Published in: Sober living

Sober Living Homes and Halfway Houses How do they work?

Author Vatsalyam

Published on: February 4, 2023

Alcoholics Anonymous originated in the 1930s and provided the steppingstones for sober housing by requiring strict sobriety, participation in the community, peer support, and a 12-step program. However, AA did little to address housing needs for its participants as they worked through the program. It further provides healthy coping skills and emergency contact numbers in times of high-stress or high-cravings/urges to use. This way you will have a plan of action for what to do during these times and have healthy ways to manage triggers in your daily life. Sober houses provide a positive space for recovery as they are alcohol and drug-free environments.

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. Some sober living homes have exercise equipment, fitness areas, recreational space, pools and cookout areas.

What Is a Halfway House?

In addition, they offer WE CARE, Women Engaged in Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment, providing outreach and engagement to women and women with children who need pre-and post-natal supports. As loneliness is a risk factor that increases an individual’s risk of relapse, sober living homes challenge isolation. These homes will help residents realize that they are never alone in what they are experiencing. Residents of sober living facilities typically stay between 6 to 12 months. However, there is no limit to how long an individual can remain in sober living, provided they continue to follow all the rules.

The Butler Center for Research at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation investigates these and other questions and publishes its scientific findings in a variety of alcohol and drug addiction research papers and reports. In our comprehensive guide, we share the truth about sober living homes, including what it is like living in a sober house and how it factors into the long-term recovery process. Some SLHs offer intensive outpatient services, including on-site medical care. These homes are often staffed in shifts by psychiatric nurses and licensed clinical social workers, who provide residents with 24-hour supervision and centralized recovery care. A sober living home is a great way to learn how to manage substance abuse addiction in the real world and increase the chances that a recovering addict will remain sober. People who are farther along in their journey of recovery are more likely to succeed in a sober living home because they are already equipped with tools to maintain sobriety.

What To Expect in a Sober Living Home

We want you to make an informed decision about whether a sober living home is the right fit. Sober living houses can help you ease the transition of reentering the outside world. As a resident, it is important that you are committed to living in the home and to your own recovery.

One study published in The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs in 2010 showed positive longitudinal outcomes for 300 individuals in two different sober living homes staying drug-free. Factors that contributed to these outcomes were the social network that was utilized, including more involvement in 12-step house meetings, and a community that was largely free of drug addiction and alcohol use. Most of the rent for the Options SLHs was paid by General Assistance or Social Security Income, so a variety of low income residents could be accommodated. While the level of support is less intensive than that offered in residential treatment, it is more intensive than the relative autonomy found in freestanding SLHs. Some residents probably benefit from the mandate that they attend outpatient treatment during the day and comply with a curfew in the evening. For some individuals, the limited structure offered by freestanding SLHs could invite association with substance using friends and family and thus precipitate relapse.

Family and Children’s Programs

This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be a substitute for medical advice. We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, and this content is to provide an overall understanding of substance use disorders. These disorders are very complex, and this post does not take into account the unique circumstances for every individual. For specific questions about your health needs or that of a loved one, seek the help of a healthcare professional. There is a vibrant New York sober living community at Transcend waiting to assist you on your road to recovery. Our free email newsletter offers guidance from top addiction specialists, inspiring sobriety stories, and practical recovery tips to help you or a loved one keep coming back and staying sober.

We do not recommend that you hastily react when choosing an option. You can also always go take a tour of the home and get a feeling for yourself. Make sure you fully understand What are sober living homes the cost of services provided, amount of support and what the day-to-day schedule is. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse, we can help.

Sober living homes offer a safe living environment for individuals working on abstaining from alcohol and other drugs. These homes do not provide formal treatment services; however, they often encourage or mandate residents to participate in continuing treatment resources and mutual aid groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous . To remain a resident, one must comply with house rules, including maintaining abstinence, covering rent and other living fees, participating in chores and attending all house meetings.

• Others may limit or restrict cell phone and internet access because they can act as triggers that could lead to relapse.
• Clients living here are transported to and from recovery-related activities, such as meetings or an intensive outpatient program.
• Residents will live alongside other individuals who are also in recovery and committed to lifelong sobriety.
• Our supportive admissions navigators are available 24/7 to assist you or your family.
• Our self-assessment may be helpful in recognizing substance abuse in yourself.
• The outcomes of living in such an environment can include positive health, behavioral, and relationship changes.