Types Of Sober Living Housing

Sober Living homes are group homes designed for individuals recovering from alcoholism and addiction issues. Sober Living housing is focused on helping people find and use the tools and principles of recovery – following addiction treatment or in addition to addiction treatment. They provide vital structure, support and fellowship to men and women.

But just as the levels of care in a treatment facility differ based on individuals’ needs and experiences, sober living programs can vary widely in the acuity of care, level of supervision and structure, and amenities and resources afforded residents. There are four main types of sober living housing:

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HALFWAY HOUSES

Halfway houses are sober living facilities that must be licensed by the regulatory or governing body responsible for oversight of drug and alcohol programs in a given state or commonwealth. This is because in addition to offering supervision, structure, guidelines and amenities, they provide addiction counseling services to residents much like an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center.

TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

Transitional Housing is a more recent program type in the wider addiction treatment and recovery industry. Transitional Housing programs are often designed to complement day treatment programs like Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient counseling. It is common for residents in Transitional Housing programs to be taken on scheduled community trips, participate in life-skills development workshops and holistic recovery presentations, and more.

RECOVERY HOUSES

Recovery houses are the most common type of sober living home. Even so, individual Recovery Houses can vary greatly in the quality of their programs and amenities. Life as a Recovery House resident usually includes a requirement to follow set guidelines – like signing in and out of the home, being held accountable to a “house manager”, conforming to a set curfew schedule, regular drug testing and participation in scheduled “House Meetings”, where residents express praise or concern, and try work through peer conflicts and challenges.

SOBER HOUSING

Sober homes are another common type of sober living program. They often operate at the minimally restrictive level, with far fewer rules or guidelines than other types of sober living homes. This is because residents in sober homes have usually accumulated fairly significant periods of “time sober”, and have demonstrated a level of self-awareness, responsibility and accountability that makes a case for their capacity to self-regulate.