-Your situation. Whether you’re a professional, single parent, college student, or anyone else, you’ll want to find a sober living that meets your needs. For example, a single parent might want to choose a sober living that will allow them to have their child stay with them, and a college student might opt for a college sponsored sober living.
-Reputation of the sober living is huge. Have they been in business for long? What has the experience been for other people who have lived there? Ask to talk to current residents and past residents if possible. If the facility will not allow you to talk to existing tenants than be wary.
-Location is an important thing to consider when choosing a sober living. If you don’t have reliable transportation you might want to consider living close to your job, favorite 12-step meeting, or outpatient treatment facility if you’re attending one. You’ll also want to consider if the sober living is located in a safe neighborhood.
-Considering the size of the sober living is important. If you’re a social person you might want to consider a larger sober living, and if you aren’t a social person you might want to consider a smaller, more private sober living.
-What are the staff and owners like? Do they have experience running a sober living? How long have they worked in the recovery field? Do they have any professional certifications, applicable degrees, or licenses that indicate they are knowledgeable in the areas of addiction treatment? All these are important questions to ask when selecting a sober living. There is very little regulation regarding sober livings and quality ranges drastically.
-What are the house rules? How often is drug testing? People serious about getting sober might choose a sober living that does random drug testing and tests when there has been suspicion of drug use. Are meetings required? If so, what kind of meetings are required and how often are they? A lot of sober livings choose to have a very structured schedule for their residence. The schedule usually involves wake up time, scheduled activities, daily meetings and a curfew.