Content
- State Certification for Sober Living Homes in Massachusetts is Optional – But There’s a Catch
- About Project NORTH
- Treatment and Recovery Pathways
- Supporting Recovery While Working with DCF
- Sober Living Home vs. Halfway House in Massachusetts
- Non-Clinical Pathways or Peer-Based Recovery Support
- The Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing
- » Certified Sober Homes
No matter what type of treatment you engage in or how you define recovery, everyone has a right to access substance use disorder treatment and support services free of discrimination. Stigma, racism, other historic injustices, and systems of oppression can make it difficult for people in recovery across identities to experience the quality of treatment and services they have a right to. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Sober living homes are private residences typically operated by individuals or an addiction treatment center. The government funds and administers the daily operations of a halfway house through its agencies. Are you a state agency, licensed provider, individual, or family looking for a MASH-certified sober home? Search our directory to find a list of all MASH-certified sober homes.
The reintroduction phase is less restrictive, and residents gradually take on more responsibilities. Consequently, residents may return to school or work obligations, run errands, have curfew extended, and ride the bus alone for essential activities. mash sober housing Also, residents must continue with therapy, support group meetings, and counseling. Residents use the skills learned during treatment to navigate this phase. Residents in a sober living program can live in the sober home for as long as they choose.
State Certification for Sober Living Homes in Massachusetts is Optional – But There’s a Catch
RIZE Massachusetts is an independent nonprofit foundation working to end the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts and reduce its devastating impact on people, communities, and our economy. Committee for Public Counsel Services provides legal representation to people who can’t afford an attorney.
- This project is supported by Grant No. 2020-AR-BX-0038 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
- Search our directory to find a list of all MASH-certified sober homes.
The sober house certification standards set by MASH can be found here. Everyone in recovery has the right to safe and livable housing in Massachusetts, whether you are looking to rent or own, or to live in certified sober housing. In any phase of recovery, housing is important in making a person feel safe and connected to their community. You have rights and protections through all stages of getting and keeping your housing.
About Project NORTH
People with opioid use disorder (OUD) must be able to get accurate and unbiased information about the effectiveness of different treatment pathways. Accurate information allows you to choose what’s right for you, which might change over time – and that’s okay. Your route to recovery might be made up of different services and supports from clinical and non-clinical pathways. Work, school, volunteering, and rehab treatment continue in the afternoon. During the day, the sober living home management encourages residents without a job to seek employment and pick on a new hobby or sport.
- Also, residents must continue with therapy, support group meetings, and counseling.
- Instead, they provide their occupants with a safe and supportive community, all working to prevent a relapse.
- Most Massachusetts sober living homes place restrictions on new residents.
- Medical management might be needed because the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines can be dangerous and even deadly.
- Recovery high schools are public high schools for youth ages that provide educational environments to support youth recovering from SUD.
Most Massachusetts sober living houses encourage their residents to practice new healthy habits such as meditation, exercising, or volunteering in the community. Some facilities provide job resources and training to promote residents’ independence. Residents who replace old habits with the resources, guidelines, and activities provided by the sober home broaden the likelihood of maintaining their sobriety while in a Massachusetts sober living home.
Treatment and Recovery Pathways
It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Please enlist the help of a trusted lawyer or public counsel for accurate legal advice should you need it. Recovery high schools are public high schools for youth ages that provide educational environments to support youth recovering from SUD.

All MASH-certified sober homes follow the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) standards and have been independently inspected. Seeking treatment while balancing family, especially a new or growing family, can feel hard but there are resources available to help you. If you are pregnant and are looking for treatment options, the MA Substance Use Helpline can point you in the right direction. Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is effective and safe during pregnancy. Treatment with MOUD during pregnancy improves both the health and safety of the birthing person and of the fetus. It is important to know that withdrawal management alone without additional supports can be difficult and may not work for everyone.
Transitional housing provides temporary and affordable drug and alcohol-free living accommodations for homeless persons in recovery. Transitional housing provides supportive housing aimed at helping its residents transition successfully from homelessness to self-sufficient living while maintaining their sobriety. During their stay in transitional housing, the residents can expect support through education, life skill training, house meetings, and counseling sessions. As you navigate treatment and recovery, you have rights and protections with your health care and health insurance.
- You don’t have to get certified to open a sober living home in Massachusetts.
- These centers focus on recovery and offer drop-in services, peer- and 12-step-based support, and other recovery services.
- However, most staff members in a halfway house have some formal training in providing support to persons in recovery.
- Residents who replace old habits with the resources, guidelines, and activities provided by the sober home broaden the likelihood of maintaining their sobriety while in a Massachusetts sober living home.
Some halfway houses may conduct random drug testing for their residents to ensure they are always sober, while others provide mental health services to their residents. Sober housing provides substance-free accommodation for persons recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. It provides safe housing for individuals to transit from an inpatient treatment program to independent living. The rule for staying in a sober living home is simple – residents must maintain their sobriety and keep to the house rules. Residents in a sober housing facility can expect the facility to support their sobriety by encouraging house members to attend house meetings, counseling, therapy, and 12-step meetings.
Sober Living Home vs. Halfway House in Massachusetts
They serve 30 to 50 students per school and are supported by the state, local school districts, and educational collaboratives. Students receive support for their recovery within an academic setting consistent with Massachusetts State Standards. Students with a diagnosed SUD can choose to attend a recovery high school. This project is supported by Grant No. 2020-AR-BX-0038 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. To improve your search results use quotation marks when searching for a specific phrase.
Instead, they provide their occupants with a safe and supportive community, all working to prevent a relapse. Massachusetts sober living homes refer to any substance-free, structured group living arrangement for persons recovering from addiction. Sober living houses in Massachusetts serve as a bridge between residential treatment and independent living. They provide the next level of care after a detox or substance abuse treatment program. Massachusetts sober living homes are not rehabilitation treatment centers and therefore do not provide medical or clinical assistance to their residents.
Types of Massachusetts Sober Living Homes (Levels of Support)
It is a feeling.” Our certified sober homes take pride in offering a home-like environment that supports recovery. Certified sober homes have comfortable spaces for living, sleeping, and engaging with peers, all of which make them valuable and safe spaces for recovery. While the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) in Massachusetts is responsible for certifying all addiction treatment programs in the state, it does not certify sober living homes.

In 2011, the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) established national standards for sober houses. NARR began to affiliate with state-level organizations to promote evidence-based standards for sober houses and other residential recovery programs and centers. MASH affiliated with NARR and helps promote these standards at sober houses across Massachusetts. Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), Office-Based Opioid Treatment Programs (OBOTs), and bridge programs provide MOUD and offer other counseling and support services.
