Sober Living vs. Halfway House: What’s the Difference?

Recovery and sober living homes are supportive environments that offer an ideal environment to heal from alcohol or drug addiction. They empower addicted individuals while providing the help and the care needed to complete a rehabilitation program. If you’re looking for a place to recover fully and your home isn’t supportive, a halfway house in Richmond VA, is where you need to be. 

Both sober living homes and halfway houses are easily interchanged because their functions overlap significantly. Both homes have the same goals: to help residents abstain from alcohol or drug abuse and forge a successful journey toward sobriety. However, the facilities have distinct differences in their function, regulations, formation, funding, and logistical aspects.

What is Sober Living?

As the title suggests, sober living is an establishment where you live within a supportive community to enable you to start and adapt to a life free from drugs or alcohol. People living in sober living homes pledge to restrain from substance use when they begin their recovery program.

Living in a sober environment promotes new actions that help you develop new habits and regimens. Achieving these goals is possible by considering what you learned during the recovery process and practicing it daily. It’s not easy, and this is where the rubber meets the road in addiction recovery.

Sober living can function as a support as you practice new skills to shape your new life in recovery. The best part is that you live among people facing the same challenges meaning your support network is a safe community. As a result, you live in a community that assists you in navigating your sobriety journey.

What is a Halfway House?

Halfway houses are often a link, an institution, and an independent society where residents come from inpatient treatment or correctional facilities. Like other recovery or sober-living houses, halfway house options reintroduce residents back into society when free from the pressures and provocations of the harmful home environment. 

They have measures to help keep residents abstinent by administering drug tests to keep track of their substance-free journey. Halfway houses can have additional services like mental health, educational or medical recovery to aid people in getting set up in their new lives.

How Sober Living Works

You’ll be spoilt for choice if you seek a sober-living home that suits your needs. Many institutions operate differently, and finding one that addresses all your needs is vital. Sober living is possible in two scenarios; it can happen when a person attends a treatment program or recovery community organization. Here are the four categories of sober-living homes:

Peer-Run

These are single-family homes where residents report to a house leader or organization. All residents undergo standard drug screenings and house meetings but don’t offer paid clinical positions in peer-run homes.

Monitored

Monitored homes can be like regular run single-family homes or apartments run by a senior resident or house manager. The difference is that monitored homes have a paid clinical position. Residents must undergo drug screenings and house meetings like peer-run groups and adhere to house rules.

Supervised

Supervised sober living homes vary in several ways; the facility is licensed and has an organizational hierarchy, policies, administrative oversight, and procedures. Residents receive emphasis on life skills development and clinical services outside the sober-living home. The staff is certified, and drug screenings are compulsory. 

Integrated

The services are offered in an institutional environment and are often developmental services for people completing a rehabilitation program. Residents receive clinical services in-house while strongly emphasizing the development of life skills. Staff must have credentials, and drug screening is necessary for all residents. 

The Rules and Regulations of Sober Living Homes

Remaining sober is the primary rule in sober living homes. Any resident who drinks or uses drugs while in sober living homes violates the most sacred rule and may be asked to vacate the home. Still, an open admission of a reoccurrence of use can earn the resident another opportunity to get sober. 

After the open admission, a resident can be suspended and then allowed to rejoin the home if they truly want to continue remaining sober and clean. 

These are the basic rules of sober living homes:

• Restrain from substance use- drug and alcohol
• Obey curfews
• Respect other residents and home staff
• Support others emotionally as they receive the same
• Be a team player in meetings and chores 
• Not invite overnight visitors
• Spend at least five nights each week in the home
• Meet some expenses while in the home
• Agree to impromptu drug screening and alcohol tests

Keeping a pet or cell phone depends on different sober living home regulations, as some will allow pets if they aren’t a diversion for residents. Cell phone use is mostly restricted, and internet access is limited or restricted because they can initiate a reoccurrence of use.

Halfway House Rules

The residents in halfway establishments can be court-mandated to live in these facilities by the court. Unlike in a sober living home, halfway house residents are not under constant professional treatment but can partake in outpatient treatment or support groups.

Halfway houses have strict abstinence rules to enforce a sober environment to support residents. Residents are expected to engage in rehabilitative plans and to meet all court-mandated directives like community service. Participating in house chores like cleaning or preparing meals is a must, as also attending daily support meetings. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Sober Living House

For you to recover from substance or alcohol abuse and remain sober, it’s important to find a stable facility with zero chances of sabotaging your sobriety. The establishment should appear and be drug-free to support long-term recovery. 

A destructive environment increases the chances of relapsing, explaining why you must select a facility with reliable staff, a productive environment, and a culture supporting soberness. 

Watch out for these red flags when searching for a potential sober living home:

• No house rules
• Lack of safety or privacy amenities
• Unsafe building
• Claims of offering free service or they pay residents to attend
• No regulatory inspections
• Untrained or unqualified staff
• No regular drug testing
• Doesn’t emphasize abstinence
• No admissions requirements
• They don’t keep records.
• The facility should be in a safe and peaceful area or near amenities like a grocery store, school, or healthcare provider.

You can avoid falling victim to untrustworthy facilities by visiting https://mcshin.org/get-help/recovery-programs/28-day-residential-program/ for top-grade services. The Mcshin Foundation has facilities that provide emotional and mental support to any resident who joins their home. They are sure that residents remain sober through community programs, clinical programs, and peer support recovery brings long-term recovery.

Name, Address, and Phone

Mcshin Foundation, 

2300 Dumbarton Road,

Richmond, VA 23228, 

804-249-1845

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