• About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

Harris HouseHarris House
  • About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

Post-Rehab Sober House Living: Is It Right for You?

March 22, 2019 Posted by grant Addiction, Recovery, Relapse

Avoiding negative environments is a major part of facilitating the recovery process and preventing relapse. For many recovering addicts, however, the home environment and all of its stressors can add up to the opposite of a safe space. Enter sober living homes.

Aimed at helping addicts transition back into the community — often after participating in intensive inpatient or residential treatment programs — they can be a helpful option for many with substance use disorders.  Here’s what you need to know about sober house living to determine if it’s a good fit for you or a loved one.

Three people in a home sitting around a table and eating.

Sober living homes can help people in recovery help each other while helping themselves.

The 411 on Sober Living Homes

Sober living homes, also called “halfway houses,” are exactly what they sound like: group homes which are free of alcohol and drugs. Some sober living homes are privately run by groups of sober people who agree to this particular type of living arrangement. Others may be owned by businesses or religious organizations.

Typically, sober living homes follow a co-op model in which residents contribute through rent and chores. However, each operates differently according to its own set of house rules. Additionally, some may have a resident manager while others may have a social model approach. In all cases, sober living homes provide an alternative to returning directly from the structured environment of rehab to a completely unstructured situation.

Regardless of how a home is managed, every resident has to follow the rules to stay in it. Most homes will require residents to sign contracts confirming their commitment to the recovery process. This helps to safeguard the collective recovery of everyone in the home.

The Independence Advantage

One of the major benefits of a sober living home for recovering addicts is the opportunity to start taking control of their own lives while simultaneously investing in their own recoveries. Unlike residential treatment centers, sober living homes have less structure and are therefore more conducive to outside obligations, such as family, work, business, and certain leisure activities. Again, as long as the house rules are met, these activities are generally permissible. (Most sober living homes have a curfew, while many also do require random drug testing; others do not.)

Another benefit of sober living homes is that residents have critical peer support during the early days of recovery. They also provide a safe space in which recovering addicts can learn to fill time that might otherwise have centered around drug and alcohol use with healthy activities. This lays the groundwork for healthy lifelong habits and behaviors, even after a return to normal life during which addicts are more likely to be exposed to drinking or using.

Three people sitting on a couch drinking coffee.

Recovering addicts can uniquely understand and support each other on the journey to sobriety.

For these and other reasons, research indicates that recovery housing can be a valuable resource for addicts. Concludes one Psychiatric Services article, “Results on the effectiveness of recovery housing suggested positive substance use outcomes and improvements in functioning, including employment and criminal activity….Recovery housing appears to be an important component in the continuum of care for some individuals.”

Is Sober Living Right For You?

This isn’t to say that sober living homes are right for everybody at every time. Because of the level of freedom involved in sober living homes, they are most suitable for people who are ready to be accountable for their own actions and recovery. As such, many require that residents have undergone some type of rehab prior to living there. Other groups may also require continued treatment and/or participation in rehab programs.

In all cases, if an addict is not fully committed to recovery and/or ready to assume personal responsibility, a move to sober living may be premature — especially if additional detox or monitoring is required.

Conversely, those who are eager to take the next step toward sobriety may find a sober living home to be an invaluable stepping stone en route to a return to the “real” world.

To learn more about how St. Louis drug rehab program Harris House can help you or a loved one on the journey to a substance-free life,  contact us today.

Share
0

About grant

This author hasn't written their bio yet.
grant has contributed 289 entries to our website, so far.View entries by grant

    You also might be interested in

    Hope for Recovery is Alive!

    Apr 2, 2016

    There is always hope, and always an opportunity for you[...]

    Growing Gratitude in the Garden of Your Mind

    Apr 19, 2016

    You don’t have to pretend that negative things don’t exist.[...]

    How Trauma Affects the Brain

    Apr 11, 2016

    Psychological trauma occurs when it is not possible to process[...]

    Recent Posts

    • A Guide to Inpatient Alcohol Rehab Centers
    • What to Look for When Searching for the Right Rehab Facilities in St. Louis
    • The Benefits of a Holistic Inpatient Rehab for Alcohol Addiction – The Solution You’ve Been Searching For
    • What to Expect from Your 28-Day Residential Treatment Program
    • The Difference Between Intensive Inpatient Therapy (24-Hour Drug Rehab Centers) and Other Facilities

    Insurance Providers

    Substance use insurance coverage and benefits can be multifaceted and will vary with the different insurance companies and plans. The Harris House Insurance Department has experience working with insurance providers to get our clients the maximum benefits possible. Let our staff do the work for you. LEARN MORE

    Insurance Providers Insurance Providers Insurance Providers

    Credentialing Partners

    Harris House is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International). Harris House is also certified by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, approved by the Better Business Bureau as an A+ accredited charity and a proud member of United Way of Greater St. Louis. LEARN MORE

    DMH Carf BBB United Way

    Contact Us

    Let your recovery begin

    We're here to help.

    Please reach out with any questions

    CONTACT US

    314-631-4299

    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate

    Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

    Harris HouseHarris House
    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate
    About Us
    Treatments
    Resources
    Gallery
    Contact Us
    Donate

    For individuals struggling with addiction to alcohol and drugs, Harris House helps people achieve sobriety and become healthy and productive individuals. Since our founding in 1961, Harris House has grown to become a top-rated non-profit treatment center.

    CALL US TODAY

    314-631-4299

    2706 S. River Rd
    St. Charles, MO 63303

    8315 South Broadway
    St. Louis, MO 63111

    © 2023 HARRIS HOUSE FOUNDATION.

    Prev Next