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

You should opt for either of these if you need a little more time to stabilize before you can resume your healthy life. A halfway house and a sober living house still have differences you must consider before selecting which facility you will spend your time in. Sober living houses are a potential living arrangement for individuals in early recovery after addiction treatment. Sober homes provide an excellent bridge between rehab programs and traditional society. However, residents aren’t required to have participated in rehab before living in most sober homes. Many sober living homes offer semi-independent living environments for people recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.

Sober living homes are run privately or as a part of a continuum of care from an addiction treatment provider. A sober living home allows a person to apply skills learned in treatment to real life in a less triggering environment. Sober living homes offer more privacy and professional support than halfway houses.

Rules & Regulations of a Sober Living House

Halfway houses provide a transitional period in a regulated environment to increase the likelihood of life success. To answer the question of “how do sober living homes work” doesn’t really require splitting hairs between these different types of residences, so we’ve elected to treat them as one collective type of program. Despite the enormous need for housing among the offender population, SLHs have been largely overlooked as a housing option for them (Polcin, 2006c). This is particularly concerning because our analysis of criminal justice offenders in SLHs showed alcohol and drug outcomes that were similar to residents who entered the houses voluntarily.

The complexity of treatment programs, knowing which level of care you need and how to choose the program best suited to you can sadly become a hesitation for those who desperately need care. If you’ve struggled to understand the different types of treatment, you’re not alone. If you’re seeking substance abuse treatment, consider us here at Harris House.

How to Choose the Right Sober Living Home

They can learn skills that allow them to be successful long after they have left our doors. Initially, they were meant to house and rehabilitate juveniles who had committed crimes. The United States adopted these residences to house individuals who had just left prison. Over time these houses have been used to shelter the homeless and, in recent times, two house individuals who have left an inpatient rehab facility. Individuals who have completed prison sentences may have to participate in additional addiction recovery to live in a halfway house as part of their reintegration into society.

Some may have had negative experiences in treatment and therefore seek out alternative paths to recovery. Others may have relapsed after treatment and therefore feel the need for increased support for abstinence. However, they may want to avoid the level of commitment involved in reentering a formal treatment program. Sober living houses (SLHs) are alcohol and drug free living environments that offer peer support for recovery outside the context of treatment. Sober houses are homes for those in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

Sober House Defined

Sober living homes have staff members responsible for enforcing these rules to ensure the environment is free of drugs and the individuals are not tempted to relapse. It’s common to think that addiction recovery is just about refraining from drugs and alcohol. While that’s important, most of the work of recovery (that makes sobriety possible) is about determining the https://www.excel-medical.com/5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-living-house/ underlying causes and emotions that feed an addiction. Living with others who are doing the same rewarding work can provide the added support and sense of safety that can help you weather the hardest days of recovery. In this sense, choosing to live in a sober living home while receiving treatment is one of the best investments in recovery that a person can make.