Halfway House vs Sober Living Homes: What is the Difference

Another benefit of attending a sober house is that sober houses don’t specify the amount of time that their patients can reside there. This is different from halfway houses which often court-order their residents to live there for designated amounts of time. Instead, sober living homes require their residents to agree to other certain conditions prior to living there. One of these conditions is not bringing any alcohol or drugs into the sober living facilities. Thus, sober living homes provide their residents with the support and structure that they need to maintain their sobriety.

When you are deciding which residency program is best for you, it can be helpful to be assisted by your rehabilitation specialist in the process. Unlike halfway homes, sober living homes don’t typically require that residents have been incarcerated. They also may not require that housemates be enrolled in treatment plans while living there.

Key Similarities and Differences

It can take several forms, ranging from a single room in a house to a number of or all of the units in a structure. Join our sober living community or refer a client, family member, or friend. Our goal is to offer people a single source of relatable, reliable information at any stage of their recovery journey. The Association https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for Addiction Professionals represents the professional interests of more than 100,000 addiction-focused health care professionals in the United States, Canada and abroad. The Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations evaluates quality of care provided by healthcare organizations.

Terms like “inpatient,” “partial-hospitalization,” and “medically-managed” may be different terms that you’re accustomed to in daily life, but are common to the world of addiction treatment. Think of sober living as your support net as you practice new skills, gain new insight and shape your new life in recovery with other people who are possibly facing the same challenges. Sober-living homes provide a strong support network and community to help you safely navigate the tough spots and triggers you may encounter. Sober living, halfway homes and transitional living — at first glance, these terms seem like they could be synonyms of one another. But these places can have significantly different rules, guidelines and affiliations. If you’re considering your options before or after rehab, it can help to understand what each of these housing types means and which one makes the most sense for you.

Key Differences Between Sober Living Homes, Rehabs, and Halfway Houses

If you are currently in treatment or detox, you might be wondering what your next step in recovery will be. By planning your next move before you are discharged from your current program, you can feel more confident about the next steps in your recovery. Professional rehab programs have medical, psychiatric, and spiritual staff who are licensed and certified. Even after the client has moved into their new home, the housing case manager’s work does not end. They’re also in charge of keeping track of the client’s housing stability and health after they’ve found a place to live. This can be accomplished by maintaining regular contact with the landlord and/or making random house visits.

• The resources that either one provides are invaluable to the individual who is brave enough to start their recovery journey.
• If you are court ordered to a halfway house, you will also have to meet all of your probation requirements while also adhering to the halfway house rules.
• The primary role of rehab is to help a person understand the root causes of their addiction so they can develop skills and strategies for managing those triggers.

This support is critical to allow you to move forward in life and can provide a community around you, focused on supporting you as you move away from one way of living and into another. Halfway houses require you to be enrolled in a treatment program, or you must have already completed such a program. Halfway houses are a transitional point between an institution or facility and everyday community life. People may transition to a halfway house after serving a prison sentence or completing an inpatient rehab program.

How to Increase Your Chances of Staying Sober While in Sober Living

These facilities vary from low cost and low amenity accommodations to luxurious accommodations. They are also available in diverse styles, such as faith-based accommodations, 12-step accommodations, holistic residences, etc. Those who reside in a halfway house are likely to be connected with a corrections officer, social worker and additional support to set up a life so they’ll be less likely to relapse after leaving. Halfway houses provide a transitional period in a regulated environment to increase the likelihood of life success. When you’re embarking on the first steps toward recovery, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the jargon of the addiction treatment world.

The time you stay in sober living will depend on the treatment facility’s policies or program affiliated with the sober living house. Some treatment centers may allow you to stay in sober living indefinitely, so long as you comply with rules and pay rent. Others may allow you to stay in sober living for a set time or until https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-difference-between-a-sober-house-and-a-halfway-house/ you complete the facility’s rehab program. This type of sober living house also provides a high level of support for residents and is often affiliated with outpatient rehab programs in Illinois. People in transitional housing usually need temporary accommodation while looking for a job or affordable housing after rehab.

What are halfway house rules?

Since sober living typically follows addiction treatment, getting a referral from the treatment provider is recommended. Other referral sources may include the criminal justice system, a mental health professional, Twelve Step meeting participants, or friends and family. Whatever the source of the referral, take a tour of the facility and talk to the people living there to decide if it’s the right fit for you. Sober living is just like it sounds, a place to stay where you’ll have a supportive community and can start your new life free from alcohol or other drugs. Residents in sober-living homes commit to abstaining from substance use while participating in outpatient programming or after completing inpatient drug rehab.

While there may be more stipulations in a sober living house, they tend to be more structured. However, there are several key differences between these sober living environments. Staying in a sober home is typically voluntary, and sober homes often have less structured rules or conditions. And while sober living homes are often self-governing and financed by residents, many halfway houses are administered by the government and reliant on public funding.

Today, these facilities, typically government-funded, offer individuals transitional housing – “halfway” to living independently. Usually, it is the halfway point for reformed convicts who have recently been released from prison, who are not yet able to support themselves independently. Other residents at a halfway house may include the homeless, and some are admitted as a requirement of a court order. In fact, it’s the mission of Live Free Recovery Services and structured sober living homes in New Hampshire to help men and women recover from chronic alcohol and drug addiction. There are several similarities between halfway houses and sober living homes.

• The cost varies by the type of sober-living environment and length of stay.
• But no matter where you are in your recovery, Eudaimonia Sober Living Homes can provide support every step of the way.
• While residents in halfway houses usually have to stay for a certain amount of time, sober living has no such restrictions.
• In these programs, individuals can develop positive coping skills with the tools necessary to maintain sobriety.
• House meetings aim to resolve interpersonal disputes, change residents’ responsibilities, and welcome new residents.
• Beginning in the 1830s, religious organizations began to build “dry” hotels where guests were compelled to abstain from using alcohol.

Homelessness can exacerbate mental illness, make it difficult to overcome substance abuse, and prevent chronic physical health problems from being addressed. While living on the streets, people with these and other health concerns frequently find themselves in crisis circumstances, and emergency rooms may be their sole source of healthcare. Some facilities require a minimum number of days of sobriety from substance abuse, but many will work with you to determine if you’re a good fit. Diamond House Detox is committed to evidence-based treatment that helps people going through addiction find their way to sobriety.