In Oxford Houses, individuals who relapse cannot return until they complete a 28-day rehab program or complete treatment and demonstrate an ability to continually attend support group meetings. The ways that sober living houses work vary depending on the level of support provided. The National Alliance for Recovery Residences is one of the largest associations of sober living homes in the United States. It developed four levels of support that can be used to characterize most sober living homes.

Proven effective in reducing the chance of relapse, sober homes are a collaborative and supportive environment to transition back to everyday life. With many types of recovery residences located all over the country, you are bound to find the right one for you. Your sober living community will provide you with invaluable peer support and motivation to continue on your journey to a life free from addiction. All sober living homes have a zero-tolerance policy regarding the use of drugs or alcohol. Usually, residents have recently completed inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment for substance use addiction.

How Long Can You Stay in a Sober-Living House?

Instead, the providers billed Arizona’s Medicaid Program, or AHCCCS, for services they never provided — to the tune of millions of dollars with no limit. But many people still became homeless as facilities closed their doors with little notice or coordinated care for patients, according to advocates. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who took office in January 2023, blamed her Republican predecessor, Doug Ducey, for failing to relay the scale of the scheme that persisted for years under his leadership.

Sober Living Home & Oxford House Rules

Sober living homes are maintained through fees, and residents can usually stay as long as they want. Unlike many halfway houses, sober homes are not monitored by state agencies. There is no in-house treatment or requirement to attend a specific recovery program, but 12-step participation is popular in Oxford Houses.

Dozens of people died in Arizona sober living homes as state officials fumbled Medicaid fraud response

He said the group had tried to reach out to tribal communities to engage but the effort hadn’t borne much fruit. Fraudulent sober living homes were accused of billing the state for services that were never provided. In July 2022, AHCCCS publicly posted a proposal to set a reimbursement rate of $138 per claim for intensive outpatient addiction treatment.

Sober Living and Its Role in Recovery

If you or someone you know is considering a sober living house, HealingUS is here to guide you every step of the way. Remember, recovery is more than stopping substance use—it’s about building a thriving, fulfilling life. With the right support, a sober living house can be the first step toward a strong, independent future. Different types of sober living houses offer different levels of support.

• The clinics would often coordinate with unregulated sober living homes to house patients eligible for the program.
• Miller also said his group and their attorneys, including Rick Meadow of the Meadow Law Firm, had vetted providers who had their licenses suspended or pulled and weeded out the bad actors.
• Many sober homes encourage therapy, support groups, or 12-step meetings to keep the recovery going strong.
• The nonprofit group aids Native people and communities impacted by the fraud.
• And the way we went about doing this reporting was to look closely at records from the Office of the Medical Examiner in Maricopa County, which investigates deaths in a lot of cases that are believed to be accidental or homicide.

Is a New Mississippi Law Decreasing Jailings of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment? The State Doesn’t Know.

• The Oxford House Model provides community based, supportive, and sober living environment.
• The hearing detailed reports of human trafficking, kickbacks, rapes, house managers trading drugs to residents for sex, and operators exploiting federal laws for profit.
• Even as AHCCCS struggled to stop the schemes, it was clear the behavioral health care industry was aware of fraudulent billing, according to agency documents.
• Sober living houses have developed over time to provide safe, structured spaces that promote accountability and personal responsibility.
• At least 40 Native residents of Phoenix-area sober living homes and treatment facilities died between the spring of 2022 and summer of 2024, amid a Medicaid fraud crisis.

If you have recently completed treatment, the staff can usually provide referrals to local, trustworthy sober living homes. Our research team evaluated the 467 best treatment centers for sober living in North America. Sober Living is one of many treatment services available to support you in your recovery journey.

Today, most sober homes are unregulated, but some homes are part of larger organizations such as Oxford House, the Florida Association of Recovery Residences or the New Jersey Alliance of Recovery Residences. It includes building relationships, supporting others and practicing healthy ways to overcome triggers. Knowing that you’re living among other sober people can help you stay on the right path. You’ll feel safe, comfortable, and motivated to keep moving forward yourself. American Addiction Centers (AAC) offers sober living arrangements nationwide at Resolutions – Recovery Residences. Prices vary depending on location, living arrangements, and program offerings.

For women, sober living homes offer a safe space to heal and rebuild their lives free from addiction. All sober houses have a zero-tolerance policy regarding the use of drugs or alcohol. Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow Some recovery houses insist on random drug testing to ensure residents remain sober. Individuals who breach this are usually removed from the home immediately to protect the other residents. People who live in sober homes report that they are non-judgmental and safe spaces where they can focus on their continued recovery. As the others in the house are in the same situation, they can be authentic without having to explain their addiction or recovery needs.

Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response

Heredia then briefly blocked another attempt by AHCCCS’s billing experts to cap reimbursement rates, this time at $158, records obtained by ProPublica and AZCIR show. Meanwhile, Native Health and Native American Connections, two well-established providers in Phoenix, pressed authorities to do more. As Hobbs took office in January 2023, the organizations held a meeting with other community health centers, law enforcement, AHCCCS and state health officials to discuss human trafficking and Medicaid fraud. By the summer of 2022, Jeffrey Hustito was enrolled in Beyond4Wallz Health and Wellness.

Our admissions team is happy to provide more information about our treatment and recovery options. They may choose to live with other sober roommates, or they may return to their family. In simple terms, you’re living among other peers excited about their recovery. Without the structure of a daily schedule and accountability of others around you, it can be easy to fall back into old habits that are not productive for your sobriety. The staff at sober living homes are trained to help hold you accountable for your actions while living there. Hobbs said that the state’s response was broad, which included shutting down any providers suspected of fraud and finding the loopholes allowing them to operate.

Members of the sober living community support and motivate each other to avoid relapsing into past behaviors. Sober living homes are an effective resource for individuals who have completed treatment and are ready to begin their lives in recovery. They provide a balance of supervision and independence that allows people to transition back to work, school and daily life. Most residents find a job to pay out of pocket or set up a payment plan with the home. Some sober living homes are covered by private insurance, government funding or Medicaid. Some residents also pay for sober housing through scholarships, loans or credit cards.

Typically, the cost is about the same as living in a modest apartment or home. Amplifying the voices of Arizonans whose stories are unheard; shining a light on the relationships between people, power and policy; and holding public officials to account. In 2023, Mayes called the fraud a “stunning failure” of the government and said that their office would https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ work to address it adequately. Stewart still works to help the Indigenous people victimized by the scam in Arizona because it is still happening.