Sober living environment

Sober living environments (SLEs) grew out of a need to have safe and supportive place for people to live while they were in recovery. They are primarily meant to provide housing for people who have just come out of rehab (or recovery centers) and need a place to live that is structured and supporting for those in recovery. However, it is not necessary to come from rehab. Many places take in residents who come form a wide variety of backgrounds as long as they have the same desire to dedicate themselves to clean and sober living.

The SLE (sober living environment) movement began on the west coast of the United States and has spread around the country. SLEs provide much more than other transitional living environments. Many of them are structured around Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and sound recovery methodologies. Residents are often required to participate in recovery meetings, take drug tests and show demonstrably that they are taking important steps to long lasting recovery. Each individual SLE will have different requirements for the residents, but many will have these typical requirements:

1. No drugs or alcohol
2. Mandatory AA meeting attendance
3. Random drug tests
4. On-time bill payments
5. General acceptance by peer group at the SLE

Additional recommended knowledge

Daily Sensitivity Test

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Weighing the right way

Many people who have lived in SLEs find that their stay has been an important part of the recovery process. They provide the support and understanding that many people need to stay clean and sober.

SLEs are a relatively new phenomenon, so there are not many studies about their success rates. However, they are growing all over the country, so the amount on new options for people is a testament to their success.