DMHAS certification also requires sober house residents
to agree to follow minimum house rules. CSLT is located in Sacramento County California and consists of 16 houses with a 136 bed capacity. sober house Phase I lasts 30 to 90 days and is designed to provide some limits and structure for new residents. Residents must agree to abide by a curfew and attend at 12-step meetings five times per week.

• Without these guidelines in place, there wouldn’t be much support or structure, which is the whole point of living in a substance abuse halfway house or sober living home instead of on your own.
• So, if you’ve ever wondered what a substance abuse halfway house was, or asked yourself, “How do sober living homes work?
• It is best to do this before you commit to residency, as it will be more difficult to back out once you travel to the location and prepare for enrollment.
• They provide a supportive, safe space where people can live free of addiction with others who share the same goal.
• Tragically, for many newly in early recovery, sober living homes provide their only option for a safe, sober living scenario.
• By listening and sharing about the obstacles encountered and overcome in recovery, residents gain valuable insights, and build self-esteem by helping others through their own experience.

Others will have extensive career support, helping their residents get back out into the workforce. Most of them will encourage participation in a relevant support group or 12-step program. Private owners usually own these homes, but charities and businesses may also own sober living houses. If you live in a recovery house, you may either have your own room or share one with a roommate. Most of the time, residents share communal spaces, like kitchens, living rooms, and backyards.

Do Sober Houses Work?

Most of all, they have desire and drive to change, and become the best possible people they can be, without drugs or alcohol. There are several limitations to the study that are important to consider. First, we could not directly compare which type of SLH was most effective because there were demographic and other individual characteristics that differed between the two types of houses.

Stigma and shame became less powerful [in sober living], and the group looked out for each other. Recovery journeys can be long and involve several attempts in order for people to resolve their problems. Treatment can be part of this for many, but there are multiple factors outside of treatment that also influence outcomes.

Concerns With Sober Living Homes

Because a large number do not have a stable living environment that supports abstinence from alcohol and drugs, ORS developed SLHs where clients can live while they attend the outpatient program. The houses are different from freestanding SLHs, such as those at CSTL, because all residents must be involved in the outpatient program. Most residents enter the houses after residing in a short term homeless shelter located near the program. At admission, nearly all residents are eligible for some type of government assistance (e.g., general assistance or social security disability) and use those funds to pay SLH fees.

To help limit social isolation and reduce costs residents share bedrooms. Like other SLH models of recovery, residence are free to stay as long as they wish provide they comply with house rules (e.g., curfews, attendance at 12-step meetings) and fulfill their financial obligations. Also like other SLH models, each house has a house manager who is responsible for ensuring house rules and requirements are followed. ORS does not have any type of Residents Council, but house managers meet regularly with the executive director and have input into operation of the SLHs in during these contacts. Despite the advantages of halfway houses, there are limitations as well (Polcin & Henderson, 2008).