Sober living, also called recovery housing or a recovery residence, is a shared alcohol- and drug-free home for people in recovery. It’s a place to live, not treatment, so your loved one keeps up counseling or medication while there. It suits someone who no longer needs round-the-clock care but has no safe home to go back to.
SAMHSA counts “a stable and safe place to live” as one of the four major dimensions of recovery.1 Homes vary a lot in how well they’re run. Housing is one piece of the aftercare plan to build before discharge.
What is a sober living home?
Residents live together in early recovery, pay rent, follow house rules and support each other while they build stability and work toward independence.2 How much structure a home has depends on who runs it:
| Type of home | Who runs it | What daily life looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-run | The residents, by shared rules and house votes | House meetings, shared chores, everyone pays a share |
| Managed | An owner or a house manager | Staff enforce rules, curfews and drug testing |
| With support services | Staff that may include recovery coaches or case managers | Structured days, life-skills help, links to jobs and care |
| Program housing | A licensed treatment program | Housing while attending the program’s day treatment |
Many residents go to day treatment (PHP or IOP) at the same time.
Is sober living a good fit for my loved one?
These questions suggest a starting point; they don’t diagnose.
Is a recovery home the right next step?
InteractiveHas a clinician said they still need detox, residential or other round-the-clock care?
See possible outcomes
- Treatment comes first A recovery home doesn’t replace the care a clinician recommended. It may be the step after that care ends.
- Start with an assessment A clinician can say whether outpatient care plus a recovery home is enough, or whether more care is needed first.
- Home may work, with a plan Many people recover at home. Agree on house rules together and line up outpatient care before discharge.
- A house can't make them follow rules Ask the treatment team what else could work, and keep offering options without pushing.
- Ask about medication first Not every home accepts it, so make this the first thing you ask each one.
- Start checking homes Take the questions below on your calls and visits.
Does sober living actually help?
A well-run home can. A 2026 SAMHSA report notes that research links recovery housing to less substance use, a lower likelihood of relapse, lower incarceration rates, more employment and better family relationships. The same report names financing as a significant barrier to keeping homes open.3
How can we tell if a sober home is legitimate?
Don’t go on a website or a phone call alone. Ask whether the home is certified, by which organization and when. Some homes are certified by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), and SAMHSA’s 2026 report drew on NARR-certified homes.3 Your state substance use agency can tell you whether your state certifies or oversees recovery homes and how to check one.
Even a certified home is worth a visit. See the bedrooms and shared spaces, meet the house manager and, if you can, talk to a resident. Before anyone pays, get the house rules and resident agreement in writing.
- Free rent, travel or gifts if your loved one attends one particular treatment program
- Asking for your loved one’s insurance card to cover “housing”
- Frequent lab tests billed to insurance with no clear reason
- Pressure to move in today, or moving residents from program to program
Paying or receiving kickbacks for referrals to recovery homes, treatment facilities or labs is a federal crime when insurance or another health care benefit program covers the services.4 Read how recovery-home kickback schemes work before accepting an offer like these.
What rules should we expect?
Most homes have written rules on staying substance-free (usually with random testing), curfews, chores, house meetings, rent, guests, and going to treatment or work.
The one to pin down is what happens after a return to use. Some homes ask the resident to leave right away; others meet with the resident and their counselor first. Find out before move-in, and agree with your loved one on where they’d go and who they’d call if they had to leave.
Will a sober home accept medication for opioid use disorder?
It depends on the home. Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are the three medications approved in the U.S. to treat opioid use disorder.5 Ask about these and any mental health medication, and get the answer in writing. If a home won’t accept a medication that’s working, find a different home rather than stopping it; any change belongs with the prescriber.
Tolerance drops after time without opioids, and going back to old amounts carries a high risk of overdose,6 so keep naloxone at home.
How much does sober living cost, and who pays?
Costs vary widely by area and by how much support a home offers. Ask for a written list of rent, deposits, drug-testing and service fees, what’s refundable, and what’s included, such as food and utilities.
Usually the resident or family pays, but there is some help. In September 2025, SAMHSA awarded more than $45 million in one-year supplemental funding to State Opioid Response grantees for recovery housing for young adults with opioid or stimulant use disorders,2 described in the earlier announcement as ages 18 to 24.7 Ask your state substance use agency what’s available now.
Calling 211 connects you to local housing resources, including halfway houses, and SAMHSA’s housing page points to open spots in Oxford House homes.8 SAMHSA also lists help with needs like housing as a sign of quality treatment, so ask the treatment program what it offers.9 The free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) can refer you to local options.10
What rights does my loved one have as a resident?
The Fair Housing Act bars landlords and others in the housing process from treating people unfairly because of a disability, which, according to SAMHSA, includes mental health and alcohol issues and past drug use; SAMHSA’s housing page explains how to file a complaint.8 Day to day, the resident agreement sets the rules, so read it together before your loved one signs.
Questions to take on calls and visits
Start before discharge: ask the treatment team where they’d recommend your loved one live, and why. Shortlist two or three homes and visit them together, since your loved one’s buy-in matters.
Questions to ask a sober living home
- Standards
- Rules
- Medication
- Money
Frequently asked questions
Is a halfway house the same as sober living?
Not always. Sober home, recovery residence and halfway house are used loosely, so the label tells you little. Ask what the home actually provides and who runs it.
How long do people stay in sober living?
There’s no standard length. Ask whether the home has a maximum stay, and talk with your loved one and their counselor about signs they’re ready to move on, like steady work, regular treatment and a safe place to go.
What if they get kicked out of a sober home?
Move quickly to keep them connected to care: call their counselor or prescriber and help them find a safe place to sleep. A return to use means the plan needs adjusting, not abandoning. Read what to do after a relapse.
Sources
- SAMHSA — About Recovery (updated November 2024). samhsa.gov/substance-use/recovery/about — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — SAMHSA Awards More Than $45M in Supplemental Funding to Support Young Adult Sober Housing Services (September 23, 2025). samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20250923/samhsa-awards-more-th… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Recovery Housing: Funding Sources and Financial Sustainability – Insights from NARR-Certified Recovery Residences (2026). samhsa.gov/resource/recovery/recovery-housing-funding-sources-financia… — accessed Oct 2026
- 18 U.S.C. § 220 — Illegal remunerations for referrals to recovery homes, clinical treatment facilities, and laboratories (Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, 2018). uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=%28title%3A18+section%3A220+edition%3A… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Treatment Types for Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol (last updated 2023). samhsa.gov/find-support/learn-about-treatment/types-of-treatment — accessed Oct 2026
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Whole Health Library — Substance Use Disorders (clinician overview). va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/Substance-Use-Disorders.pdf — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — SAMHSA Announces $43M in Supplemental Funding to Support Youth Recovery Housing Services (August 25, 2025). samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20250825/samhsa-announces-43m-… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Find Support for Housing (updated 2024). samhsa.gov/find-support/heath-care-or-support/housing — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Quality Treatment for Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol (last updated 2023). samhsa.gov/find-support/learn-about-treatment/finding-quality-treatmen… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — National Helpline. samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline — accessed Oct 2026