What Recovery Housing Is
Peer-supported recovery housing offers a living environment where members share common goals of achieving long-term recovery and sobriety. The goal is to help people transition back into mainstream life after being released from a treatment program, prison, or from an addiction rehabilitation facility.
Georgia has no licensing regulations for recovery homes.
Recovery housing is not an addiction treatment program. People who enter recovery houses are considered to be in recovery already.
Recovery residences in Georgia do not provide medical detoxification services.
Sober living houses are not licensed by the state of Georgia.
However, there is no licensing requirement for recovery residences that are peer-supported only.
A recovery residence is not a clinical treatment program but a sober and supportive place to live where residents can develop new skills for independent living. People in recovery who want to continue working on their recovery goals after leaving an addiction treatment program sometimes choose to live in a recovery house, often called "sober living."
Recovery residences provide the opportunity to build new skills and relationships before returning home or moving on to other more independent housing.
Halfway houses in this sense are peer-supported housing that is not licensed by the state of Georgia.
These places are called by various names: sober living, halfway houses, and peer-supported transitional housing.
Recovery residences are peer-supported housing. That means they're places where residents help each other stay clean and sober.
These homes do not provide drug or alcohol treatment.
Recovery Housing Versus Clinical Treatment
Recovery housing differs from clinical treatment in that people do not receive medical or mental health care in recovery houses.
Non-clinical recovery residences are unlicensed, temporary living facilities for people recovering from addiction. Recovery residences do not offer medical care or formal treatment services.
Recovery housing can be a good next step after leaving an intensive residential program. It provides a safe place to live while you continue in outpatient treatment and other recovery activities.
In Georgia, recovery residences are not licensed by the state.
Sober living is not the same thing as drug rehab. Recovery housing gives former patients the opportunity to practice recovery and maintain abstinence.
Recovery houses are not licensed in Georgia.
A clinical stay is not the same as living in a recovery home. Inpatient and outpatient substance abuse clinics provide treatment, but recovery homes do not offer treatment.
Recovery housing is peer supported, not clinical residential care. The people who live there are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction, but they don't receive clinical treatment in recovery houses.
A recovery residence offers a place for sober living, but it does not offer clinical treatment. The goal of peer-supported housing is to help clients transition from a supervised residential setting into independent living.
Peer-supported housing sits apart from clinical residential treatment.
Recovery residences provide residents with safe housing and support while they make the transition back to living independently without alcohol or other drugs after leaving an addiction treatment program, prison, or other supervised care.
Written Rules Residents Agree To
Living without alcohol or other drugs can be difficult. The rules established by the sober living residence provide structure and support. These rules are agreed upon by the resident at move-in.
Residents agree to live without alcohol and other drugs. They also agree to participate in recovery activities and follow the house rules.
There is no state licensing required to operate a recovery residence in Georgia.
They are not alcohol treatment programs, nor do they provide detox services or other medical or counseling services.
Instead, recovery houses are temporary, peer-supported living environments that provide structure and support to help the resident transition back into society after treatment.
Recovery residences provide that type of social environment in which residents can share their experiences, strength, and hope with each other and learn to live more sober lives.
The main written expectation is living without alcohol and other drugs. These houses may have written rules to help residents live together peacefully.
Recovery residences are not licensed treatment programs or counseling centers. Residents do not get formal counseling or therapy at recovery houses.
They do not provide any medical services, including mental health care, and they are not psychiatric residential programs. They are a supportive place for people to live in a home-like setting without alcohol or other drugs while they continue their recovery from addiction.
Residents are encouraged to attend support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Who a Recovery Home Usually Fits
People who usually fit recovery housing include:
- Individuals released from prison
- Those on probation or parole
Residents often include individuals who were released from prison, those on parole or probation.
Sober living environments provide a safe environment for people recovering from addiction. It helps the person avoid the temptation to use substances while in recovery and provides support during this time.
A halfway house is a transitional home. It helps people make the transition back into mainstream society after they have completed inpatient or outpatient drug and alcohol rehab programs.
A peer-supported house usually fits people who:
- have recently left an alcohol or drug treatment program
- have been released from prison
- are on probation or parole
- want to live without alcohol or other drugs
Release from prison or a period on probation or parole may lead to recovery residences.
Recovery residences are peer-supported. The residents share their experiences to support each other and hold each other accountable.
In Georgia, there is no state licensing for recovery residences, which are not a clinical treatment program.
People in recovery homes work together as peers to help each other live without alcohol and other drugs. Peer support is an important part of recovery.
How Residents Cover Housing Costs
Senate Bill 4 addresses paid referral services, which are prohibited by law. It is unlawful to accept or offer compensation, directly or indirectly, for referrals, and it is also illegal to have a split-fee arrangement with anyone regarding such referrals.
Senate Bill 4 addresses paid referral fees and kickbacks. The law is silent as to how residents are expected to cover housing costs, which can be a source of confusion for consumers and providers alike.
Paid referral compensation for substance abuse treatment is now illegal, but sober living homes are different from licensed residential or outpatient addiction treatment centers because they do not provide formal substance use disorder treatment services.
While this law impacts the relationship between treatment providers and recovery residences, it does not affect how residents cover their housing costs.
Senate Bill 4, effective July 1, 2021, makes it illegal to pay or receive kickbacks for referring someone, but it does not set a rent level that residents can expect to pay.
That law does not say what amount a resident pays the recovery residence. The consumer page about recovery residences does not publish a statewide housing charge.
THOR Listings and Accreditation Names in Sources
GARR - Georgia Association of Recovery Residences
DCH - Department of Community Health
CARF - Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
JCAHO - Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare
The THOR directory lists sober living and other transitional housing facilities.
The THOR Directory includes the following accrediting organizations:
Georgia Association of Recovery Residences (GARR)
Department of Community Health (DCH)
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (JCAHO)
The state does not endorse any organization or facility listed in the directory.
The THOR directory lists recovery residences with accreditation from GARR, DCH, CARF, and JCAHO. GARR is the Georgia Association of Recovery Residences. DCH stands for the Department of Community Health. CARF is the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. JCAHO is the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare.
Inclusion means the state may approve placement of supervisees who live in Georgia.
A number of THOR listings have accreditation from more than one organization.
Other Recovery Supports Nearby
Outpatient counseling and peer support programs are common recovery supports for those who have completed residential or hospital-based treatment. These are often combined with an aftercare plan that outlines the goals of recovery and how to achieve them.
After residential treatment, continuing care can be crucial for helping people maintain their sobriety and prevent relapse. Continuing care is an ongoing process of monitoring and supporting people after they complete a treatment program. It includes activities like counseling and 12-step programs.
Continuing care, also called continuing services, refers to the services that an individual with a behavioral health disorder receives after discharge from residential treatment. Continuing care may include outpatient therapy, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, medication management, and other services.
Recovery homes in Georgia are generally private residences where a group of people live together while maintaining their sobriety.
Other recovery supports nearby often include 12-step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). These are peer-based mutual help groups that meet regularly to give and receive support.
SMART Recovery. This is a non-spiritual alternative to 12-step recovery support.
Georgia's recovery homes are safe, sober living facilities that offer people a comfortable place to live while in early recovery. The homes do not provide professional treatment, but they can help people learn about 12-step groups and support services.
In Georgia, clinical residential treatment is available in hospitals and inpatient rehab centers.
Outpatient counseling and peer support often continue after residential care. Outpatient services also include intensive outpatient programs (IOP) or partial hospitalization programs (PHP).
Recovery housing sits beside outpatient and peer support services.
When combined with counseling, peer recovery supports can help individuals achieve sustained recovery.
A recovery residence is housing in which people who are recovering from alcohol and other drug addiction live together with others who are also in early recovery. Residents in these residences do not have to be on the same path in their recovery or in similar stages of recovery. They all must, however, abstain from alcohol and other drugs.
In Georgia, people live in recovery residences for different reasons: after residential treatment, after prison, or while being supervised by the court system (probation or parole).