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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Douglas Polcin, EdD, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94709-2167, 510 642-5208, dpolcin@arg.org

Sober living houses (SLH's) are alcohol and drug free living environments for individuals attempting to maintain sobriety. They offer no formal treatment services, but provide a social model living environment that emphasizes peer support and involvement in mutual help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Previous analyses comparing baseline and 6-month follow up showed that residents of SLH's significantly reduce substance use and make improvements on legal, employment and family/social problems. However, an important question is whether residents access auxiliary services for the variety of problems frequently associated with substance abuse (e.g., medical, psychiatric, family, vocational, legal, housing, etc). This analysis used the Services Desired/Received measure (Hser et. al., 1999) to assess which of 30 different services residents desired at baseline and received over the next 6 months. The sample included 183 residents in 15 SLH's in Northern California (77% male, 71% white). Findings indicated significant correlations between services residents desired at baseline and their level of problem severity in those areas. In most service areas, those with more serious problems were those who received services. Some service areas had large proportions of residents who received services they desired: medical, psychiatric medications (including methadone), mutual help groups, and social outings. Other areas had large proportions not receiving services they desired: job training/counseling, money management, legal services, and assistance finding permanent housing. SLH's could be enhanced by developing more linkages with these services that are desired but less frequently accessed. Further analysis will examine how services desired and received relate to outcome.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant learner will be able to

• Describe sober living houses (SLH's) as a substance abuse recovery modality,
• Articulate the types of services offered and not offered by this modality,
• Describe the services residents need, desire, and receive while residing in SLH's,
• Identify service gaps, where more linkages are needed between SLH's and auxilary services, 5)Recognize the association between service utilization and outcome.

Keywords: Access and Services, Drug Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.ppt format, 276.5 kb)