FAQ
What is sober living?
A sober living home is a shared, alcohol- and drug-free house for people in recovery. It's the bridge between treatment and fully independent life: you work, pay rent and run your own days, inside a structure, surrounded by people doing the same work.
The short version
Where sober living fits
Treatment helps you stop. Sober living helps you stay stopped. After detox or residential care, a lot of people go home to the same people, places and pressures that were part of the problem. A sober living home gives you a safe place to land instead.
At Get Clean San Diego that means curfews, random drug testing, chores, a 12-step program and a sponsor, applied the same way to everyone, in clean homes with people who have your back.
Detox
Medical care through withdrawal, usually a few days to a week or so. Provided by a licensed medical program.
Residential treatment
You live at a treatment facility and attend therapy most of the day. Provided by a licensed treatment program.
IOP
Clinical treatment several hours a day, a few days a week, while you live somewhere else. Provided by a licensed outpatient program.
Sober living
A shared, alcohol- and drug-free home with rules, accountability and peer support. Where you live during and after treatment. This is what we do.
Questions
Sober living, answered
A sober living home is a shared, alcohol- and drug-free house for people in recovery. It isn't treatment: there are no therapy sessions or medical staff on site. What it gives you is structure, accountability and a house full of people working the same program, so the habits you started in treatment have somewhere to take root.
Not quite. People often use the terms interchangeably, but a halfway house is usually tied to the justice system or a treatment program. A sober living home like ours is a private, voluntary residence: residents choose to live there, pay rent and agree to the house rules.
Sober living is where you live; an intensive outpatient program (IOP) is clinical treatment you attend during the day. Many people do both at once. See sober living with IOP.
Yes. The Parkhouse in Escondido is our female/female-identifying home. Our other four homes are for men. See women's sober living.
Adults who are serious about staying sober and want structure to do it. Many residents come to us straight from inpatient rehab or detox; others come because staying sober at home, around people who still drink or use, wasn't working. We have four men's homes and one home for women.
Every home is alcohol- and drug-free, with a curfew, random drug testing and a shared household routine, including daily chores. Residents take part in a 12-step program and work with a sponsor. You'll go over the full house agreement before you move in. See how our sober living works.
Not necessarily, but you do need to be sober when you arrive. If you're still drinking or using, or could have a dangerous withdrawal, start with detox or treatment first. Call us and we'll talk through where you are and point you to the right next step.
Yes, and we encourage it. Getting back to work, school or volunteering is part of building a routine, and our team helps residents with practical steps like finding a job and good local meetings.
We have five homes in North County San Diego. Men's homes: the Poolhouse in San Marcos, and the Skyhouse, Clubhouse and Ranchhouse in Escondido. Women's home: the Parkhouse in Escondido.
Yes. Call or request a tour and we'll set up a time to walk through a home and answer your questions. Families are welcome to tour too.
Ready to get clean and stay clean?
Call to ask about availability, or come see a house for yourself. Talking to us costs nothing and commits you to nothing.