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

However, they also have to submit to random drug testing, adhere to a curfew, and follow house rules. Being responsible for the upkeep of a home helps sober living residents learn personal accountability. These tasks might sound annoying at first, but most housemates eventually learn to take pride in maintaining their own living environments. After years of active addiction, many young men get used to living in messy, unorganized, or even unsanitary spaces. The joy of living in a clean, healthy, and guest-friendly environment is unparalleled, and the ability to create such an environment is one of the gifts of sobriety. Recovering patients are allowed to leave the sober living houses, but they should always inform the house managers.

According to the Palm Beach Post, a couple who owned and managed a sober living home were recently arrested for dealing and abusing drugs. The sober home residents appear to have been uninvolved in these activities and were shocked to learn this news. Like some other sober living homes, the Perry House reportedly enforces a 100 percent drug-free policy. This means that all drug testing of residents must result in a completely “clean” report. The Perry House does not reportedly make an exception for rehab medications such as methadone and Suboxone, which are used to treat recovering opioid abusers.

How Does The Patient Benefit From Structured Accountability?

The rules and freedoms at each sober house can be very different; carefully read and consider the rules and expectations before you enter a sober living environment. Without a strong structure and regulated living environment, many people find it difficult to stay sober, even after doing quite well in rehab. In fact, most people who relapse do so in their first year outside of treatment. Having strong support and a structured life are both critical ingredients for long-term sobriety. Understanding why sober livings often have certain rules can help you remain committed to your newfound recovery path in your sober living house.

• Upon successfully completing an addiction recovery program, you may be given the option of transitioning out of rehab into a sober living house.
• To succeed in your recovery, it’s important that you abide by them.
• These can include 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

By making use of a sober living house, a person can increase their likelihood of staying sober and more effectively rebuild their lives. Sober living homes are excellent resources for those who are interested in an intermediary step between intense residential drug rehab and returning home to attempt outpatient aftercare support treatment services. Sober living offers a number of benefits to patients in recovery but these benefits come with some structure as well.

Quality Standards of Sober Living Homes

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, halfway houses are typically government-funded and have limitations on how long a resident can live there. Comparatively, sober living residents can stay as long as needed, provided that they adhere to the household rules and expectations, pay Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Sober House rent, and cover their personal expenses. Other people may need some time to get used to the structure of a sober living environment and what is expected of them while they are there. Following the house rules will help you to ultimately overcome your addiction and live a clean and sober life.

• They
  required houses to give residents (1) 48 hours written notice before discharging
  a resident, (2) information on how to appeal a discharge, and (3) the right to
  have a third party notified of the discharge.
• Living in a recovery house is generally far more affordable than living in a rehab facility.
• This measure was taken from Gerstein et al. (1994) and was defined as number of arrests over the past 6 months.
• Over the past 15 years, Chris has worked as a tireless advocate for addicts and their loved ones while becoming a sought-after digital entrepreneur.

Interviews will elicit their knowledge about addiction, recovery, and community based recovery houses such as SLHs. Their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of SLHs in their communities should provide data that can be used to modify houses to improve acceptance and expand to serve more drug and alcohol dependent persons. We hypothesize that barriers to expansion of SLHs might vary by stakeholder groups. Drug and alcohol administrators and operators of houses might therefore need different strategies to address the concerns of different stakeholders.

Attend House Meetings

Many men and women will live in a sober house for three to six months, even up to a year, while they build the skills and character to confidently live independently. While no two sober living homes maintain the same exact set of rules and expectations for their residences, there are a number of guidelines that apply to most everyone who voluntarily enters into this type of facility. At the most basic level, sober living house rules and regulations are put into place in order to keep the residents drug-free, safe and ensure everyone can live in a respectful & peaceful environment. While transitioning from drug/alcohol addiction treatment facility to a recovery house and, eventually, back to society you must maintain structure and learn to be responsible for yourself & your behaviors once again. Read below the 12 most common sober living facility rules for success and long-term sobriety.