If you are looking for Sober Living in Orange County, California there are many places that offer fairly good/safe environments for post-treatment sober living. The important thing to remember when choosing a sober living is to keep your expectations low. Sober Living is not the same as residential, or even transitional, addiction treatment. Sober Living houses in Orange County are unlicensed and usually understaffed. Sometimes they are referred to as “halfway houses.” In the ideal world, sober living houses, or halfway houses, are meant for people who have completed residential addiction treatment successfully, but are not fully ready to live on their own. Sober Houses, or Sober Living, is generally cheaper because they do not do any addiction treatment, but only “babysit” the people living in the house. Sober Living Houses in Orange County are, for lack of a better word, adult babysitting houses. Sober living houses have rules and requirements, but that’s it.In contrast, Transitional Sober Living is usually done at a residential treatment facility and has all the babysitting benefits of a Sober Living, but also has some addiction treatment thrown in. For example, we call Transitional Living at NTS, Sober Living on Steroids. People in the Transitional Living Program have a case manager, sometimes a therapist, and must attend three of our Outpatient Groups per week. Transitional Living has more staff available on a regular basis because it draws from the more intense and expensive Residential Addiction Treatment Program.So, if you are considering a Sober Living House, possibly as a cheaper option, make sure you lower your expectations. A sober living house may sound like a good idea (a cheaper option), but often times they are just relapse homes for people in-between more intensive treatments.
Generally, if a person is not ready to live on his or her own after long-term residential treatment, then it usually means that they need more time in residential treatment. The goal of residential extended care treatment is always to help the alcoholic or addict transition back in to living on their own. Sober Living Houses tend to attract people who are not ready to get sober and actually need more intensive long-term residential addiction treatment.
Generally, if a person is not ready to live on his or her own after long-term residential treatment, then it usually means that they need more time in residential treatment. The goal of residential extended care treatment is always to help the alcoholic or addict transition back in to living on their own. Sober Living Houses tend to attract people who are not ready to get sober and actually need more intensive long-term residential addiction treatment.
Author
-
Paul Alexander is the CEO, President & Founder of Northbound Treatment Network in Newport Beach, California. He believes wholeheartedly in transformational leadership, organizational health and effective, fully integrated substance use disorder and mental health treatment. With over 27 years of experience in behavioral healthcare, Paul has extensive knowledge of “in vivo” treatment modalities, clinical development, operations, strategy, marketing and financial planning. He has been widely recognized for his development of collegiate-based residential treatment programs for students in recovery and authored a research study at The University of California confirming this modality’s effectiveness.
Paul’s comprehensive professional experience, willingness to innovate, and emphasis on organizational health are vital factors in Northbound’s continued success. Paul received his Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist training at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, and was awarded Outstanding Alumni Service Award in 2002. Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Law and Society, Summa Cum Laude, from University of California, Irvine, and a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. Paul currently serves on The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) board. In addition, he serves on The Family Recovery Foundation board and The CarePossible board in Orange County; both organizations are committed to raising funds for family recovery and treatment for former military personnel. Paul is in recovery himself and lives in Orange County with his wife Silvana and his two young sons, Noah and Dean.
