What Did We Learn from Our Study on Sober Living Houses and Where Do We Go from Here? PMC

Meals are often taken at odd hours due to varied personal schedules. An open floor plan design linking kitchen – dining – social areas into a free-flowing common area allows residents to hold a house meeting and to socialize with each other in pairs or small groups, or to use the space solo . The neighborhood has a residential architecture and a streetscape typical for the surrounding town or city. Residential land-uses predominate; commercial/office uses are minor and serve only nearby residences.

How do sober housing operators take advantage of this interaction to create recovery-conducive settings? These questions are especially important for social-model peer recovery programs where the “setting is the service,” that is, where social shaping influences of the peer settings interact with the recovery experience. Provide sober living accommodation for at-risk clients who have completed detoxification programs or residential treatment/rehab/corrections programs, but are not yet ready or prepared for independent sober living. Many clients who achieve sobriety in highly-supervised residential settings relapse soon after discharge if the client cannot move immediately into reliable alcohol-free housing.

Temporary Housing

Expansion of freestanding SLHs in communities might therefore ease the burden on overwhelmed treatment systems. In communities that are unable to fund a sufficient number of treatment programs for individuals with substance use disorders, freestanding SLHs might be a clinically and economically effective alternative. The availability of treatment slots for individuals released from jail or prison or particularly lacking. For some those offenders who are motivated for abstinence and capable of handling some degree of autonomy SLHs might be a viable and effective option for recovery that is currently underutilized. The second phase allows for more personal autonomy and increased responsibility for one’s recovery. All residents, regardless of phase, are required to be active in 12-step recovery programs, abide by basic house rules, and abstain from alcohol and drugs.

• Websites like Go Fund Me can be useful in reaching out to a large number of people for support.
• Recovery residences are less expensive than living at a rehabilitation facility or detox center because fewer services are offered.
• Outcomes included the Addiction Severity Index , Brief Symptom Inventory , and measures of alcohol and drug use.
• Expansion of freestanding SLHs in communities might therefore ease the burden on overwhelmed treatment systems.
• Establishing a sober lifestyle is difficult during the early stages of recovery.

sober home has also demonstrated how a sober housing service can successfully defend its rightful place in the community when under attack. Make the Phase II SLH a welcome part of the community and create neighborhood acceptance for sober living. The SLH house manager is central to building relations with neighbors in three ways.

How Much Does Sober Living Cost?

The owner and administrative assistant maintain boundaries for the peer-based operations and are responsible for physical oversight for the property . Sunday night weekly meetings, attended by the founder/director, are chaired by a rotating officer of the Residence Council. The weekly meeting allows CSTL to deal with issues as they arise on a preventive basis. Issues are dealt with primarily by the residents themselves, with a focus on problem-solving and compliance, and with additional help from the founder/director when necessary. This approach helps to make sure that the “setting is the service” without undue focus on personalities or procedures. A dynamic tension plays out between advanced and newcomer residents through the peer-governance system and the process of daily living.

Our interview with the owner/operator included a detailed review of the history for acquisition, use, design, and remodeling for each of the fifteen houses currently in operation. Architectural assessments included taking photographs and preparing site-plans showing the relationship of all houses to each other and the surrounding neighborhood. We also obtained architectural floor plans for the central dining and meeting areas.

What To Expect In A Sober Living Home

Consider your financial health when deciding whether to rent or to buy. There are ways to cover the cost of a sober home, if necessary — such as insurance, scholarships, grants, personal savings, or loans from banks, friends, or families. Contact your insurance company directly to find out if you’re eligible, and for how much.

• Establish your sober living home as male only, female only or combined genders.
• Support occurs through the flow of activities mediated by resident-administered rules for use of the setting (Pattern I.6 PEER GOVERNANCE).
• But they must meet all applicable county and state laws, codes, and rules.
• Improvements were noted in alcohol and drug use, arrests, psychiatric symptoms and employment.
• The “sober living service” is a two-phase residential service program that combines entry-level intense sober housing with independent sober living in conventional residential settings .
• Some examples of additional services may include transportation to appointments, recovery coaching, meals and gym memberships.

If you’re familiar with the treatment of addiction, and 12-step or other recovery programs, you’ve probably heard the terms sober living and half-way house used interchangeably. While sober homes and half-way houses are similar in several ways, they are not the same. Sober living homes act as a transitional program for people who have graduated from inpatient addiction care centers , and especially benefit those who did not have the opportunity or could not afford an inpatient treatment program.