Most of them will encourage participation in a relevant support group or 12-step program. 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. Residents may remain in a sober living home for as long as they want – if they continue following the house rules. The length of time depends on an individual’s unique journey and how long their treatment and recovery take.

As such, sober living associations now make finding a residence easier. There are also plenty of independent sober living houses that have not changed their protocols much since the late 1940s when these residences came to be. Often the structure and routine of treatment programs help keep folks sober, and risking the loss of that when completing the program can be a threat to your recovery. Some SLHs offer intensive outpatient services, including on-site medical care.

Transitional Housing

In Worcester, Massachusetts, our homes range from $140-$180 per week. Rent usually covers all living expenses besides food and entertainment. Some sober houses charge an initial deposit or fee, and these fees range from $25 to $300 or more. Prices for recovery homes tend to follow the overall real estate market. Sober living homes may accept residents who are new to the rehab process, but most applicants have gone through a program before applying. This makes sense; residents must be able to stay sober in order to live the sober house.

• In order to be admitted to CSTL prospective residents must have begun some type of recovery program prior to their application.
• The use of this website is subject to our privacy policy and disclaimer.
• A halfway house is a community home typically designed for men or women who are mandated to spend time in a transitional facility.
• If you recently completed a treatment program, contact the staff there for referrals to local sober living homes.
• To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in recovery, consider spending a few months in a sober living home.

You may also find sober housing as part of a more structured extended care treatment program. These are specially designed to help ease residents’ transition back into everyday life, while still extending ongoing care and support. Sober living houses, like halfway houses, maintain a strict abstinence policy which may be enforced with drug testing. Additionally, a sober living home may offer resources like career support, housing assistance and so forth, but each sober living home will differ in its requirements. Residents aren’t bound to the sober living home’s campus and can come and go as they please.

The Phases of Sober Living in California

Instead, sober living homes require their residents to agree to other certain conditions prior to living there. One of these conditions is not bringing any alcohol or drugs into the sober living facilities. The goal of sober housing is to separate users from their previous, substance-occupied environment, and provide them with a safe and supportive place to heal, away from outside pressures. Second is to expand on these findings by considering potential implications of our research for inpatient and outpatient treatment and for criminal justice systems.

Each year more than 7 million individuals are released from local jails into communities and over 600,000 are released on parole from prison (Freudenberg, Daniels, Crum, Perkins & Richie, 2005). Although the need for alcohol and drug treatment among this population is high, very sober house few receive services during or after their incarceration. In California, studies show that few offenders being released from state prisons have adequate housing options and in urban areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles up to a third become homeless (Petersilia, 2003).

A Guide to Sober Living: What it is, Why, and How

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse, we can help. Click here to see a complete list of addiction treatment centers in your area. It would also be helpful if the house were near your work or school, a grocery store, public transit, a laundromat, and a healthcare provider. Finally, a transitional housing center with a sobriety requirement could be of great help if you’re struggling with housing insecurity, mainly due to addiction struggles. Julia Childs Heyl is a clinical social worker who focuses on mental health disparities, the healing of generational trauma, and depth psychotherapy.

• Nevertheless, persons in treatment can still stay in these homes, especially individuals in outpatient rehab who want to avoid environmental triggers.
• Many people in recovery don’t have structured, substance-free living environments to go home to, like those provided at residential treatment centers.
• You’ll still attend group meetings and have a support system, but you can come and go out of the home whenever you’d like.
• Although the owner/operator of the houses is ultimately responsible, she/he defers to the Residents Congress as much as possible to maintain a peer oriented approach to recovery.

In this phase, the individual takes on more responsibility daily to build stress tolerance while gaining more freedom, such as being allowed to return to school or work alone. Also, the sober living home may restore certain privileges such as leaving the house or riding the bus alone, reducing curfew and keeping personal belongings withheld during the first phase. Residents in this phase continue with support group meetings and therapy sessions.

The History of Sober Living Houses

If you are interested in exploring sober living in California, see if you can find what you’re looking for with the most frequently asked questions we receive here at Gratitude Lodge in Southern California. Additionally, most sober living communities in California are located in areas with easy access to nature, helping you to embrace sober living in California, thriving rather than merely surviving. There are different “levels” of accountability that Sober Living Homes offer. Some are peer-run agencies that run on the simple premise that others in home will keep you accountable. Others go so far as to have 24/7 staff with high structure and discipline. The home you choose should reflect the existing conditions of you or your loved one.

A sober living house differs from a halfway house in that the individuals who reside in these facilities mostly come directly from inpatient substance use treatment programs. Generally, when a person’s home life environment is not conducive to continued recovery, a sober living home is the best option. This support system allows residents to avoid the isolation that can sometimes come with returning home while in recovery. It further provides an environment to support recovery from substance abuse and addiction for those who are emerging from rehab.