The Pros and Cons of Sober Living Houses

However, outpatient rehab that you may attend during your time in a sober living home may be covered by insurance. Some insurance policies may limit your care providers or may want you to contribute sober house to the cost. The cost depends on your insurance policy deductible and your policy co-pay. Most treatment facilities can help determine if your insurance is eligible for outpatient rehab.

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 average stay in a sober living home, according to the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, is between 166 and 254 days.

The goal is to build a life you love so much you never want to go back to drinking and using.

Today, sober living homes can be run by a business, a religious group, or by private individuals. They vary in type, but all operate under the premise of offering a substance-free space for people in recovery. Typically there is either a house manager that enforces the rules or the home runs under a social model where residents share in the decision-making for the home. Residential housing includes a sober living arrangement, where individuals must maintain a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle and access support services like counseling, therapy, and 12-step meetings.

• All of the individuals that live in a sober living facility are new to addiction recovery.
• The best place to start is usually just reaching out to a program you’re interested in and asking some questions.
• The tools that individuals learn in intensive rehab programs may set them up for more sustainable success in a sober living house.
• Many individuals attempting to abstain from alcohol and drugs do not have access to appropriate housing that supports sustained recovery.

When a person has a substance use disorder, their days center around things related to it. Initial treatment focuses on detoxing from the substance and receiving around-the-clock care in a facility. Many people find that returning home immediately after detoxing leaves out an important step.

Sober Living, Outpatient Rehab, and Aftercare at WhiteSands

Another key difference between sober living homes and halfway houses is the level of support and services offered. While both types of residential environments may offer access to counseling and support groups, halfway houses may offer more intensive therapy and medical services to address specific mental health needs. Sober living houses are often recommended for folks finishing up a drug rehabilitation program.Leaving the structure of a treatment program can be jarring, sometimes triggering a relapse. As such, sober living houses serve as a space to transition into a life without addiction, developing tools and community while getting used to the demands of daily life.