Sober living homes for recovering addicts were designed to help maintain long term sobriety after successful treatment. Many individuals choose to live in a sober living home after treatment because they fear relapse.

A sober living home allows them to test drive sober free living in a more controlled and supportive environment. Studies have indicated that the long term sobriety rates of those who choose sober living home are far greater than those who do not.

Historically sober living homes were developed for convicted felons and the mentally ill upon release from a correctional facility or hospital. For this reason, the term halfway house spawns negative condensations. 

 

Sober living homes help reduce the chance of relapse. Most houses will have their own set of rules and guidelines for its residents to follow. This often includes a rule about coming onto the property under the influence. In many cases, an addict will be discharged for violating this rule. Other rules might be maintaining a full time job, random drug testing, and curfews. There are consequences for all violations. 

Most halfway houses charge a monthly fee which is discussed prior to admission. Admission and discharge is entirely voluntary but the average stay is three to six months. Most will go directly to a sober living home right after treatment. Many houses are located conveniently close to treatment centers.

They used to be primarily found in the less desirable area of town, however, this proved to be ill fated for recovering addicts.

While some sober homes will offer some ongoing drug treatment, they are not to be confused with treatment. They are primarily meant to be a safe and sober environment for people to continue their recovery. If the person is still using, they should be back in drug and alcohol treatment.

There are some sober living facilities that offer continuing drug treatment. The level of treatment generally varies. They can also be either profit or nonprofit organizations. Some may even offer some type of work training or work release programs.

This allows the recovering addict to fine tune their skills in the hopes of finding ongoing employment. There may also be other education programs available. 

The fundamentals of sober living homes are to keep the addict motivated to stay sober. They begin to learn how to enjoy their time without drug or alcohol abuse. They also develop better social skills, are more likely to remain active in aftercare programs, and gain valuable life and employment skills.

It’s often difficult to put into practice what lessons are learned at rehab when there is extreme temptation and little support. By gradually increasing their exposure to temptations and the challenges that they pose, sober homes promise a higher probability of success to addicts.

They don’t discriminate and offer those in need an opportunity to remain under some level of supervision. There is also ongoing support from other addicts. After all, there isn’t any support like those who truly appreciate what another is going through.

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