A recovery house is a residential housing facility for individuals in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction; it is a place for people in recovery to live in groups in a drug-free, supportive setting. While many residents of recovery houses may be attending outpatient rehabs during the day or may have recently graduated from an inpatient rehab program (such as a traditional 28 day program), recovery houses are not rehabs themselves.
Recovery houses provide supportive, safe places for individuals in recovery to live, but they do not provide therapeutic treatment for addiction.
What are the types of recovery houses?
There are several types of recovery house. Some are professionally staffed, meaning a paid house manager and/or other staff are present to monitor residents’ wellbeing, administer drug-tests, and perform administrative or other tasks on site. Other recovery houses are run by residents who self-govern and take turns acting as house manager; many peer-supported recovery houses like this are part of a well-known network called Oxford House. Most recovery houses are single-gender. Some professionally staffed recovery houses can be very luxurious and include perks like personal chefs and private recovery coaches. On the other end of the spectrum, some simply provide dorm-like amenities for a very affordable rate.
What are the benefits of living in a recovery house?
For some individuals, a recovery house can provide a safe, clean place to reintegrate into society and learn responsibility in early recovery, helping ease the transition from residential treatment back into a normal routine. Studies have found improved outcomes when people recovering from addiction live in abstinence-based recovery houses. While scholarship supports the positive effects of recovery houses for some individuals, many academics call for more research to be performed for better understanding.
Where can I find a recovery house in the DC Metro Region?
At New Paradigm Recovery in Fairfax County, Virginia, not all of our outpatient clients live in recovery houses. As with most things in recovery, we rarely support a one-size-fits-all solution. If you and the team supporting you in your recovery decide that a recovery house is a good idea for your course of treatment, you can check out ACTIVV Sober Living houses in Northern Virginia, The Palisades House in Washington, DC, and Loudon Serenity House in Leesburg, Virginia, among other qualified options nearby.
