Beyond these core needs, triggers in your local environment may increase the chances of relapse. For this and other reasons, you may want to browse out-of-state sober living programs. Some SLHs offer integrated IOP to provide pre-entry or post-relapse treatment. Intensive outpatient programs offer a therapy plan to treat a client’s addictions. One of the biggest benefits of living in sobriety is that you’ll be able to improve relationships with friends and family members. In addition, it will be easier to develop and maintain new relationships.

While at an SLH, residents may be able to resume other aspects of their lives before recovery, such as work or family obligations. A halfway house is commonly known as a type of recovery housing that helps people in incarceration transition from addiction treatment to a more independent, healthy lifestyle. Anyone who wants to stop drinking alcohol or using drugs should consider joining a sober living community.

What are the Rules and Regulations of Sober Living Homes?

This group tends to be somewhat consistent across most types of sober living homes—which we’ll dive deeper into momentarily. Sober Living home residents are not required to have finished or be active in formal rehabilitation. SLH only require residents to maintain sobriety and timely payments on residential fees.

Despite the advantages of halfway houses, there are limitations as well (Polcin & Henderson, 2008). After some period of time, usually several months, residents 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. Finally, halfway houses require residents to have completed or be involved in some type of formal treatment.

Rules of Sober Living

It is critical that recovering addicts find themselves in a safe and supportive environment when it comes to preventing relapse. Sober living homes provide residents with a supportive community of peers who understand the challenges of early recovery. Living with individuals who share similar goals creates an atmosphere of camaraderie and accountability.

Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website. If any area of your life is out of control, it will not help you maintain lasting sobriety. Although these new activities are healthy how does sober living work and productive, they can be a stumbling block to lasting recovery if they become a transfer addiction to fill the void left by the original addiction. Once you do return to work, it’s important to create a budget and take steps to safeguard yourself as work stress can be a relapse trigger.