Sober Living Rules You Can Expect to Have

Sober homes are safe and structured environments that can allow recovering alcohol or drug addicted individuals to have a chance at staying clean and sober for good, and avoid relapse. The best way that a sober house maintains safety and comfort for all who attend is by setting sober living rules. Without the establishment of rules and regulations, these sober homes may not be as successful at helping individuals to learn the skills necessary to function daily without drugs or alcohol.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, all residents must abide by the rules, and abstain from alcohol and/or drugs. By house managers enforcing these rules, it helps to properly manage the house and keep it safe for everyone living in it.

What are the Basic Sober Living Rules that Residents Should Expect to Follow?

While some individuals may feel apprehensive about moving into a home with rules and regulations that must be followed, those that have lived in these sober homes understand the importance of setting rules and abiding by them. When rules are set and followed, the chances for those trying to sustain recovery are higher compared to those that receive no support of any kind, and find themselves back into their old habits.

Not all sober homes will have the same level of strictness, but most share the same concept of having sober living rules for residents to abide by, some which may include:

Many sober homes require tenants to attend support groups.

• Residents must attend a 12-step program or similar kind of program (depending the sober house requirements) while they live at the sober home.
• All individuals that come to live in sober homes are expected to pay their share of rent on time.
• All members must hold down a job or be seeking employment and be responsible for their own expenses such as food, clothing, personal items, and other.
• Sharing of duties in maintaining the house clean, cooking and any other duties that the house may have in place for residents need to be respected and followed.
• All members must abstain from alcohol and/or drugs. It is an important rule that must be followed in order to maintain recovery and move further ahead in life. Sober houses will perform tests to assure that residents are abiding by this rule.
• Time schedules and curfews must be respected and followed too. Many sober living homes expect residents to be in the home by a certain time, and also be up early and take care of their obligations throughout the day like all responsible adults should.
• Group activities: Many sober houses offer various group activities for members to participate and get to know one another. This helps in the support of each other’s recovery and it is an important part of building a strong sober community.

The rules listed here may not be the same in all sober homes, but basically these are the most common rules to be followed when you start living in one. Some homes may have much stricter rules, others may be more lenient depending on the rule broken. The best way to find out more on the specific rules of a sober house is to talk to the manager of a sober home you are interested in attending.

Another Rule of a Sober Home That May Vary

Rent is an important part of an individual’s responsibility when living in a sober home, as it commonly is in life for others. Some individuals may be students who work part-time or have parents that pay their rent, or older adults receiving supplemental security income from the government. If this is the type of arrangement you or a love one is expected to have, then discuss this with the sober house staff and find out what the sober house rules are for this type of situation.

Many houses expect members to be out and about during the day taking care of their responsibilities, like work or school. For those that are having their expenses covered in some other way other than employment, the house may still expect you to be a contributing member of the community and help by volunteering, or performing other services that can be attested to keeping an individual from going back to using alcohol or drugs.