The Ultimate Guide to Sober Living in Santa Barbara Sober Living Homes
Nestled between the Santa Ynez mountains and the Pacific Ocean lies the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, known sometimes as “the American Riviera.” Its Mediterranean climate and idyllic beaches also make it a relaxing place to get sober. Santa Barbara has a population of 91,350 people, though the broader county contains approximately 423,895 people. In terms of demographics, the city of Santa Barbara is fairly homogeneous, with a 71% white ethnic makeup.
While the average household income of $71,657 is fairly high, 13% of the population lives under the poverty line. The city is located only a short distance from Isla Vista, Montecito, Mission Canyon, Hope Ranch, and Summerland. Santa Barbara is home to a variety of high education institutions, including UC Santa Barbara, Antioch University, and Santa Barbara City College. It is also a popular resort town, attracting visitors from all over the world who hope to relax and enjoy the sights.
Given its secluded natural beauty and proximity to universities containing high populations of young people, Santa Barbara is an ideal place to meet the needs of the sober community.
Unfortunately, Santa Barbara is not quite the paradise it appears to be on the surface, as the city is currently suffering from the effects of population-wide substance abuse problems. The opioid epidemic in particular has struck the city hard, with opioid-related deaths almost doubling California’s average. Opioids are more heavily prescribed in the area, which is a risk in and of itself, but also increases the rate at which people turn to more readily available alternatives like heroin.
In 2018 Santa Barbara reported 648 emergency room visits due to drug overdose, with 69 of those visits ending fatally. As elsewhere in the United States, other drugs like alcohol and crystal meth have also done considerable damage to the social infrastructure of the city.
Fortunately, Santa Barbara has a surplus of resources for people who are hoping to get sober, from rehabs to sober living homes.
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What is a Sober Living Home?
For people suffering from a substance use disorder, sober living homes, a type of recovery residence, can provide important and lasting help. People who enroll in Santa Barbara sober living homes agree to maintain their sobriety, agreeing to be regularly drug-tested. Residents have the advantage of living in a safe and supportive environment. Living in a Santa Barbara sober living home is a way to remove oneself from the triggers an individual might encounter in their familiar environments.
In Santa Barbara sober living home, residents can take the time to focus on developing the skills and tools they need for long term sobriety. Additionally, individuals obtain a social support system while living in a sober living house. It is common for Santa Barbara sober living homes to also offer resources that both lower chances of relapse and improve outcomes after graduation.
The goal of a sober living home isn’t just to keep residents from being intoxicated, but to help put them in a better position when they return to their lives. To that end, many sober livings help their residents find work, return to school, and repair relationships. In doing so, these sober living homes not only strengthen the sobriety of their residents but prepare them for the challenges they’ll face living their lives sober.
Many inpatient and outpatient treatment programs recommend sober living homes as part of an aftercare plan for maintaining sobriety. However, many people who are not necessarily affiliated with a treatment program choose to enroll in sober living homes as well.
For these individuals, structured sober living facilities, which are common in and around Santa Barbara, CA, can be particularly helpful. Structured sober living homes offer more regulated schedules and provide a more intense peer lead program of recovery.
Thriving Santa Barbara Sober Community
For anyone hoping to treat their substance use disorder, Santa Barbara is a welcome and supportive place to recover. Various 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) have a thriving presence in Santa Barbara and its surrounding neighborhoods. Every day, dozens of AA meetings take place from early morning to late at night.
At meetings for AA in Santa Barbara, anyone who wishes, no matter their stage of sobriety, can share stories, build relationships, receive support, and learn new coping strategies conducive to long term sobriety. 12-step meetings are entirely free of cost and widely accessible throughout the Santa Barbara. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs are limitless resources for anyone trying to achieve sobriety, including people who already have long term sobriety.
Santa Barbara also contains a wide variety of other self-help and support groups as well, from outpatient group therapy programs to 12-step alternatives like SMART Recovery.
Individuals who hope to get more intensive care for their addiction problems can turn to the wide variety of treatment centers in and around Santa Barbara. These include rehabs, and outpatient treatment centers. At one of Santa Barbara’s many treatment centers, people can obtain access to safe spaces, resources, and community support that will enable them to achieve long term sobriety.
Inpatient treatment centers and sober living homes offer maximum support, allowing individuals to take up full-time residency with other sober people. However, for those who need flexibility surrounding their duties at work, school, or in the family, outpatient programs offer flexibility. Outpatient treatment programs provide counseling, a social support network, and workshops to help individuals learn new skills and coping strategies.
While achieving sobriety is possible in any location, Santa Barbara is home to an enormous and supportive sober community as well as a wide variety of treatment centers to choose from. The city also has the additional advantage of being a secluded natural environment, removed from the hustle, bustle, and stress of urban life.
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Sober Living Network in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara and its surrounding areas are also home to a variety of recovery options for people who hope to get more intensive care for their substance abuse problems. Rehabs, halfway houses, and sober living homes provide individuals with safe spaces and resources that allow them to focus all of their energy on the process of getting sober.
Inpatient treatment centers and sober living homes allow addicts to take up full-time residency with other sober people who are working to develop a new way of living. Outpatient programs offer flexibility to individuals who have work, school, or family commitments that prevent them from committing to a residential program. These services allow people to receive counseling, build a sober social support network, and learn new coping techniques.
While it is possible to get sober anywhere, Santa Barbara has the unique advantage of having a wide variety of treatment centers to choose from — as well as being an agreeable and exciting neighborhood to get sober in.
Sober Fun in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara has a number of attractions for tourists and residents alike. You don’t have to be intoxicated to enjoy these activities. “Sober fun” might sound like an impossible contradiction in terms to someone who has just detoxed — or it might sound intimidating. However, for people who are making use of the many 12-step groups and treatment centers available in and around Santa Barbara, sober fun is not a pipe dream.
Having sober friends around can make an activity that was previously unimaginable without alcohol into an exciting and meaningful experience that you’ll actually be able to recall afterwards. Fun activities to do sober in Santa Barbara include:
Stearns Wharf – Visitors to Stearns Wharf enjoy breathtaking views of the harbor as well as a chance to rent a bicycle.
Santa Barbara Zoo –This zoo offers an incredible giraffe feeding stations, where anyone can enjoy the rare experience of providing nourishment to this lock-necked mammal.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art – Enjoy the museum’s permanent collection or check out one of their current rotating exhibits.
Whale Watching Tours – Join a cruise and see how many blues whales, gray whales, and humpback whales you can spot! These amazing beasts are plentiful around Santa Barbara.
Lotusland – This dramatic garden, located on the estate of flamboyant opera singer Madame Ganna Walska, is filled with a wide variety of cacti, spiky cycads, euphorbia, and agaves.
Santa Barbara Harbor – This harbor is a great place to watch wild seals or get a delicious seafood dinner.
Paseo Nuevo – This outdoor shopping center is a great place to walk around and do some people-watching even if you don’t end up purchasing anything at its many boutiques.
What to Consider When Choosing a Santa Barbara Sober Living Home for Men
At a Santa Barbara sober living home, individuals can take advantage of the seclusion provided to reintegrate into the world at a comfortable and unhurried pace. Studies have actually proven that those who remain in a recovery program longer are less likely to relapse down the road. People seeking sober living homes have a number of options to suit their unique situations in Santa Monica and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Some sober living homes even allow residents to bring their pets. Some of these pet-friendly sober living houses actually have in-house furry friends for residents to take accountability for. Co-ed sober living houses also exist for couples who prefer not to separate when enrolling. Most sober living homes, however, are single-sex, allowing residents to eliminate distractions so that sobriety can be the top priority.
When researching and selecting a sober living home, it is important to look out for a number of qualities. These include:
Finding a Sober Living Home Near Me
For individuals hoping to enroll in Santa Barbara sober living home, there are a number of resources available to use. Caseworkers at treatment programs can provide sober living home recommendations to recent graduates as they begin implementing an aftercare treatment plan. For people who are not affiliated with a treatment center, members of 12-step meetings can also often provide recommendations. Another resource that is readily available is the website of The Sober Living Network.
This organization makes sure sober living apartments and houses meet quality standards. Sober homes that are judged safe, well-managed, and ethical can become members of The Sober Living Coalition. To find more information about these approved facilities, you can take advantage of The Sober Living Network’s search tool.
Design for Recovery Santa Barbara Sober Living
Design for Recovery is unique among other Santa Barbara area sober living homes because it is not only rooted in the 12 Steps of Recovery, but it offers residents a highly structured program centered on principles of accountability, integrity, honesty, responsibility, and service. Individuals who have found themselves floundering and repeatedly relapsing can discover lasting sobriety at Design for Recovery. Only a short drive from Santa Barbara, Design for Recovery is known as one of the top sober living homes in Southern California.
Design for Recovery is committed to the idea that recovery from drug addiction is about more than just physical abstinence from drugs and alcohol. The process of recovery involves dealing with the underlying issues that drive a person to substance abuse as well as developing the tools and coping techniques required for long term success in life outside of a treatment center.
Design for Recovery offers a number of services to aid people along their paths to recovery. These include:
- One-on-One Mentoring
- Unity House Meetings
- Medication Monitoring
- Employment Support
- Money Management
- Family Outreach
The managers of Design for Recovery possess a wealth of experience in recovery and structured sober living homes. They are passionate about helping young men who are trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction. This sober living for men makes it its mission to help individuals build a stable foundation for living. Through following the Design for Recovery program, countless young men have been able to break free from the chains of addiction.
Sober Living Houses
Individuals living in Santa Barbara who are suffering from substance use disorder would benefit from enrolling in Design for Recovery. Located in nearby Southern California, Design for Recovery offers individuals a safe sober community and a structured program of behavior modification strongly rooted in the principles of the 12 steps.
Design for Recovery can also point potential residents toward possible sources for financial assistance for sober living residence. Design for Recovery’s proven track record of helping young men recover from drug and alcohol addiction makes Design for Recovery the natural solution for anyone who is eager to begin a freer and happier life..
For those seeking more information about the history of Design for Recovery, its core values, or details about the day-to-day schedule of its program, feel free to reach out and contact us today.
Additional Information: Sober Living House Rules
Sober Living Homes for Men near Santa Barbara, CA
Our residences are centrally located near the beach, downtown, and LAX Airport. We provide a safe and comfortable base for young men to involve themselves in the community and to thrive as new and growing individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost of sober living varies depending on the location, how much structure the program offers, and what benefits and amenities are available. For example, some sobriety houses include weekly drug testing, transportation to 12-Step meetings, and employment support—and these extra services come at a higher price than places that don’t offer them. But often it’s cheaper to live in a sobriety house than to go solo because rent is split among several people.
It really depends on the individual and their progress in recovery. Some people may need to stay in a sober living home in Santa Barbara for a few months, while others may need to stay for a year or more.
Sober living homes in Santa Barbara can improve the chances of remaining abstinent following inpatient treatment. They provide social support for individuals with similar goals. They are safe and structured environments that nurture and prepare the individual for reentry into the real world. Some of the most important benefits that residents receive in sober living homes include:
- Constant guidance and support
- A strong sober social support system
- Improved life skills
- A smoother transition to independent living
- Lowered risk of relapse
- A safe, trigger-free space to pursue recovery
- Help to find employment
- Improved relationships with friends and family
Some homes have specific rules about pets, such as breed or size restrictions. Some studies show that pets can play a huge role in addiction recovery. Pets provide companionship, love, and support during this difficult time. While pets are not allowed in all sober living homes, many do allow pets.
Yes, sober living homes in Santa Barbara provide the structure and support that residents need to get back on their feet and find a job.
Close family members are free to visit the sober living at any time, though it is recommended that they contact the house in advance to discuss their visit with the house manager.
Design For Recovery also organizes regular events during which family members are invited to congregate with house members.
Regulations around using cell phones vary considerably. At Design For Recovery, we limit cell phone access for residents in the early days of their recovery. This gives them the opportunity to focus on their present circumstances and the present moment, cultivate real relationships with fellow house members, and look inward.
A few things to expect at Santa Barbara sober living:
- Sober livings help residents to develop healthy routines and habits that support their sobriety.
- Sober living homes promote independence. While residents are expected to follow rules and guidelines, they are also encouraged to take responsibility for their own sobriety and recovery.
- Sober living homes provide a safe and supportive environment. Residents can expect to feel safe and supported while they are in a sober living home.
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