One of the most critical aspects of setting up and running a sober living house is creating and enforcing rules. This is essential when it comes to protecting the safety and well-being of house residents and helping them stay sober and on track with their recovery.
While there is no single blueprint for creating sober living house rules that will work for every house, some general guidelines are in place for all residents to follow. We’ve created this guide to help you create rules that will help your sober living home thrive.
Keep Resident Safety in Mind
When creating rules for a sober living house, it is essential to keep the safety of residents in mind. Some things you should consider when drafting these rules include:
- Making sure that all residents have a key to the house and are aware of emergency exits
- Restricting access to alcohol and drugs
- Requiring that all guests be approved by the house manager
- Establishing quiet hours and guidelines for noise levels
- Creating a policy for guests staying overnight
- Requiring that all residents attend regular meetings
The rules for sober living house should be something you review with each resident before allowing them to move into the house to continue their treatment there. Without confirming they are aware of the rules, it increases the chances that they will break them without knowing it.
Rules Should Be Reasonable
When creating and implementing rules for a sober living house, it is essential to ensure that they are reasonable and make sense.
What are the goals of the sober living house? If you’re unsure what goals you’re hoping to achieve, it can make it challenging to form the rules you need to implement in the home. It’s also essential that you consider the type of environment you’re trying to create.
Sober living is meant to provide continued structure to people that are looking for the continued support after treatment. Your atmosphere should be indicative of this type of atmosphere, and everything you do should promote it.
Don’t forget to consider the expectations you have for your residents and how you will intend to handle conflict that arises when you’re dealing with residents. Some other questions you might consider asking yourself include:
- What is our policy on drugs and alcohol?
- What are the expectations for residents?
- How will we handle conflict and discipline?
- How often will the rules be reviewed and updated?
Don’t Skip Out on Consequences
When individuals are struggling with addiction, it can be difficult to decide to seek help. Often, people don’t realize how their addiction is affecting those around them. Entering a sober living home can provide a much-needed support system for individuals in early recovery.
However, there are some potential consequences of drinking and drug use in a sober living home. First and foremost, it can be dangerous for other residents in the home. Additionally, it can be disruptive and create tension in the home. Finally, it can delay or interrupt the individual’s recovery process.
If anyone one in the house breaks one sober living regulations you have to hold them to the consequences. If you don’t that’s letting other residents know that they can do the same things and get away with it.
Tweak the Rules Occasionally
Sober living house rules need to be tweaked and updated from time to time. This is necessary in order to reflect the changing needs of the people who live in the house and also to reflect the changing laws and regulations governing sober living houses.
Some things that may need to be updated periodically include the amount of rent you’re going to charge. If inflation in the area rises, it means you’re going to need to charge more to ensure the bills for the home are taken care of and that you can continue to provide services for the residents.
Another change that might need to be made is the way that chores will be divided between residents. This could mean things change based on the number of residents you have living in the home at that time.
Lastly, don’t forget to update the support section of your recovery house rules. Over time when you get more funding for your sober living house, it might mean you’re able to increase the number of services you offer to residents.
Zero Drug Tolerance
It is important to ensure people understand there is a zero tolerance for any drug or alcohol use in your sober living house. This is necessary to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone who lives there.
It is also important to remember that drug and alcohol abuse can lead to serious health problems and in some cases death.
This should be something you’ve clearly outlined in your rules for people to sign before they move into the home.
As they live there, you need to conduct routine drug testing and searches to ensure this rule isn’t broken. If it is, as mentioned earlier, you need to stick to the consequences you’ve outlined for people to follow.
Remember, sober living house rules and regulations is about the structure for all residents that live there.
Sober Living House Rules and How to Create Them
A sober living house is an excellent place for people in recovery to live and learn how to live a sober life. It can be a bit of a shock to the system when someone first moves into a sober living house, so it’s important that everyone who lives there follows some basic rules.
The most important sober living house rules is that sobriety must be respected at all times. This means no drinking, using drugs, or smoking cigarettes inside or outside of the house. Don’t forget to list your sober living house on Taste Recovery.
