 |
 |
If you feel like you need help to maintain your sobriety, call Recovery Connection now at 1-800-993-3869 and speak with a coordinator. All calls are free, confidential and our helpline is open 24/7.
Halfway houses are also referred to as recovery houses, recovery residences, or sober living homes. No matter what you call them, the goal is to provide recovering addicts and alcoholics with a safe and clean environment that requires minimal time and stress to maintain occupancy. While the addict or alcoholic works to maintain long-term recovery, halfway houses can bridge the gap from a drug or alcohol treatment facility back into a daily living routine. Getting sober and staying clean for the long-term are two different things.
A halfway house can be a vital part of a comprehensive recovery plan. All too often, alcoholics and addicts are treated and discharged from rehab only to wind up back with “old friends” in environments that easily trigger old behaviors. Such temptations are powerful and overwhelming, often resulting in relapse.
Spending a few months in a halfway house with other addicts and alcoholics while working to stay clean and sober can give the recovering addict the strength he or she needs to face life anew. It gives the addict or alcoholic time to forge new and healthy friendships and work relationships that are void of drugs and alcohol and boundary issues. In a quality sober living home or halfway house, one continues to build new habits and strengthen life skills learned in rehab with the goal of returning to a fulfilling and productive life.
Unfortunately, many states do not regulate or license halfway houses. Our focus here is on quality halfway houses and what they offer the recovering addict or alcoholic. When seeking a room at a sober living home, the addict or alcoholic is advised to find a facility that has clearly articulated rules, regular supervision and structured onsite meetings, and provides counseling, job coaching, transportation to 12 Step meetings, random drug testing, and more.
Spending a few months or longer in a quality halfway house allows the drug addict or alcoholic time to continue working on stabilizing his or her recovery in a safe environment with supportive people. The ability to live life on a daily basis without drugs or alcohol may seem daunting, but quality sober living homes are designed to help the addict put into practice the principles and tools learned in rehab. The halfway house environment can be a building block placed upon the foundation laid in rehab.
Because sobriety for everyone in a halfway house is new, structure is important. But, every halfway house is different. Those halfway houses that require daily structure and routine are obviously better than those that are more relaxed. Halfway houses that utilize the 12 Step program are better designed to support those new to recovery. Think of a halfway house as a way to “test the waters” while easing back into a regular life pattern. The support and structure of a sober environment allows the newly recovering addict a cushion to fall back on.
The image of a halfway house sober living homes as a flophouse where addicts are just dumped and forgotten about located in a crime ridden part of town is typically not accurate. Today, halfway houses are an integral part of a comprehensive recovery program. Since the goal of sober living is to transition back into “real life”, many of today’s halfway houses are often located in vital neighborhoods. Part of an addiction treatment aftercare plan may require the recovering addict to find some form of work, volunteer opportunities or a school program. The halfway house provides the newly sober addict with a clean and sober house that will not overwhelm the recovering addict with intense financial or personal obligations during this transitional period.
Many times, even after inpatient drug or alcohol rehab has been successfully completed, extra time and support are needed to step back into the daily routine of life. The statistics say a large percent of addicts who go through inpatient detox and rehab without a solid aftercare plan will relapse back into addiction.
Support for recovery in a proven halfway house or sober living home can change the odds from going into relapse to maintaining a stable recovery. Recovery houses provide an extra helping hand needed by many. It frees them from the grip of drugs or alcohol, while providing a sober living environment that enables the addict to put the principles of a sober life into action.
The programs at halfway houses vary, but in any credible sober living environment, the addict or alcoholic should expect to follow certain rules and residency guidelines. Each house determines what is expected of its tenants in order to create a structured and disciplined environment conducive to the safety, recovery, and healing of all of its residents.
Such guidelines may include:
In addition to the above, most halfway houses expect residents to return to work or school, as soon as it is reasonably possible. If a tenant at a halfway house relapses and begins using again, he or she may be referred to a drug detox program, an inpatient or residential addiction treatment program, or an outpatient addiction treatment program. Typically, the resident who relapsed will be asked to immediately leave the house.
Halfway houses do collect rent. Usually, a security deposit is required, all or most of which is returned to the resident when he or she completes his or her stay, minus the costs to repair any damages
 |
1-800-993-3869 |  |
 |
