When it comes to addiction recovery, aftercare planning is an extremely important part of the overall recovery process. One of the most important components of aftercare is sober living. Once an individual completes inpatient treatment, he or she will transfer directly to a sober living home (in most cases). Halfway houses were initially developed so that a previous inmate could transition from prison back into fully independent living with some extra accountability in place. Halfway houses eventually made the transition to sober living homes, where men and women new to addiction recovery could live amongst like-minded individuals with some additional sober-oriented support in place.

What is a Halfway House or a Sober Living Home?

Sober living homes help residents maintain accountability as they continue to progress in their recovery. In most cases, residents will continue at a lower level of clinical care while they are living in a sober house, such as inpatient treatment or outpatient treatment programs. Support staff members will live in the residence so that they are available around the clock for support, encouragement, and guidance. When it comes to reputable and legitimate halfway houses, there will always be a set of strictly enforced rules and guidelines in place. At Riverbend Residence, we have carefully developed a set of guidelines designed to bolster resident accountability while helping to set a solid and lasting foundation for long-term recovery.

What Are the Most Common Halfway House Rules?

1. Residents will be asked to wake up at a certain time every morning, and a nighttime curfew will be strictly enforced. Group meetings will be held in the early morning, where residents will have the opportunity to discuss any issues that may have arisen the day beforehand. Residents will also be expected to return home by a certain time every evening unless they have a viable excuse – like work.
2. Residents will be asked to keep personal space and common spaces clean. At Riverbend Residence, we write out weekly chore lists so that each resident knows exactly what chores he or she is responsible for. These chores will never be over-the-top or unreasonable, and they are designed to teach residents how to clean up after themselves while respecting the space of others.
3. Residents will be required to participate in daily 12 step meetings. They will be asked to get a sponsor and begin working through the 12 steps as soon as possible.
4. There are no members of the opposite sex allowed in the residence, other than family members with staff member approval.
5. Of course, residents will be required to stay sober.
6. Residents will need to actively look for a job, and work full or part-time as soon as they do find work. Residents may also have the opportunity to return to school full-time or engage in daily or near-daily volunteer work, depending on personal needs and circumstances.
7. Residents will need to check in with support staff before doing anything other than going to work or school or attending a 12 step meeting.
8. Residents will be asked to participate in drug testing if there is any suspicion that they have been using mood or mind-altering chemical substances of any kind.

Find Sober Living Near Me

At Riverbend Residence, the rules and guidelines that we strictly enforce were developed with the well-being of our residents in mind because halfway houses are crucial in the transition from treatment back into real life without any accountability. If a resident has an issue keeping up with the guidelines, consequences will be enforced. All of our residents must follow the rules and treat other house members with respect. If it is found that the level of personal freedom is too much for anyone resident to handle, he or she will be moved back into a higher level of clinical care. To learn more about Riverbend Residence, New Jersey’s premier sober living home, simply give us a call today at (844) 505-3447 to learn more. We look forward to speaking with you soon, and we are happy to set up a time for an in-person house tour.