Rules of a Sober Living Environment

Because the purpose of sober living environments is to provide an environment for residents to move forward with their recovery program, they all have established and rigid rules regarding expectations and behavior of everyone on-site. There is no tolerance for violating the rules and regulations, and doing so will most likely result in dismissal. The exception to this may be if the resident has relapsed, then he or she may be referred to formal, inpatient treatment.
While rules may vary, most sober living environments share some basic rules. These include:

• Intolerance for drugs, alcohol, and mood altering substances. The list of substances that fall in this category is extensive, and it is the responsibility of the resident to know what is on it.
• On time payment of rent
• Contributing to the maintenance and upkeep of the facility
• Having guests on premises without permission of the house manager
• Regular attendance at 12 Step meetings
• Having a sponsor
• Being gainfully employed or seeking employment, or being enrolled in a formal academic or training program
• Meeting curfew requirements
• No sexual activity among residents, whether in a co-ed or single gender environment
• No harassing of other residents
• No vandalizing others property, or that of the house
• No stealing
• No interfering with the recovery process or program of other residents

There may be other rules, depending on the demands of any given sober residence. While the rules may seem obvious, it must be remembered that addicts and alcoholics at some point have probably violated several of them, and it is important that rules be spelled out so there are no misunderstandings or confusion about expectations. Developing personal discipline is an important part of recovery programs, and while sober living homes are not treatment facilities, they can expect and create an environment in which the development of self-discipline has a chance to take hold.