Sober Living, is it not treatment?

Living in a safe, sober environment is so important— especially early sobriety! 

Not all Sober living environments are the same. Here are 2 main distinctions: Residential Treatment and Sober Living. These terms can be used incorrectly and it causes confusion for those searching for help. Adding to that confusion, within those distinctions are various levels of care and accountability. It’s important to understand the options in order to get the level of care that you or your loved one needs. The reality of who needs what level of care can be complicated and nuanced. 

Here is a general overview to help build your understanding of what's available.

Residential Treatment 

Residential treatment provides clinical services. This means there is either medical or psychological Doctors or a licensed therapist that oversees treatment, depending on the level of care. 

Detox

For some recovery candidates the first step will include detox. Residential Treatment Homes may provide detox services on site and will have a medical or psychological doctor licensed physician who can assess incoming residents and prescribe treatment. Licensed nurses or clinicians will carry out the doctor’s orders and provide 24/hr monitoring throughout detox.

Detox is critical for some people depending on the substance they are withdrawing from. Detox from alcohol can be the most critical due to the potential for fatal seizures. Detox can also be expensive (*$1500 +/- a day but is covered by many insurance companies.) Yes, there are county funded Detox facilities which are very helpful and are serving an “at risk” population. (the un-insured, un-house, etc.)

Residential Treatment options

Residential Treatment is often the next step after detox but could also be the first step for some. This is 24 hour therapeutic care that includes evidence based group sessions, one-on-one or group counseling sessions, workshops on the psycho-social aspects of addiction with topics like triggers and relapse prevention. Additionally, these highly structured Recovery Homes include practices that are proven to help recovery. You might see group sessions like mindfulness, meditation, breath work, nutrition, and yoga on the daily schedule. 

As you can imagine, living alongside people who are on the same journey towards healing can lead to deep connections. But most importantly, residential treatment facilitates self awareness.

Discovering what’s wrong within yourself is the beginning of healing. 

Gaining knowledge and tools for attending to yourself is empowering.

Many insurance companies will cover 30-60 days in residential treatment. This is especially good news because environments that provide this level of care are expensive ranging from $350 - $750 even up to $1600/day. Many treatment programs provide additional services for additional costs. 

These costs add up!

County funded treatment programs are out there doing good work too. The differences are usually found in the quality and location of the brick and mortar, as well as the population they serve. However, the care is often similar, attending to triggers, building community, and discovering important tools for sustained sobriety. 

Sober Living

There are several “Sober Livings” in the South Bay and Los Angeles basin.

Sober Living that Harbor Rock Recovery offers is more and more rare on the scene. 

We do not facilitate treatment but support those who have been through it! We can be a great next step for many. We  do not have clinicians on staff nor is there 24 hour clinical supervision, yet we do involve sober, faith filled volunteers to lead small groups, sponsor or mentor our residents and we have purpose driven “House Agreements” that all our residents affirm when they begin with us. 

Because we are a faith based organization our sober living agreement includes a house meeting where we will often open the Bible and connect the dots to a life in recovery. We also ask all our residents to attend a local worship service at any of the 20+ church partners in the neighborhood. We want them to have exposure to trusted faith communities. Churches that recognize the good work happening in the clinical, therapeutic— even 12 step model of care for the addict/alcoholic. 

We do random testing. If there is any violation to our House agreements, you will be asked to leave.

This is not always the case with other Sober Livings in the neighborhood. Over the years we’ve seen relapse policies look like fines. A resident would use, get caught and pay a $100 fine to the house… 

We think this is an unhealthy model for our specific work. 

Some places have permanent residents, meaning this is where they live with no plans of moving on. 

That may work for some people and some organizations. For Harbor Rock Recovery our hope and plan is for our resident guests to develop a life in sobriety,, establishing healthy recovery rhythms, regaining or establishing vocational viability and establishing, restoring life giving relationships,

HRR Faith based sober living helps to develop holistic life rhythms that support sobriety and lead to a vibrant faith experience. 

We have great stories to tell, people who have discovered new life, friends, faith and purpose. 
 

We can help you find the Residential Treatment Program or Sober Living environment that’s right for you. We’ll listen closely, learn what your needs are and help you discover the next right step. 

Contact us FREEDOM@Harborrockrecovery.org
 

There is a solution!