Massachusetts Transitional Living For People In Sobriety

Massachusetts residents in early recovery from addiction may benefit from the structured and supportive living environment of a sober living home. Many sober living homes coordinate with nearby drug rehab centers to ensure a continuum of care after completing an inpatient rehab program.

Overcoming addiction to drugs and alcohol can be one of the greatest challenges a former addicted individual ever faces, and becoming sober is only half the battle. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), having stable housing can be of crucial importance to a person’s recovery process.

After completing an inpatient drug rehab program—the most effective type of substance abuse treatment—most doctors recommend that individuals continue their treatment on a step-down, outpatient basis.

Continuing substance abuse treatment, which may involve counseling and attending support groups, is intended to help prevent the cycle of relapse that often plagues people striving to conquer addiction.

One type of transitional care that can be helpful to prevent relapse after inpatient treatment and ensure safe, stable housing for individuals in early sobriety is sober living, or recovery housing.

Types of transitional living options for people in sobriety include:

  • Sober Living Homes
  • Recovery Housing
  • Supportive Housing
  • Halfway Homes
  • Therapeutic Communities

While there are different types of sober home options in Massachusetts, the general function of sober living environments is to provide a supportive and substance-free housing situation for individuals who are ready to reintegrate back into society after completing inpatient treatment.

Who Can Benefit From Sober Housing?

Sober living residences provide a supportive, structured living environment for people who are in early recovery from addiction. Unlike drug rehab centers, sober living homes are not treatment facilities.

However, they may offer benefits for certain populations following the completion of a formal treatment program.

Transitional living options for sober individuals may be most suitable for:

  • people who lack a supportive stable environment for long-term recovery
  • people overcoming severe, chronic addiction
  • people who have traveled out-of-state for inpatient treatment and wish to continue their treatment on an outpatient setting at a Massachusetts rehab center

Sober living houses are not suitable for people who are medically unstable or are actively struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. This may require a higher level of care in an inpatient or residential treatment program.

What To Expect In Sober Homes

Sober living homes are not treatment centers for people with addiction. Instead, these residences typically serve as a transitional form of care to help people in early sobriety reintegrate back into the community and resume or search for employment.

Sober living may or may not offer formal treatment services on the premises of the property. However, most sober living homes strongly encourage or require that residents attend community support groups—such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and 12-Step Groups—or attend outpatient treatment through a nearby addiction rehab center.

The types of support services and level of structure offered in a sober housing environment may vary according to the type of residence. When searching for sober living options, you may come across various terms, including: sober living, recovery homes, therapeutic communities, and halfway houses.

Sober Living/Recovery Homes

Sober living homes—also referred to as recovery homes—are structured living environments that emphasize recovery and continuing treatment on an outpatient basis. These residences are sometimes affiliated with or partnered with, nearby drug and alcohol treatment centers.

Recovery homes generally require that residents attend self-help groups and/or outpatient treatment at a nearby rehab center for continued care. Residents are also encouraged to access community resources and practice using supportive coping strategies in community settings.

Common requirements for residents in sober living homes include:

  • maintaining sobriety
  • completing assigned household chores
  • attending house meetings
  • seeking or resuming employment
  • adhering to house curfews
  • participating in social/community activities

Recovery homes often have supportive staff, including “house mothers”, onsite to provide behavioral support. Peer support services from individuals further along in their recovery may also be offered, in addition to personal coaching and employment assistance.

Therapeutic Communities

While similar to recovery homes, therapeutic communities are more intensive than a sober living environment and offer a range of treatment services onsite. This living option may be suitable for residents who require clinical oversight and greater support than may be offered in a standard sober living home.

Therapeutic communities are typically more short-term than other sober living options. These may have administrative staff, clinical providers, and licensed counselors onsite for easy access to emotional and behavioral support.

Types of services therapeutic communities may offer onsite:

  • intensive therapy
  • mutual support group meetings
  • life skills training
  • peer support services

After living in a therapeutic community, residents may transition into a sober living home or return home to continue attending treatment on an outpatient level.

Halfway Houses

Historically, halfway houses have been designated as residences for people released from prison to help formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate back into society.

However, in recent years, these homes have also housed people in recovery from addiction who can benefit from a sober living environment. Substance abuse and addiction are common struggles among people currently and formerly incarcerated.

Halfway houses are known to offer the following services:

  • financial management
  • job search assistance
  • transportation to place of work
  • skill-building through personal coaching

Halfway homes are often run by governmental agencies. Sober living programs and recovery housing, on the other hand, are often affiliated with alcohol and drug rehab centers, and are financially sustained by resident fees.

Substance abuse treatment services within halfway homes may be minimal or non-existent. Halfway homes tend to be more crowded and less personalized to meet the needs of individuals overcoming substance abuse and addiction.

These limitations may be an important factor to consider in the process of finding a sober living environment for yourself or a loved one.

Differences Between Residential Treatment And Sober Living

Although sober living homes offer a semblance of therapeutic care, they are not formal treatment programs. Recovery homes provide transitional housing that may be most suitable for people who have recently completed an inpatient or residential rehab program.

Differences between residential addiction treatment and sober living include:

  • Treatment Services: Sober living homes do not generally offer formal treatment services onsite. Residential treatment centers provide a range of treatment services geared towards addressing underlying causes of addiction, psychoeducation, medical stabilization, and medication management.
  • Setting: Sober living homes are not recognized as treatment facilities. They bear a greater resemblance to an actual home environment. Residential rehab for addiction refers to a type of highly structured treatment program offered within a drug and alcohol treatment facility.
  • Length of Stay: Residential treatment programs at a rehab center last anywhere from 30 to 180 days. Sober living homes may offer long-term residence for as long as a person can finance their stay and adhere to house rules.
  • Insurance Coverage: Most private rehab centers accept some form of insurance to help residents finance their stay in a residential treatment program. Sober living homes are expected to be financially independent in most states. This means they may rely on residents to pay their own rent and cover additional costs.

Sober living environments are transitional housing environments that can be suitable for people who have just completed an inpatient or short-term residential treatment program.

Unlike residential treatment programs, sober living homes focus on helping residents transition back into a normal routine and re-enter the community, while maintaining their sobriety.

Our New England Substance Abuse Treatment Center

If you or a loved one is searching for residential treatment in the greater New England area, Spring Hill Recovery Center may be right for you. Our treatment center offers a range of treatment programs for helping residents conquer addiction, including residential and intensive outpatient programs.

Spring Hill is located in a peaceful, wooded area of Ashby, Massachusetts. Our addiction treatment center partners with nearby sober living homes to connect newly sober individuals to a full continuum of care.

Coordinating with nearby sober living homes allows residents who have recently completed our residential rehab program to continue attending treatment at our rehab center on an outpatient level.

Treatment services at Spring Hill that may be suitable for sober living residents include:

  • individual counseling
  • behavioral therapy
  • dual diagnosis/mental health treatment
  • group therapy sessions
  • medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
  • aftercare services

Spring Hill offers a holistic treatment philosophy that recognizes the importance of healing the mind and body in early stages of sobriety. Healing from the devastating effects of addiction on the body and the mind can take time.

By attending treatment at our rehab center during the day, sober living residents can continue learning important life skills for a successful future in recovery.

Continue Your Sobriety Journey At Spring Hill Recovery Center

Spring Hill Recovery Center understands that recovering from drug and alcohol addiction is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re looking for a sober living home for yourself or a loved one and continued outpatient treatment, Spring Hill may be able to help.

Our accredited Massachusetts treatment facility is dedicated to supporting newly sober individuals throughout each stage of the treatment and recovery process, from detox and residential care, to aftercare and referral services.

Although we don’t operate as a sober living home, Spring Hill does coordinate with nearby sober residences in Massachusetts to continue providing supportive treatment services for people in early sobriety.

Our Ashby rehab center is located less than an hour from several towns and cities in Massachusetts.

We serve residents from all over the state of Massachusetts and greater New England, including:

For more information about Spring Hill’s addiction treatment programs and the Massachusetts sober living homes we partner with, contact Spring Hill today.

  1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)—Recovery Housing: Best Practices And Suggested Guidelines https://www.samhsa.gov/node/664942
  2. U.S. National Library of Medicine—What Did We Learn From Our Study on Sober Living Houses and Where Do We Go from Here? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21305907/

Written by Spring Hill Recovery Editorial Team

© 2024 Spring Hill Recovery | All Rights Reserved

* This page does not provide medical advice.

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