How to Start a Sober Living Home

So when getting back on our feet and in recovery, cooking and cleaning for ourselves is part of a healthy recovery plan. First, if you’re recently leaving a rehab stay or have just wrapped up an outpatient program, a sober living facility may provide you with the structure you need. Something important to note is that sober living houses are not the same as halfway houses. While they are both residences designed to support folks in maintaining sobriety and transitioning back into society, there are some key differences. While a sober living house doesn’t offer individual or group counseling, it offers structure and support to help you maintain your sobriety. Additionally, maintaining your sobriety typically requires a home that is free of substances.

Whether it is a non-profit or private venture, a sober living home is a fully operational organization with customers, personnel, regulations, financial transactions and more. Julia Childs Heyl is a clinical social worker who focuses on mental health disparities, the healing of generational trauma, and depth psychotherapy. Think about the environment that will inspire you most in recovery – one that will keep you going and set you up for success. Do you have a safe space to reflect and meditate, or a creative place to let go? Do you have access to a peaceful, outdoor environment when you need a breath of fresh air, or to local amenities, like a grocery store or quiet café?

Types of Sober Living Houses

While you may want to live on your own right away, you might not be ready to manage total freedom at first. Sober living offers a balance between living in the real world and receiving some structure and monitoring. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. Sober living homes are a great option for individuals in recovery, as they encourage residents to develop healthy coping skills and habits for when they return home. For example, if you break curfew, the house manager might remove some privileges you earned throughout the time you’ve been living in the house.

Standard admission requirements ensure that all residents move into the home with accurate expectations and that they clearly understand that ongoing sobriety is not negotiable. 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. If you’re just getting started, here is a basic overview of the steps you will need to take to successfully start a sober living home in your community.

Finding A Sober Living Home

We offer family support programs to further support our clients in their recovery. Other homes have a slightly higher rent cost, but offer significantly more in terms of services. Real Deal Recovery is an excellent sober living house in Dallas that offers all of these features. Since sober living typically follows addiction treatment, getting a sober home referral from the treatment provider is recommended. Other referral sources may include the criminal justice system, a mental health professional, Twelve Step meeting participants, or friends and family. Whatever the source of the referral, take a tour of the facility and talk to the people living there to decide if it’s the right fit for you.

Although halfway houses share a lot in common with sober-living homes, there are a few key differences that set them apart. Halfway houses serve as the halfway point between an institution and independent society, with residents usually coming from either correctional or inpatient treatment facilities. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse, we can help. A sober living home is a safe, substance-free residency for people in recovery. Many people benefit from residing in a sober living house after completing treatment, but you don’t have to make this decision alone. Those searching for the right sober living home should look for facilities with reputable staff, and a safe and productive living environment and culture.

Who Should Consider Joining a Sober Living House?

Sober living homes and halfway houses are frequently confused and for good reason. There is a lot of overlap in the function of these homes, as the main goal of both is to keep residents abstinent from drugs and alcohol. While these facilities maintain much in common, there are key differences in the formation, funding, regulations and logistical aspects of sober living vs. halfway houses. Interviews will elicit their knowledge about addiction, recovery, and community based recovery houses such as SLHs. We hypothesize that barriers to expansion of SLHs might vary by stakeholder groups. Drug and alcohol administrators and operators of houses might therefore need different strategies to address the concerns of different stakeholders.

• In her clinical work, she specializes in treating people of color experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma through depth therapy and EMDR trauma therapy.
• Depending on your location, you may need to obtain specific licenses and permits to operate a sober living home.
• Many residents will need sober housing that is within walking distance of grocery stores, employment opportunities, public transportation, and community support groups.
• Another series of studies found that individuals who remained abstinent for less than one year relapsed two-thirds of the time.
• Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only.

Knowing your loved one is safe and doing well after years of uncertainty is worth any cost. Beattie MC, Longabaugh R. General and alcohol-specific social support following treatment. Opening a sober living home is not as easy as just buying or renting a home and opening the door to those in addiction or recovery.