ABOUT SOBER LIVING HOMES
Are sober living homes really effective? The results of a 2010 paper published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs suggest sober living environments can help recovering alcoholics and drug addicts maintain their sobriety. Over an 18-month period, researchers followed 245 residents with alcohol and/or drug abuse problems who were enrolled in the Clean and Sober Transitional Living Program in California. The residents were assessed for severity of substance abuse, legal problems, psychiatric problems, employment, and family problems at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months.
The results of the study showed that subjects in the sober living environment made significant improvements, with 42% of the subjects reporting abstinence from drugs and alcohol at 18 months, compared to 19% of subjects who reported being abstinent at the start of the study.
The study’s participants also showed improvement in other areas of their lives, such as employment and mental health. When researchers followed up with residents at the 6 and 18-month mark, they found the residents displayed fewer psychiatric problems and better job prospects. Arrest rates were lower as well.
It’s clear that residing at a sober living home can strengthen a person’s sobriety but also their commitment to sobriety. Professionals in the field of recovery see the benefits of sober living homes to be:
Sober living homes are a great option for someone who wants to slowly return to their community without the risks that come with facing familiar places and people associated with their addiction.
Sober living homes prevent boredom. It’s important that individuals stay busy because an active lifestyle will keep their minds away from thoughts of using.
Sober living homes provide needed discipline and structure. Residents must maintain absolute sobriety or face eviction. Rules such as household chores, 12 step meeting attendance, and nightly curfew force the recovering person to become self-disciplined, a skill many who are new to recovery lack.
Sober living homes prevent isolation. Sober living homes provide an individual with a community atmosphere, and built in support network of people with similar pasts who are working towards the same common goal of long term sobriety.