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To support the free and open dissemination of research findings and information on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. To encourage open access to peer-reviewed articles free for all to view.

For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

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Monday, October 6, 2008

A Clean and Sober Place to Live: Philosophy, Structure, and Purported Therapeutic Factors in Sober Living Houses

The call for evidence based practices (EBP’s) in addiction treatment is nearly universal. It is a noteworthy movement in the field because treatment innovations have not always been implemented in community programs. However, other types of community based services that may be essential to sustained recovery have received less attention.

This paper suggests sober living houses (SLH’s) are a good example of services that have been neglected in the addiction literature that might help individuals who need an alcohol and drug-free living environment to succeed in their recovery.

The paper begins with an overview of the history and philosophy of this modality and then describes our 5-year longitudinal study titled, “An Analysis of Sober Living Houses.” Particular attention is paid to the structure and philosophy of SLH’s and purported therapeutic factors.

The paper ends with presentation of baseline data describing the residents who enter SLH’s and 6-month outcomes on 130 residents.

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