What is a Sober Living Home?
Los Angeles’s recovery community is thriving in part due to the high quality of the city’s sober living homes. A sober residence is a house where people who are recovering from substance use disorders can live together. These homes are designed to provide a safe, supportive, and structured living environment to individuals who are undergoing one of the most challenging and important periods of their lives.
These facilities provide people with the tools and coping strategies they need to stay sober over the long term. Staff members guide the progress of each resident to ensure they are taking active steps toward personal recovery.
These residences offer people a chance to completely rebuild their lives. The sober communities that people develop while living in a sober home not only support long term sobriety, they also add joy and meaning to a person’s life. Most sober houses encourage residents to work toward important life goals, such as healing broken relationships, finding a new career, or going back to school.
When residents develop their lives, they not only put their new sober skills into practice, they build something that makes sobriety well worth the effort. Most people get sober not just because they want to stop doing drugs or drinking alcohol — they get sober because they want a better life. These homes work toward both goals.
What is Life in a Sober Residence Like?
Sober homes in Los Angeles vary widely, and the experience of living in one differs from location to location. Life in a sober home in general, however, tends to involve taking daily steps to strengthen one's sobriety. Another important aspect of living in a sober home is learning to live in a community setting.
Each sober house believes that the social skills fostered in a community living environment are conducive toward the goal of long term sobriety. They also operate on the philosophy that sobriety is best achieved by helping others get sober. With that in mind, most sober homes are highly organized. Residents follow a set of rules and are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and organization of the facility itself.
Most sober homes hold regular group meetings to ensure individual accountability and the cohesion of the group as a whole. 12-step based sober homes often encourage or require daily attendance of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Regular drug testing is also common.
All in all, however, the daily life of a sober resident is not very different from the life of a sober person. The houses are designed to be comfortable, safe, and trigger-free.
The vast majority of them have televisions, books, and even fitness equipment for recreation and self-development. Staff understand that people need time to relax, chat, and zone out sometimes they emphasize recovery and community, but in the end they are what they claim to be: homes.
What Services Do Sober Living Facilities Provide?
They help residents recover from substance use disorders using a variety of approaches. These methods have two goals: helping people stay sober, and helping them rebuild their lives. Common services found in Los Angeles sober living homes include:
- Regular assessments and evaluations
- Mental health services
- Money Management
- Employment Support
- One-on-One Mentoring
- Family Services
- Safe, comfortable sleeping areas
- Common areas for recreation
- Cable TV, WiFi, and workstations
- Regular drug testing
- Transportation to 12-step meetings, medical appointments, and outpatient treatment centers
- On-site laundry
- Group meetings
- Kitchen access
- Aftercare planning and support for graduates
Sober Living Homes in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is known for having a high quantity of sober houses run by dedicated staff. Even people living outside of Southern California frequently flock to the City of Angels to get sober. Los Angeles offers a number of advantages to people trying to stop using drugs and alcohol. Even among other major cities, Los Angeles is known for its thriving recovery community.
Thousands of 12-step meetings are available at all hours of the day within walking distance, or just a short drive away. Individuals who need outside help in the form of therapy, medical assistance, or outpatient treatment have countless options to choose from in the vicinity. However, recovery aside, Los Angeles is simply an attractive and pleasant place to be while going through major life changes.
Whether a sober residence is located on the outskirts of LA or in a vital city center, residents can be guaranteed access to beaches, gyms, college campuses, and the other multitudes of resources and attractions for which Los Angeles is known.
Types of Sober Living Homes
Structured Homes
Los Angeles is also home to the majority of the United States’ structured sober homes. Structured homes are distinct from other kinds of homes in that they offer far more scheduling and guidance for residents. Structured sober homes are designed to provide an evidence-based and effective program for staying sober. Many of them work to help residents develop a strong value system and a new way of living their lives. While all types of sober homes support residents’ efforts to get sober, structured sober homes up the ante in terms of their involvement in residents’ lives.
Single Sex Sober Living Homes
Men’s sober living homes and women’s sober living homes are common in Los Angeles. These homes operate on the principle that men and women tend to find it easier to get sober when they are not distracted by members of the opposite sex. Research supports the notion that there are significant gender differences in terms of how men and women approach substance abuse. Being able to live and work with residents of the same gender helps people be honest, feel more understood, and focus on their goals without distraction.
Pet-Friendly Sober Living Homes
Many sober homes in Los Angeles allow residents to bring their pets with them. Others simply have a house dog or cat. Having a pet in a has a number of benefits, from cultivating accountability to improving empathy skills. Ultimately, however, a pet’s major benefit is simple: people feel more at home around one.
Addiction Recovery in Sober Living Homes
At any of Los Angeles’ sober homes, it is of paramount importance that all residents continue to progress in their recovery journeys with every passing day. The vast majority of sober home staff believe that sobriety is an active process, not a passive one. Rather than approaching sobriety as a goal that can be achieved and then shrugged off, sober home residents understand that they must continue to push forward — while they live in their homes, and in the years that follow.
Managing a substance use disorder requires daily personal growth, self-reflection, connection to others, and a strong value system. Ultimately, most addiction experts view recovery in a positive light: it isn’t merely the absence of substance abuse, but the creation of a new way of life. In that sense, “recovery” is a privilege that individuals who treat their addictions are lucky to have.
Benefits of Sober Living Homes
Staying at a sober home has a number of benefits that affect both the strength of a person’s sobriety and their life as a whole. During the initial days of a sober home residence, most people are focused mainly on the arduous process of withdrawing from drugs and alcohol. Sober homes, however, are long-term commitments during which a person will continue to grow and develop. Over time, some of the many benefits that residents can expect to experience include:
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Better financial security
- Greater employment prospects
- Healthier relationships with friends and family
- Improved personal appearance
- Reduction in legal problems
- Guidance and support from sober mentors
- Improved life skills
- A sense of personal autonomy and independence
- An easier transition back to life in the “outside world”
- A strong sober social support system
- Lowered risk of relapse
A recent study on sober homes found that they foster strong social support networks, which is one of the most important aspects of long term sobriety. Individuals with strong sober relationships were found to have significantly lower chances of relapse even years after graduating from their sober homes.
Finding a Sober Living Near You
How Much Does Rent at a Sober Living Home Cost?
Sober homes are not free. After all, residents are not only paying for rent, they are paying for the recovery services provided at the facility. Different homes charge different prices, but the good news is that sober homes understand that addictions often make it difficult for people to pay.
This can involve paying in installments or working a job during one’s residency. The best way to determine if a sober home is within your price range is to reach out to the house staff and communicate your needs and situation.
Choosing a Sober Living in Los Angeles
Given the number of options in Los Angeles, it is important to choose a sober home that is right for you. Before choosing a home, it can be helpful to evaluate your current situation and needs. Factors to take into account include the severity of your addiction, what drugs you are addicted to, whether you suffer from comorbid mental health conditions, your financial situation, and your legal situation.
Being honest and open with sober living directors can help them determine to what extent they are capable of meeting all of your needs. A sober living home is a long-term commitment — make sure you are choosing one where residents are working toward a life that you yourself would want.
