As reported by Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, community psychologists have issued a statement in support of sober living homes.
The National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) teamed with the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) and issued a policy statement in support of the positive impact this level of care can have in long-term sobriety. It covered, in part, the notion that more funding be made available to grant access to recovery residences.
According to their website, NARR works toward creating, evaluating and improving recovery residence standards and quality measures. It also provides a uniform nomenclature for recovery residences, a forum for exchanging ideas, technical assistance, problem solving, training and public policy development. There are many state chapters of the association that work to oversee members in their local areas.
There are many cases where clients are finished with their initial residential treatment, but still would benefit from a monitored and structured environment where they can begin to transition back into a regular life while also continuing to receive guidance. There are different levels of recovery residences ranging from peer run to monitored, supervised and finally a service provider. The level of care, supervision and clinical services increase from levels one through four.
Sometimes it can be a difficult shift for clients to go from an inpatient program to regular outpatient services, if any at all. Recovery residences can help by providing long-term support while an individual regains his or her full stability.