Sober Living

Sober living homes help you stay sober as you gain your footing in addiction recovery. They provide a safe, supportive living environment with peers who are also trying to maintain sobriety — and they’re effective. One study on sober living homes found residents had less substance use, arrests, mental health symptoms, and were more likely to maintain employment than their counterparts. Positive outcomes were also linked to:

Participation in 12-step programs
A network of sober peers
Less severe psychiatric symptoms
Longer stays in the sober living residence

What Is Sober Living?

Sober living homes provide people in recovery transitional housing as they begin navigating life without alcohol and drugs. They go by several names such as:

Sober house
Halfway house
Recovery homes
Transitional housing
Sober homes
Sober living residences

Sober homes provide a supportive living environment as you emerge back into everyday life with its triggers and challenges. Fellow residents are also recovering from drug or alcohol addiction and can provide support and comfort as you navigate sobriety together. Sober houses typically require:

Residents to refrain from substance abuse.
Enrollment at a professional addiction treatment center or actively working a 12-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.
Residents meet a curfew.
Residents do chores and have household responsibilities.
Participation in house meetings and support groups.
Residents follow whatever rules of the house that have been set by staff or peers.
Alcohol and drug testing.

Some people live in a sober house while they attend outpatient programs. These may include:

Many residents enter a sober living house after spending time in inpatient drug rehabs. A sober home can ease the step between a highly structured residential treatment setting and moving back home or living on your own. During this transition, attending an outpatient program is ideal. You may choose to continue living in a sober home after leaving professional treatment. In these cases, the sober living home will require you to show that you’re actively working on your recovery by activities such as regular attendance at 12-step meetings. A sober living house can connect you with a ready-made recovery community that you can lean on for years to come.

Types of Sober Living Homes

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notes four levels of sober living houses based on the services they provide:

How Is Sober Living Different from Addiction Treatment?

Addiction treatment at an outpatient or inpatient rehab center is not the same thing as a sober living residence. A treatment center has behavioral health and medical professionals who provide counseling, therapies, and support while you’re there. An alcohol and drug rehab offers services like:

Drug and alcohol detox
Individual therapy
Group therapy
Family therapy
Psychiatric support for co-occurring disorders (dual diagnosis)
Traditional therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy
Trauma therapies like EMDR
Holistic treatment approaches like yoga and art therapy
Onsite residences (inpatient treatment centers)
Relapse-prevention training

Sober houses are supportive living settings for individuals in recovery. They don’t provide clinical care or addiction treatment. Depending on the type of sober living residence, they may provide some therapeutic support. Many offer onsite 12-step meetings and other activities that help you stay sober. Sober houses are where you can practice the skills you’ve learned in addiction treatment. It’s a recovery community that you can lean on as you begin life in early recovery.

What Happens After Sober Living?

Some people only stay at a sober living house for the time that they are in outpatient treatment, which may just be a couple of months. Others choose to stay much longer. One study finds that the average length of stay at a sober living residence is a year. When you leave a sober living residence, you will need to continue safeguarding your sobriety. This typically includes relapse-prevention practices like:

12-step meetings or alternatives to the 12-steps like SMART Recovery
Regular exercise and proper nutrition
Getting enough sleep
Taking prescribed medications as directed
Avoiding triggers when possible
Individual therapy
Group therapy
Couples or family therapy
Working, going to school, or volunteering

Vogue’s Sober Living Residences

Vogue Recovery Center has recovery homes at our Arizona and Nevada locations. Our sober living residences are welcoming, supportive, and home-like.

Vogue’s Nevada location offers two sober living houses with:

24/7 staff
Transportation to grocery shopping and a grocery allowance
Transportation to treatment at Vogue Recovery Center
Help with transportation to groups and meetings
Support self-administering medications
Monthly flat fee
Common areas
Outdoor pools and grills

To live in our Arizona recovery homes, you must attend our partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), or outpatient program (OP).

Our Arizona location’s sober living residences include:

Part-time staff who are there throughout the night
Weekly meetings in-house
Monthly flat fee
Common areas
Support self-administering medications
Workout area, pool, and roof-top patio

Residents are expected to attend our intensive outpatient program (IOP), outpatient program (OP), or daily 12-step meetings.

References

Trusted & Accredited Addiction Treatment Centers

Questions About Sober Living or Addiction Treatment?

Vogue Recovery Center offers several types of treatment including detox, inpatient, and outpatient programs. Our Las Vegas and Phoenix treatment centers have sober living houses that can help you or a loved one stay supported and on track in early recovery. Call us today to get all of your questions answered and learn how we can help.

Sober Living

What Is Sober Living?

Types of Sober Living Homes

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4