What Is A Sober Living House?

Think of sober living as your support net as you practice new skills, gain new insight and shape your new life in recovery with other people who are possibly facing the same challenges. Sober-living homes provide a strong support network and community to help you safely navigate the tough spots and triggers you may encounter. These are residential facilities that provide structure and support for those healing from addiction. They are designed to be a transitional space from residential treatment to mainstream society.

As individuals pay rent and expenses, there is generally no time limit on how long they can stay. The facilities are usually pleasant and can include private rooms and bathrooms. It’s easy to confuse sober living houses with rehab centers or halfway houses, but there are some stark differences among them. Rehab centers offer intensive recovery programs that help residents overcome addictions by following strict rules and regulations. Halfway houses usually require that residents complete a formal rehab treatment program and they limit the amount of time residents can stay to 12 months.

Services

Most Sober Living environments provide separate homes for men and women. However, there are mixed-gender homes and homes that specifically cater to LGBTQ+ people. Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you took this brave step toward sobriety in the first place. Instead, focus on things, experiences, and activities that will support your new, healthy lifestyle.

Studies have identified that 65% to 70% of people relapse within the initial 90-day period. Residents are often required to take drug tests and demonstrate efforts toward long-term recovery. Prices vary for staying in halfway houses, but most of the time it costs about the same as it would cost to live in a modest apartment or home. Residents have to pay rent on time, but they do not have to pay first and last month’s rent. The goal of sober living homes is to monitor and improve health, safety and wellness using peer support.

Sober Living Homes & Sober Living Communities

While completing a substance abuse rehab program before moving in may not be required, it can help individuals to stay sober. However, if residents are willing to remain sober, follow all house rules, and guarantee medical stability, they should feel free to apply. In the ’40s and ’50s, California began to dismantle its custodial care systems (e.g., local jails and state psychiatric hospitals), creating an even greater need for sober living houses. However, the existing 12-step recovery houses usually refused to accept inebriates. Instead, they required applicants to begin their sobriety before approaching the sober house. Recovery programs filled the gap by initiating abstinence and including detoxification.

Although prior completion of a rehab program is common, it is not always a prerequisite to living in a sober residence. Many sober living homes will accept residents who are new to the rehab process as long as those residents are willing to stay sober and live by the house rules. When applicable, residents should already have completed a detox program to guarantee medical stability and to preclude being acutely ill and unable to work while living in a sober house.

Common Sober Living House Rules and Regulations

Maintaining sobriety can be a difficult process, however, a sober living house may provide you with the kind of structure and support you’ll need to maintain your sobriety. If you’re having a hard time adjusting to a sober life, reach out to a mental health professional who specializes in addiction and substance use. 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. Some sober living houses may be placed in neighborhoods with high crime rates.

Additionally, residents must agree to a number of rules when they move in. Your friends or family members may tempt you with alcohol or other drugs by consuming them in front of you. Searching for addiction treatment or recovery housing can feel overwhelming; however, there are several resources to help you find the appropriate care and support. While living in a recovery residence, individuals are encouraged to find work, study, or participate in volunteer opportunities. This enables residents to accept responsibility for themselves and their future and establish a daily routine and purpose.

Finding A Sober Living Home

Or maybe you’re going to start an outpatient program, but living at home isn’t a sober, supportive environment for you. While sober living houses have research touting their efficacy, it is also important to remember that they are still environments where you are living with others and the focus is on staying sober. If you or someone you know has recently quit drinking alcohol and is now sober—congratulations, quitting alcohol can be a long and difficult process. However, you might be wondering what happens now that the detox is over, you’ve completed your stay at an addiction treatment center, and it is time to go home.

• Julia Childs Heyl is a clinical social worker who focuses on mental health disparities, the healing of generational trauma, and depth psychotherapy.
• People who reside in sober living facilities can usually come and go as they please as long as they follow certain rules.
• It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs.
• An American Journal of Public Health study compared individuals who lived in a sober living home to those who only received outpatient treatment or attended self-help groups.

But when considering some of the services offered, make sure they’re services that help support your sobriety. Part of living in recovery is “showing up for life,” meaning doing things for yourself that make you a successful, contributing https://ecosoberhouse.com/ member of society. When in active addiction, we tend to ignore the things that make us successful. So when getting back on our feet and in recovery, cooking and cleaning for ourselves is part of a healthy recovery plan.

Choose a Therapy

Try to spend more time with people who you trust to respect your decision to reduce or eliminate drinking alcohol, rather than those who will judge or pressure you. The time spent in a sober-living home depends on a number of factors including strength of recovery from addiction, progress on clinical milestones and the personal living situation at home. A minimum stay of three months is recommended, but many benefit from a longer stay for sustained sobriety. Halfway houses, like other recovery and sober-living houses, are intended to gently reintroduce tenants back into society, free from the pressures and triggers of a potentially dangerous home environment.

• Halfway houses can be government funded or run by private organizations that receive government grants.
• At Skywood, we are deeply invested in helping you regain your health.
• Sober living is just like it sounds, a place to stay where you’ll have a supportive community and can start your new life free from alcohol or other drugs.
• Once rehab has taken place, the addict will enter the same world that caused them to be an addict in the first place.

In a recovery housing model, residents offer and receive support from their peers and leaders in their community. Research has discovered that communal living can help decrease substance abuse and incarceration rates, and increase employment rates. It can also help individuals hone their coping skills, learn how to communicate effectively, and trust themselves. 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.