Are Halfway Houses Safe?
Halfway house is an umbrella term for sober living homes, transitional living homes, or recovery homes. Halfway houses are facilities for people coming out of a prison or jail with drug abuse or addiction issues to relearn the necessary skills to reintegrate back into society. These homes are normally safe and drug-free homes and help to provide additional support after initial treatment.
What is Halfway House?
The term halfway house has been stigmatized by those outside the world who aren’t aware of what these facilities are used for. Halfway houses are generally seen as places where people being released from prison or jail finish their sentences. This is not what these homes are for. Halfway houses can facilitate other people that aren’t necessarily coming out of incarceration. Sometimes a person may be court-ordered to attend a halfway house. Halfway houses are state-funded so that they can have a variety of people in them.
Like sober living homes, halfway houses are committed to providing a safe and drug-free environment for all residents. These homes help people safely transition from treatment within a prison or jail or regular inpatient or outpatient treatment back into society. Halfway houses can protect those new in recovery from making bad decisions and from the triggers and temptations that are often unavoidable when someone comes out of treatment back into the real world.
More About Safety in Halfway Houses
The National Institute of Health Journal of psychoactive drugs “What Did We Learn from Our Study on Sober Living Houses and Where Do We Go from Here?” says:
A critically important aspect of one’s social network is their living environment. Recognition of the importance of one’s living environment led to a proliferation of inpatient and residential treatment programs during the 1960′ and ‘70s (White, 1998). The idea was to remove clients from destructive living environments that encouraged substance use and create new social support systems in treatment. Some programs created halfway houses where clients could reside after they completed residential treatment or attended outpatient treatment. A variety of studies showed that halfway houses improved treatment outcomes (Braucht, Reichardt, Geissler, & Bormann, 1995; Hitchcock, Stainback, & Roque, 1995; Milby, Schumacher Freedman & Vuchinich 2005; Schinka, Francis, Hughes, LaLone & Flynn, 1998). (NIH)
Since most halfway houses are state-funded, typically, state laws have been put into place to protect people that either choose or are sent to a halfway house for long-term recovery. These laws prevent negative behaviors and exploitation or other concerns that have come up in the past.
Tips You Can Use to Protect Yourself When Entering Halfway Houses
Before choosing a halfway house that is best suited for you, there are some tips that you can use to protect yourself and make sure you are entering into a safe facility.
- Research the halfway house online and in-person
- Ask about the facilities licensure
- Ask about their drug and alcohol program licensure
- Do not bring any weapons or anything of value with you
- Stay focused on your goals while in the home
- Establish a good support system by finding a friend or mentor
- Become familiar with the community the house is in
- Become familiar with public transportation
- Maintain a daily structure and routine
Choosing to continue treatment in a halfway house gives those in recovery a much better chance of achieving long-term sobriety. In addition, halfway houses have helped many people safely reintegrate themselves back into society as sober and normal functioning people.
Halfway House for Addiction And Alcoholism at New You Sober Living
A new day, a new life, a new you! New You Sober Living is a premier, co-ed sober living facility that treats everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. We help men and women in recovery succeed and prosper. New You will help get you on the path to leading a successful long-term recovery. Our team of specialists is available 24/7 when you are ready! You are important, and you deserve a new life!