First off, clients are out of bed by 8 AM, the bed is made, and chores are done. The home is always immaculate because clients are kept accountable and doing what they’re supposed to do. By getting out of bed by eight o’clock, making their bed, and doing their chores, they build a new sleeping habit, gain accountability, and ultimately they get the day started right.

Second is the food. Addicts early on in recovery often have not eaten very well at all, they have not taken care of themselves, they’re depleted of the nutrients and all of the things that their bodies need in order to be healthy, so a lot of times their guts are destroyed but they don’t know how to eat right.

So we provide groceries for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The food we provide is all high quality and organic when possible, and we cater to each individual’s specific needs when it is reasonable.

Another benefit of us providing the food is that it allows the residents an opportunity to cook and eat breakfast and lunch together if they desire. Just as with any healthy family, it’s not required and it’s not that they’re always going to eat together, but having that available helps build the healthy environment and community of the home.

Our house managers also take pride in preparing gourmet family-style dinners for the residents 5 nights a week to furthermore provide an opportunity to dine together in community. More often than not, this community is what they did not have before going into treatment.

Unfortunately, at a lot of other halfway houses or sober living homes, people are responsible for buying and cooking their own food. The problem with this is that they don’t know how to buy the right food and they cook their own food in isolation, they’re not being part of a healthy family. So providing food is part of how we create a healthy family environment to help build community and structure in our homes.

One of our Five Pillars is Purpose. It’s a requirement that everybody has a purpose. We require people to live life with intention with at least 32 hours a week of school, work, IOP, volunteering or doing something productive with their day. Our homes are not some of those sit around and play video games kind of home because we are living life with intention and working hard towards long term sobriety.

The next thing is self-care. We require five units of self-care per week. What that means is that residents are going to the gym, doing yoga, hiking Na Masta Sober Mountain, going to the dentist, getting a haircut, getting their nails done, etc. Self Care looks different for each individual but the main point is that they’re being mindful of how they’re taking care of themselves.

The next thing is, our house managers are full-time W2 employees. And what that means is that their full-time job is to facilitate recovery at the homes and hold clients accountable to the rules and the requirements of the home.

We are a 12 step-based home which means that every client is working a 12 step program, they have a sponsor, they’re working the steps, they go to meetings every single day, they have a homegroup, and they have a service commitment.

We drug test two times a week and we breathalyze randomly two times a week. The reason why we drug test and breathalyze is as a preventative measure, not because we want to catch somebody drinking or using. They know that they’re going to get drug tested, they know that they’re going to get breathalyzed therefore when they come across an opportunity to drink or use they’re not going to do it because they know they’re going to get caught.

Curfew is 10 o’clock during the week, it’s 11 o’clock on the weekends. Once again, it’s just it’s being part of a normal healthy schedule.

Homes are located in desirable neighborhoods. The homes are nice and they’re professionally decorated, which is conducive to recovery. It’s not just that the homes are nice, but our homes feel like home. They have artwork and accessories like a nice home. They have the energy of a nice home, a home that people want to be at. Our homes are very well appointed and very comfortable in a very good setting for somebody that wants to be clean and sober.

Typically, three to six months is how long it takes to get somebody integrated back into living life on their own, to where they’re in a healthy place and can make healthy choices, so the Na Masta Sober integration process needs at least 90 days. Once they’re in a healthy place and they’re making healthy choices, then we believe the next step is for them to transition out into living on their own. And until they’re ready to make healthy choices, our experience is that they should stay in sober living, where they have the accountability, structure, community, support, and purpose. It’s all of those key ingredients working together to help individuals live a clean and sober and happy life.

Additionally, because we require a three-month commitment from all of our clients, we’re not a revolving door. Everybody that’s there is there for at least three months. When a client moves in, the people that they move in with are going to be there for a while, that’s their community and those are their people. A lot of these other homes are weekly, they’re revolving doors and the revolving door is not conducive to recovery. The three-month commitment also attracts people that really want to be clean and sober. We attract people that are a little more mature and ready to take that next step in their journey to recovery.

We also provide recovery coaching services. Recovery coaching is an additional layer of accountability and support. Recovery coaches are peer support certified and they are working their own programs of recovery. A recovery coach is an advocate and a friend. A recovery coach is not a sponsor nor a therapist. A recovery coach, if anything, is going to be the liaison between a sponsor and a therapist. A recovery coach is just there to meet a client where he or she is at and give them the support in whatever he or she needs whether it’s “I need to find a new job, I need to find a new homegroup I need to find a new sponsor, I’m moving to a new location so I need to find a new community.” A recovery coach is going to support a client in whatever way they need to be supported. Whether it’s through giving them 12 step support, taking them to a meeting, holding them accountable, helping them fill out insurance paperwork or a resume, helping them find a new job, or whatever the case may be, they are there for them.

A recovery coach gets paid to support a client. A sponsor’s job is to take a client through the steps. Although many sponsors do a lot more, their main job is to take a person through the steps, and that’s it. The recovery coach goes way above and beyond. A therapist typically is going to meet with the client for a one or two hour period of time every week. And a therapist is typically not going to be available outside of a scheduled appointment whereas a recovery coach is going to be available to call, text, FaceTime, or anything else.