober living houses allow residents to stay as long as necessary, often over a year.
• That may include outpatient programs and assistance for finding mental health providers.
• Some sober-living facilities are only offered for as long as you are in the treatment program.

A minimum stay of three months is recommended, but many benefit from a longer stay for sustained sobriety. A great way to find a sober living house in your area is first to explore your network. Not all sober living homes are equal, so finding a place that an acquaintance has recommended could be helpful. Leaving the structure of the treatment program can be very disruptive to your sobriety, so treatment programs have strict schedules filled with counseling, group therapy, and participatory activities.

housing resources

But understanding how sober living homes work is a little bit tougher of a task for some of us. There are often many triggers that can lead to a relapse, so it is usually advised to relocate from the place where your addiction started. This will help you recover more quickly and won’t put you in close proximity to potential relapses. DesignForRecovery welcomes people from all over the United States and provides a sober environment. There are many sober living residents who have graduated from the program, but they are from different parts of the US. Some residents might find that they are prepared to leave after just a few months.

Some houses have a “residents’ council,” which functions as a type of government for the house. It would also be helpful if the house were near your work or school, a grocery store, public transit, a laundromat, and a healthcare provider. Today, sober houses are “free-standing,” independently owned and operated. They’re not licensed by an official body, nor do they provide licensed professional services onsite. Some facilities require a minimum number of days of sobriety from substance abuse, but many will work with you to determine if you’re a good fit.

Assessing the Impact of the Community Context

Some programs created halfway houses where clients could reside after they completed residential treatment or while they attended outpatient treatment. While halfway houses are designed specifically for people who are finishing inpatient treatment programs, sober living homes can be utilized as a first-line approach to recovering from substance use disorder. Compared to halfway houses, sober living homes offer residents far more control over the nature of their recovery program. Yes, sober residences help people remain sober and gain long-term sobriety.

Sober living houses are alcohol and drug-free environments where residents can establish or maintain their sobriety. Through peer support, proven recovery principles, peer empowerment, and individual responsibility, residents can solidify their sobriety and prepare to return home or live independently. While a sober living house doesn’t offer individual or group counseling, it offers structure and support to help you maintain your sobriety. Additionally, maintaining your sobriety typically requires a home that is free of substances.

How to Pay for Your Stay at a Sober Living House

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. If you’re getting out of an inpatient program, there should be plenty of discussion between you and your treatment team about what the next steps for you will look like. It’s important for aftercare to be considered before you even enter treatment. By addressing the common challenges people face in recovery and providing affordable sober housing, we have helped countless individuals take hold of a fresh start and live a happier, healthier life. First, you will need to systematically evaluate your current state as well as your vision for your sober living home in the future.

Connect with a licensed therapist for porn addiction and mental health counseling. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. You can also look into Oxford Houses, which provide all recovering sober house users the opportunity to develop comfortable sobriety without relapse. Due to how interchangeably these terms are used, it is important to ask questions about expectations and structure to determine which home is the right fit for you.

The scale includes a number of items beyond attendance at meetings, including questions about sponsorship, spirituality, and volunteer service positions at meetings. To assess current psychiatric severity we used the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1983). This 53-item measure assesses severity of psychiatric symptoms on nine clinical scales as well as three global indices. Items are rated on a 5-point scale and ask about symptoms over the past 7 days. We used the Global Severity Index (GSI) as an overall measure of psychiatric severity.

To maximize generalization of findings, very few exclusion criteria were used and very few residents declined to participate. Primary outcomes consisted or self report measures of alcohol and drug use. Secondary outcomes included measures of legal, employment, medical, psychiatric and family problems. Some measures assessed the entire 6 months between data collection time points. Others, such as the Addiction Severity Index, assessed shorter time periods of 30 days or less. SLHs have their origins in the state of California and most continue to be located there (Polcin & Henderson, 2008).