Following a drug/alcohol detox or rehab program, a recovering addict may seek temporary shelter at a sober house. Sober houses can serve as an important part of an addict’s road to an alcohol/drug free life. They help people at different stages of the recovery process, as they exist in several forms, on several levels. Plus, sober houses provide a safe environment to those who are fighting the urge to relapse upon rejoining a society of stressful triggers.
Sober houses exist in the form of half way houses, recovery centers, Oxford houses, and recovery houses (3/4 way transition programs). Any of these facilities are important tools for follow up addiction care. The differences between each type of sober house are found in the level of structure, accountability, care, staff, and services provided to recovering drug/alcohol addicts.
Half way houses are usually state licensed treatment programs that provide 24 hour staffing. Residents of half way houses live there for a period of time, but still gain and keep employment outside of the facility as part of their transition back into life. Recovery centers are very similar to half way houses. However, they offer on-going recovery support services that aren’t limited to the duration of the addict’s stay. Oxford houses are leased and governed primarily by their residents. They strongly encourage use of the 12 step program while providing a safe environment under the charter of the Oxford Group. Recovery houses or ¾ way houses focus primarily on transition back into society as a drug free person.
Residents of sober houses must adhere to some strict rules and guidelines in order to keep the environment safe and stay drug/alcohol free. Chores are assigned to each person on a daily basis. Residents are not permitted to have guests. Plus, they must often check in and out as they come and go from the premises. Although recovering addicts are strongly encourages to find gainful employment, they are not permitted to work in a place that sells drugs/alcohol while living in a sober house. However, above all other rules, residents of a sober house must commit to staying clean and work towards building a drug/alcohol free life.
