Sober Living Homes in New Hampshire

What is a sober living home and how is it different from rehab?

A sober living home in New Hampshire is a shared residence where everyone agrees to stay free of alcohol and drugs, and it is housing, not treatment. Residents pay rent, follow house rules and usually go out to work, school, meetings or outpatient care during the day, while rehab provides clinical care on site.

In New Hampshire, residential treatment and rehabilitation facilities are licensed by the state Department of Health and Human Services and provide care on site. A sober home is not that kind of facility. A recovery residence is also different from a correctional halfway house, which operates under a corrections or court arrangement.

Many people move into a sober home after residential treatment while continuing outpatient care or an intensive outpatient program. Certification for these homes is voluntary in New Hampshire, and agencies holding public contracts can send people only to homes that hold certification.

Rent is usually paid by the resident, weekly or monthly, and the state publishes no standard rate. Ask for every fee in writing, find out whether the house accepts residents taking buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone, and ask plainly what happens after a return to use.

Are sober living homes in New Hampshire certified or regulated?

Certification for sober living homes in New Hampshire is voluntary, through a recovery housing registration program run by NH DHHS. Under RSA 172-B:2, certification comes from a certifying body designated by the DHHS commissioner, using national standards from the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). State agencies and vendors with state or federally funded contracts may refer people only to certified recovery housing. The New Hampshire Coalition of Recovery Residences is NARR’s affiliate in the state. Ask a home which body issued its certification and when, then look the home up on the state’s certified recovery housing list before you sign anything.

NARR standards describe four levels of support, and the level tells you roughly what staffing to expect in the house.

How much does sober living cost in New Hampshire, and who pays?

Residents usually pay sober home rent themselves, weekly or monthly, and New Hampshire has no published state rate to compare against. Prices vary with location, level of support and whether utilities, meals or drug testing are included, so ask for every fee in writing. Public money for recovery housing does exist. The NH Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, guided by an advisory commission, can fund recovery housing projects for people who have, or are at risk for, an opioid use disorder. Drug court participants can also ask their program coordinator about housing options, since New Hampshire’s drug courts receive state matching funds through the superior court’s administrative office.

Health coverage questions are best put to the home and your plan directly, rather than assuming any rent is covered. Treatment itself may be paid for through Medicaid, which New Hampshire expanded in 2014. For help with treatment costs, see state-funded rehab in New Hampshire.

What should you ask before moving into a sober home?

The questions that matter most cover rules, money and what happens if things go wrong. Ask about house rules and curfews, how often drug testing happens and who pays for it, and how long residents usually stay. Ask about the refund policy and the discharge policy. Ask in plain terms what happens after a return to use: whether the house helps a resident reach care, holds the bed or asks the person to leave, and where someone discharged late at night would go.

Can you live in a sober home while taking medication for opioid use disorder?

Medication policies differ from house to house in New Hampshire. Some homes accept residents taking buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone and some do not, so ask before you apply and get the answer in writing, including how medication is stored. Use the medication-friendly filter, and see Suboxone clinics and methadone clinics in New Hampshire for prescribers near a home.

Safety and resident rights

Naloxone in the house is worth asking about, because tolerance drops after time without use and a return to use then carries a higher overdose risk. Since 2015, New Hampshire law has let pharmacists dispense naloxone under standing orders, and the state’s Good Samaritan law for overdose emergencies took effect the same year. Fair housing law generally protects people in recovery from housing discrimination. If a landlord or local rule seems to single out a recovery home or its residents, a fair housing organization or legal aid office can explain where to file a complaint.

How do you find a sober living home in New Hampshire?

Start with the filters on this page. If you also need treatment or a referral, call 211 to reach The Doorway, New Hampshire’s network of nine hospital-based access sites. Current sober living listings in the state sit in the Seacoast area around Madbury and Rochester, close to Dover. Each lies within 25 miles of the coast, a median of 14.9 miles away, and a median of 3.0 miles from a river, most often the Isinglass River. Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is the nearest airport, a median of 14.3 miles out, and elevations run from 140 to 230 feet.

Readers farther north, in the Lakes Region or the North Country, may need to widen the search. Browse men’s programs and women’s programs, the national sober living homes page, or every treatment listing in New Hampshire.