Why Do Sober Homes Have Shared Rooms?

According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, “A major challenge facing many individuals attempting to abstain from substances is finding a stable living environment that supports sustained recovery.” Sober living houses help many individuals who need this type of environment, and one of the ways they do so is by providing residents with shared accommodations.

Do All Sober Houses Have Shared Rooms?

Almost all sober houses require residents to have at least one roommate, if not more. However, some individuals can pay more for private rooms at certain homes. This depends on the management and whether or not private rooms are available. But for the most part, all sober houses have shared rooms, and most individuals are required to live with one or more roommates.

Why Do Sober Homes Have Shared Rooms?

Having a roommate makes it more difficult to take part in secretive or destructive behavior.

There are a number of reasons why it will be more common for you to have a roommate when living at a sober house. Most practically, it helps the facility cut down on costs, allowing managers to collect rent from more individuals and to have more hands working on the maintenance of the home. But this benefits the residents as well, as the costs of living in one of these homes decreases dramatically when the rooms are shared.

According to a study on sober homes from the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, rent in a Clean and Sober Transitional Living phase system is “$395 for a shared room and $495 for a private room and includes furniture and utilities.” Because residents must also buy their own food, find their own transportation, and provide for themselves in a number of ways, the lower rent can help many people afford the program who otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

This decision to have shared rooms also helps residents in other ways:

• It minimizes isolation, which can help decrease the potential for relapse. Many individuals begin to feel isolated and lonely when away from their families at a residential facility or sober house, and this can minimize the potential for the issues that can often follow.
• It maximizes accountability. Residents must be accountable for themselves and their actions; this is the only way they will truly begin to recover and cease the kinds of reckless behaviors they likely participated in during their substance abuse. If residents have roommates, they have someone they must answer to at all phases of their day and will be less able to participate in secretive or destructive behaviors.
• It promotes community. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Having relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope” is one of the major dimensions that supports recovery, and residents of a sober living home should create a community amongst themselves as well as having their loved ones participate in their recovery. This not only creates a smoother living situation for all residents but also improves recovery outcomes.

It is very common for these programs to require that residents share rooms. This option isn’t always necessary, but it does have many benefits. If you would like to learn more about sober houses, call 800-953-3913 (Who Answers?).