Also like other sober-living environments, halfway houses generally have systems in place to keep residents sober, and drugs tests are usually administered to monitor for any substance use. They also often come with additional mental health, medical, recovery or educational services that help people get accustomed to their new lives. Residents are often required to take drug tests and demonstrate efforts toward long-term recovery. It’s also important to note that sober living homes and halfway houses are not the same. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, halfway houses are typically government-funded and have limitations on how long a resident can live there.

Recognition of the importance of one’s living environment led to a proliferation of inpatient and residential treatment programs during the 1960′ and 70’s (White, 1998). The idea was to remove clients from destructive living environments that encouraged substance use and create new social support systems in treatment. Some programs created halfway houses where clients could reside after they completed residential treatment or while they attended outpatient treatment. Another benefit of attending a sober house is that sober houses don’t specify the amount of time that their patients can reside there. This is different from halfway houses which often court-order their residents to live there for designated amounts of time. Instead, sober living homes require their residents to agree to other certain conditions prior to living there.

Support for Me and My Family

This is an added benefit in that it will help you keep up with these obligations and stay in a sober state-of-mind. One of the greatest benefits of sober living is the newfound (or re-found) independence that it brings. With your sobriety underway, and a positive outlook on the recovery process, you will begin to take life back into your own hands. You will have the independence to go out and find a job on your own, and take the steps needed to be successful in any job you pursue.

Requiring an admission application for every resident also allows you to determine if the resident would be a good fit for your sober living home. This promotes a peaceful and harmonious environment in which residents share similar goals and get along. The residents need to do their own work at reaching and maintaining their own sobriety. With that in mind, though, sober houses are still great resources for anyone who’s trying to navigate their sobriety journey.

Is a sober living home right for you?

The oft-cited average is between 166 and 254 days, which means about five and a half to eight and a half months. It’s less important to compare yourself to the average and more important to speak to the professionals you’re working with about what’s working for you. If you and your medical professionals agree that you’re still benefiting from the program, then you should be able to continue on without issue. If you’re getting out of an inpatient program, there should be plenty of discussion between you and your treatment team about what the next steps for you will look like.

Sober living homes allow residents to get a sense of what a real sober life is, beyond the walls of rehab. When a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, a lot of other obligations are tossed out the window. This might include eating healthy, exercising regularly, keeping a clean home, and maintaining good personal hygiene.

Risks and Downsides of Sober Living Homes

Despite the advantages of halfway houses, there are limitations as well (Polcin & Henderson, 2008). After some period of time, usually several months, residents sober house are required to move out whether or not they feel ready for independent living. A second issue is financing the houses, which often includes government funding.