Interventionists, Treatment, Sober Living & Addiction Counselors
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The 4 Levels of Recovery Residences
NARR has been working hard to distinguish between 4 different levels of Recovery Residences, matching them up with four levels of care recognized by ASAM. The levels respectively involve an increasingly higher level of care associated with each level. Level one recovery residences refer to facilities that are completely self governed. Level two recovery residences refer to facilities that are managed by an owner and/or house manager. Level three recovery residences refer to level two type facilities that are associated with an outpatient treatment service. Level four facilities refer to what many states would call a license treatment center.
What are possible advantages to the coming up with four separate levels of recovery residences? As it stands each state uses different terminology for such terms as what we in California refer to "Sober Living." Some states refer to such places as half-way houses, 3/4 houses, alcohol free housing, transitional living, shelters, treatment centers. programs or recovery homes. Making matters equally confusing, many states offer a licensed treatment process for residential treatment centers, whereas other states who have no such process offer the same level of care and call their facility by the same name as what others are calling their sober living homes. Treatment centers in various states refer to their facilities as sober living, recovery homes, programs, transitional living, shelters, halfway houses or 3/4 houses. This lack in continuity of terminology make it confusing for the person that seeks out of state treatment, or sober living for after their treatment, etc.
The lack of terminology also adds to discrimination that often happens in cases of level 1 and level 2 recovery residences. These places are often a small community of people who have come together to live a healthier life. Due to lack of misunderstanding, neighbors who find out that they live next to people who are clean and sober often discriminate against them. Fearful neighbors may think that these folks are doing something wrong by not being licensed. These neighbors often "Google" search a variety of the above mentioned terms. When the neighbors come together and talk they may be talking about 3 or 4 different types situations that they lump in as one. Many cities get involved in such instances. It often costs cities millions of dollars paying lawyers to research the pertaining laws.
Arcuria has posted legal information here.
http://www.soberlivingcertification.com/sober_living_laws.php
There is much work to be done. With cooperation and a lot of work, we will eventually get onto the same page.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Seeking Volunteers
Arcuria is a fairly new company that is working towards forming a non-profit. We are a small company that helps provide a service the people within the State of California. Specifically we are helping fight addiction by providing a few key services within the addiction recovery field. Arcuria provides the highest standard of certification for sober living homes within the State of California. Search our websites below to see our standards. In addition to providing a more stringent certification for sober living homes, Arcuria prints and distributes a free resource directory in print (California Recovery Resources Directory), maintains on online website, chock full of approximately 5,000 services providers and operates a referral hotline.
Arcuria got started out of a need to provide a list of sober living homes that are conducive to recovery. There were several people trying to make money in the business, that operated homes allowing people to drink and/or use while remaining in (or as manager of) the sober homes. We put together a list of quality sober homes in a high quality printed directory. Treatment centers told us that we needed to develop a higher standard certification process than was currently available in order to use our directories as referral sources. This lead to our developing a certification process. Many homes don't pass our certification. We have seen homes with 36 beds in 2 and 3 bedroom homes, people living in unsafe add-ons that were not up to code, people allowed to drink and/or use, whole households injecting heroin, house managers drunk and/or high, house managers emotionally, physically and financially abusing clients, and on and on. Our strict standards deter such conditions, and our effective referral service makes it worthwhile for current houses to improve and maintain their conditions.
We are seeking volunteers for the following positions: Database Managers to help maintain our directory mailing list, Outreach Workers to operate our referral hotline, Site Inspectors to conduct site visit for sober living certification, Graphic Designers to help create designs for Print & Web publications, Bloggers and Social Media enthusiasts to help generate content that helps us to tell our story to a wider audience and SEO & Web Development Consultants to assist in making sure our website is getting seen by people who need our services. We are also seeking help in reaching out to treatment centers as possible advertisers within our print directory and online. If you can help in any of these, our in other ways feel free to contact us.
We are seeking people with experience in the following areas to become one of our board members: Addiction & Recovery, Mental Health, Business and/or MBA students, Law, Grant Writing, etc.
Send responses to arcuria@gmail.com! We thank you in advance for your service.
Kindest Regards,
Tony Arcuria, MA
Executive Director
www.soberlivingcertification.com
www.californiarecoveryresources.com
www.facebook.com/RecoveryPhoneBook
Friday, July 22, 2011
Recovery Residences, Relapses and The Law
Recovery Residences, Relapse and California Law
A few times a year we hear stories about someone relapsing and refusing to leave an SLE. If called to help, law enforcement from different areas may handle the situation differently. In some areas law enforcement will remove the person, while in other areas law enforcement may say they can't help due to landlord-tenant laws. Following are some facts and suggestions that may help you become more knowledgeable.
California Department of Housing and Community Development
The California Department of Housing and Community Development are clear that, for eviction purposes, sober living homes are to be treated as any other home. Those who run the facility are responsible for the habitability of the facility and to repair any problems as they occur. Eviction rules are also applicable. DHCD states, "The administration of sober living facilities in the State is governed tenant-landlord laws. Both tenants and those who run the facility have legal obligations to each other. Tenants are responsible to pay rent on time, not use the premises for illegal purposes, and keep the facility in good condition. Eviction rules are also applicable; hence, notice of eviction must be given before a resident of the facility can be removed from the facility. If the participant did not sign an agreement that clearly spells out that drinking or using illegal substances warrants having them leave the facility (either temporarily or permanently), the operator and the rest of the residents may be out of luck in court as well.
Judicial Precidents
Judges continue to enforce evictions. If all else fails, sober home operators can file for an emergency eviction which only takes 5 days. This is only granted in cases where an individual is causing severe disturbances within the household. The court decisions that we have heard about were decided based upon the wording of the contract. If the contract clearly spelled out that the house was a clean and sober living environment, and that drinking or breaking other listed rules constituted having to leave the house, the contracts were held up in court.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement may or may not know what to do. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, people are legally allowed to drink in a sober home. The Orange County Sheriff's Department certify sober living homes in Orange County. Most of the people that go to those homes are on probation or parole, and not allowed to drink by the terms of their probation or parole. In those cases a parole officer could be called. The shocking truth is that law enforcement, who is already overburdened by and understaffed, may not offer any help. After talking with many law enforcement officials, the overwhelming consensus was that they feel like their hands are tied by landlord-tennant laws. Overburdened officers at a station in another county did not know what to do when called to help deal with a resident who recently relapsed on meth. Less than 24 hours later the resident stabbed someone and threw them in the trunk of a car. http://tinyurl.com/3zvd2rr. The Sherrif, along with the District Attorney in Orange and Santa Clara Counties provide a voluntary certification process that involves a confiential background check on residents in their certified homes. Anyone who fails the background check due to violent offenses is not eligible to live in one of those homes.
Certification, Membership & Registration
In California there are 4 certifying bodies that certify sober homes. The certifying bodies are Arcuria (Entire State), Kern County, Orange County and Santa Clara County. Certification packets are anywhere from 20-50 pages and involve stringent criteria. There Sober Living Network is a membership organization. The Sober Living Network is by far the biggest network of sober homes within the State of California, with over 500 homes and counting. CAARR is also a State-Wide organization that registers homes that meet their standards. Certification is voluntary, however the ADP and most professionals consider it unethical to "refer" someone to a home that is not third party approved. Some treatment centers actually go out and visit homes themselves in order to see which homes they feel comfortable referring clients to.
Be Prepared
Recovery residences/sober living environments should have a clearly defined contract signed by each participant. Operators should test the residents instead of playing the guessing game. Sober living operators should make sure that each resident has a back-up plan for a place they agree to go if they slip back into drinking or using. The back-up plan might be to stay with a family member, friend or to go to a detox facility. Usually participants are asked to leave for 72 hours if they relapse, at which point they can ask if they can come back to the house. If necessary, the operator of the sober home should be willing to provide or help coordinate transportation (for the individual's safety and harmony of the neighborhood). Most individuals will leave peacefully if they have somewhere to go. If someone is on probation or parole, you should get the name and number of their parole officer. It is also helpful to be in good standing with local law enforcement before the need arises.
After Relapse
If and when a participant slips back into drinking or using, the house parent should contact their supervisor (if applicable). Many homes have managers, district managers and so on. People with more experience usually know how to talk to an individual without escalating the situation and it always helps to have support in these situations. If the individual is trespassing (left and came back against the will of the house), you can inform the individual that they are trespassing and ask them if they would like you to call local law enforcement. Sober living homes benefit from special combination locks for the front door that involve giving each resident a unique code. If you have such locks, change the code for 72 hours upon relapse.
Last Resort
In most cases, local law enforcement doesn't actually need to be called. Legal Involvement should be a last resort. If someone is on parole and using you can call their probation officer. Always give them a chance to go peacefully first. Many police officers or sheriffs may not know much about what can be done. Some will be unfamiliar with sober living. You may need to speak up and let them know what you want. There is little they can do if you ask them to "evict" the participant for using. Some even refuse to arrest or remove persons who are using, unless they have physical evidence of paraphernalia, or a positive test result. If a resident left and came back against the will of the house, a sober home operator can ask the police officer to help them do a citizen’s arrest for trespassing. Rather than receive a hefty fine, most participants would agree to go at this time. If sober living environment operators have a good connection with law enforcement ahead of time, they are more likely to find a way to help. It sometimes helps to show them your certification the first time they visit.
During a life threatening emergency, always call 911.
Give us a call if you know of any legal cases regarding sober living and the law, or call us for advice. 707-778-8582
A few times a year we hear stories about someone relapsing and refusing to leave an SLE. If called to help, law enforcement from different areas may handle the situation differently. In some areas law enforcement will remove the person, while in other areas law enforcement may say they can't help due to landlord-tenant laws. Following are some facts and suggestions that may help you become more knowledgeable.
California Department of Housing and Community Development
The California Department of Housing and Community Development are clear that, for eviction purposes, sober living homes are to be treated as any other home. Those who run the facility are responsible for the habitability of the facility and to repair any problems as they occur. Eviction rules are also applicable. DHCD states, "The administration of sober living facilities in the State is governed tenant-landlord laws. Both tenants and those who run the facility have legal obligations to each other. Tenants are responsible to pay rent on time, not use the premises for illegal purposes, and keep the facility in good condition. Eviction rules are also applicable; hence, notice of eviction must be given before a resident of the facility can be removed from the facility. If the participant did not sign an agreement that clearly spells out that drinking or using illegal substances warrants having them leave the facility (either temporarily or permanently), the operator and the rest of the residents may be out of luck in court as well.
Judicial Precidents
Judges continue to enforce evictions. If all else fails, sober home operators can file for an emergency eviction which only takes 5 days. This is only granted in cases where an individual is causing severe disturbances within the household. The court decisions that we have heard about were decided based upon the wording of the contract. If the contract clearly spelled out that the house was a clean and sober living environment, and that drinking or breaking other listed rules constituted having to leave the house, the contracts were held up in court.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement may or may not know what to do. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, people are legally allowed to drink in a sober home. The Orange County Sheriff's Department certify sober living homes in Orange County. Most of the people that go to those homes are on probation or parole, and not allowed to drink by the terms of their probation or parole. In those cases a parole officer could be called. The shocking truth is that law enforcement, who is already overburdened by and understaffed, may not offer any help. After talking with many law enforcement officials, the overwhelming consensus was that they feel like their hands are tied by landlord-tennant laws. Overburdened officers at a station in another county did not know what to do when called to help deal with a resident who recently relapsed on meth. Less than 24 hours later the resident stabbed someone and threw them in the trunk of a car. http://tinyurl.com/3zvd2rr. The Sherrif, along with the District Attorney in Orange and Santa Clara Counties provide a voluntary certification process that involves a confiential background check on residents in their certified homes. Anyone who fails the background check due to violent offenses is not eligible to live in one of those homes.
Certification, Membership & Registration
In California there are 4 certifying bodies that certify sober homes. The certifying bodies are Arcuria (Entire State), Kern County, Orange County and Santa Clara County. Certification packets are anywhere from 20-50 pages and involve stringent criteria. There Sober Living Network is a membership organization. The Sober Living Network is by far the biggest network of sober homes within the State of California, with over 500 homes and counting. CAARR is also a State-Wide organization that registers homes that meet their standards. Certification is voluntary, however the ADP and most professionals consider it unethical to "refer" someone to a home that is not third party approved. Some treatment centers actually go out and visit homes themselves in order to see which homes they feel comfortable referring clients to.
Be Prepared
Recovery residences/sober living environments should have a clearly defined contract signed by each participant. Operators should test the residents instead of playing the guessing game. Sober living operators should make sure that each resident has a back-up plan for a place they agree to go if they slip back into drinking or using. The back-up plan might be to stay with a family member, friend or to go to a detox facility. Usually participants are asked to leave for 72 hours if they relapse, at which point they can ask if they can come back to the house. If necessary, the operator of the sober home should be willing to provide or help coordinate transportation (for the individual's safety and harmony of the neighborhood). Most individuals will leave peacefully if they have somewhere to go. If someone is on probation or parole, you should get the name and number of their parole officer. It is also helpful to be in good standing with local law enforcement before the need arises.
After Relapse
If and when a participant slips back into drinking or using, the house parent should contact their supervisor (if applicable). Many homes have managers, district managers and so on. People with more experience usually know how to talk to an individual without escalating the situation and it always helps to have support in these situations. If the individual is trespassing (left and came back against the will of the house), you can inform the individual that they are trespassing and ask them if they would like you to call local law enforcement. Sober living homes benefit from special combination locks for the front door that involve giving each resident a unique code. If you have such locks, change the code for 72 hours upon relapse.
Last Resort
In most cases, local law enforcement doesn't actually need to be called. Legal Involvement should be a last resort. If someone is on parole and using you can call their probation officer. Always give them a chance to go peacefully first. Many police officers or sheriffs may not know much about what can be done. Some will be unfamiliar with sober living. You may need to speak up and let them know what you want. There is little they can do if you ask them to "evict" the participant for using. Some even refuse to arrest or remove persons who are using, unless they have physical evidence of paraphernalia, or a positive test result. If a resident left and came back against the will of the house, a sober home operator can ask the police officer to help them do a citizen’s arrest for trespassing. Rather than receive a hefty fine, most participants would agree to go at this time. If sober living environment operators have a good connection with law enforcement ahead of time, they are more likely to find a way to help. It sometimes helps to show them your certification the first time they visit.
During a life threatening emergency, always call 911.
Give us a call if you know of any legal cases regarding sober living and the law, or call us for advice. 707-778-8582
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
What is a Recovery Residence?
The terms "Sober Living," "Alcohol Free Halfway Houses" and "Zero Tolerance Transitional Living" have been changed to "Recovery Residences." This was decided up by the National Association of Recovery Residences. A Recovery Residence is an intentional community voluntarily coming together to live free of addictive substances while participating in a path of recovery. NARR has committed itself to clarifying terminology and definitions with the state alcohol and drug departments which were unable to send a representative to the gathering (California ADP included). A Recovery Residence is not a licensed treatment center and cannot be both a treatment center and a recovery residence. A recovery residence cannot provide licensed counseling services, but residents can voluntarily agree to participate in a licensed counseling program designated within the house rules. This type of intentional community is similar to that of a dormitory, which is not a school, and comes with a stipulation that all residents must also be attending college in order to remain at the facility.
The need for a unifying definition became apparent as other organizations failed to provide adequate definitions to these types of facilities which called themselves by different name, and defined themselves differently as well. The inconsistent terminology has hindered continuum of care by confusing people seeking out of state treatment as to the logical next step for their recovery. Peoples egos butted heads and the clients lost out. At this stage in the game, recovery residence approval organizations have come back together to agree upon a unifying name, create unifying terminology definitions and solidify nation-wide standards. NARR will promote available research on the subject and seeks to conduct further scientific research at the University level. Keep an eye on NARR's website for more information. www.narronline.com
Arcuria, along with Sober Living Network and CAARR participated, with other recovery residence approval organizations around the country, in the formation of NARR (National Association of Recovery Residences). NARR's intermediary board was voted in on May 21st. There were 38 participants from 14 different states who came together to develop an outline for National Standards for Recovery Residences. These standards may be further refined and probably represent the most comprehensive standards developed to date on the subject. As these standards solidify and become finalized, they will likely become the minimum standards that must be included in any NARR supported membership, registration or certification of recovery residences. Arcuria has already adjusted to include all such requirements within our Recovery Residence Certification process and will make any new changes as the standards are adopted formally. You can find out about Arcuria's Recovery Residence Certification process by downloading the 18 page certification application packet www.arcuria.net/certification.php.
Arcuria, along with Sober Living Network and CAARR participated, with other recovery residence approval organizations around the country, in the formation of NARR (National Association of Recovery Residences). NARR's intermediary board was voted in on May 21st. There were 38 participants from 14 different states who came together to develop an outline for National Standards for Recovery Residences. These standards may be further refined and probably represent the most comprehensive standards developed to date on the subject. As these standards solidify and become finalized, they will likely become the minimum standards that must be included in any NARR supported membership, registration or certification of recovery residences. Arcuria has already adjusted to include all such requirements within our Recovery Residence Certification process and will make any new changes as the standards are adopted formally. You can find out about Arcuria's Recovery Residence Certification process by downloading the 18 page certification application packet www.arcuria.net/certification.php.
Recovery Residence approval organizations are all aware of the benefits of well run recovery residences to people in recovery. Their best use is for people who have come from a short stay at treatment and are giving themselves more time to heal while pursuing a recovery path of their choice. People in recovery residences usually choose between the self help group of their choice, outpatient treatment or counseling. They may also be participating in spiritual activities, acupuncture, chiropractics, meditation or other activities known to be healing for addiction or other addiction related afflictions. Random drug testing and adequate supervision combined with a mutual agreement that everyone living together agrees to work their program, makes the difference between a healthy vs an unhealthy recovery residences. Well run recovery residences and the agencies that approve them should be supported in order to shape the trends of recovery aftercare. It should be considered unethical to refer someone to a recovery residence that doesn't meet up to industry accepted standards. The best way that you can help prevent unscrupulous persons from taking advantage of others early in recovery, is to actively refer people to a list of homes pre-approved by an outside agency. Any given day of the year counselors at inpatient settings are encouraging their clients to go out and live in one of these environments after leaving their treatment facility. Monday through Friday of most weeks judges and social workers of our legal systems are also referring people to such places. Laws allow for time for time credit in a recovery residence vs jail in DUI cases. If there is no clear way to find certified recovery residences, where will people go?
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Sherry Gaba's Story
Sherry Gaba
Sherry Gaba’s The Law Of Sobriety
Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life and Recovery Coach on Celebrity Rehab on VH1 and author of “The Law of Sobriety” which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download your copy of “Eliminate Limiting Beliefs”, from Sherry’s, Enrich Your Life series. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and speaking engagements
Ancient Philosophy
While working with clients, I decided to show them the movie “The Secret”. For the first time, I saw hope turn into hopefulness, despair turn into delight and despondency turn into dreams. The clients loved the movie. They loved the idea that their thoughts could produce a life they never dreamed possible. Due to the patients’ response, I knew the message behind “The Secret” would be valuable to those that suffer from addiction.
The Law of Attraction
The Secret reveals The Law of Attraction to the audience. This ancient philosophy states that what we think, we attract. The philosophy goes further by stating that we are the co-creators of our lives, the energy we invest into our lives will be attracted back to us. For me, the missing elements in “The Secret” were specific action steps to empower the believer to manifest their dreams. This epiphany resulted in “The Law of Sobriety”.
My work in the addiction field has brought me an understanding that people really do want help, but there is no cookie cutter approach. Many of the clients who walk through my door are just looking for answers to help alleviate their emotional pain. Although I am a huge fan of the 12-steps, sometimes it takes another program such as the Law of Sobriety to get them to enter the doorway that may eventually lead them to a 12-step program
The Law of Sobriety
The “Law of Sobriety” takes the principles of The Law of Attraction and puts them to work for a specific purpose. This purpose is to help individuals recover from any addiction. The Law of Sobriety states that by taking certain action steps and applying conscious energy to these steps, a life of peace and serenity is possible.
Plan Of Action
The Law of Sobriety incorporates seven steps that an addict or alcoholic can go through to help them achieve sobriety. The seven steps need not be in any order. They include finding one’s life purpose, living a life of value, living a life of authenticity, learning to live in appreciation, compassion, and forgiveness, living a life of right action, living with awareness and mindfulness, and learning to let go of resistance and attachments.
Readers Walk Away Empowered
Everyone has a purpose. Following through with something that is purposeful and gives you meaning creates self-esteem. The Law of Sobriety empowers the reader to discover their purpose.
Help is always available. There is not one road to getting clean and sober. I hope to bring hope, serenity, joy, and meaning to all those who read my book.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Our Story
Tony Arcuria, MA
California Recovery Resources
What inspired you to get started?
While working as the clinical coordinator of a treatment center, I came across a local sober home that sent us flyers. The house parent was drunk at the first house that I went to visit. There were people sleeping in the living room on beds that were separated by sheets pinned to the ceiling. One of the residents whispered that the other residents beat him up and took his food whenever he tried to bring food into the house.
What did you do?
I called the manager of the facility and told him that the house parent was drunk. The house manager told me that this particular house parent was allowed to drink in the house because he was the best friend of the manager. I protested that this was not a “Sober Living Environment,” as was advertised. The manager told me it was none of my business and hung up on me.
What did you do next?
I talked to my wife and we agreed to visit local sober homes and get to know them better. We took pictures, asked a lot of questions and put together a directory of the local sober living homes along with treatment centers. We created Arcuria Sober Living Certification. We only printed 200 copies of that first guide, but we did create a website for the information we had gathered.
What kind of a response did you get?
We got such positive feedback that we decided to publish the California Recovery Resources Guidebook every six months. Three years later we now have a readership of hundreds of thousands and the website is getting over a half million hits a month. We have grown at a steady rate of 500% per year. I guess people find the directories useful.
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