Perceptions of sober living houses among addiction counselors and mental health therapists: knowledge, views and perceived barriers.

Affordable alcohol- and drug-free housing that supports recovery is limited in many areas. Sober living houses (SLHs) offer a unique living environment that supports abstinence and maintenance of a recovery lifestyle. Previous studies show that SLH residents make improvements on alcohol, drug and other problems that are maintained at 18-month follow-up (Polcin et al. 2010). However, for SLHs to maximize their impact they must recognize how they are viewed by community stakeholders and successfully address barriers. This pilot study recruited a convenience sample of two stakeholder groups, certified alcohol and drug counselors (N = 85) and licensed mental health therapists (N = 49), to explore knowledge and views about SLHs using an online survey. Therapists and counselors had similar views about SLHs, although counselors had more direct experience with them and were more knowledgeable. Both groups were highly supportive of increasing the role of SLHs to address addiction problems in their communities. Those who were most supportive had more knowledge about SLHs, agreed that alcohol and drug problems were caused by a physical disease, and agreed that successful recovery required an abstinent living environment. Both groups identified a variety of barriers, particularly social stigma. Recommendations are made for knowledge dissemination and decreasing barriers.