Sober Living Homes vs Drug & Alcohol Rehab: How They Differ

Sober Living Homes offer substance-free housing and peer support, while drug & alcohol rehab provide outpatient and residential substance use treatment. This comparison covers how the two settings differ, how to compare them, and how to make a choice.

Settingoffer substance-free housing and peer support
Typical focusSober Living Homes centers on clinical and residential care needs.
What the data includesDirectory listings with services, locations, and contact details - no ratings.
Providers in this directory736 SAMHSA-listed

What sober living homes are

Sober living homes offer alcohol- and drug-free housing with peer support and house rules that reinforce recovery. They are usually a step between residential treatment and independent living, not a clinical treatment program. These listings are unrated: no star ratings, inspections, or quality scores are published, so confirm services, licensing, cost, and availability directly.

What drug & alcohol rehab are

Drug and alcohol rehab programs provide substance use disorder treatment across levels of care, including outpatient, intensive outpatient, and residential settings, with counseling, behavioral therapy, and sometimes medications. These listings are unrated: SAMHSA publishes no star ratings, inspections, or quality scores, so confirm services, licensing, cost, and availability directly.

How to choose

Ask about house rules, drug and alcohol testing, whether clinical services are provided on site or nearby, length of stay, and total monthly cost including deposits and fees. Confirm the home's licensing or registration status. These listings are unrated - verify services, licensing, cost, and availability directly. Ask which levels of care are offered, whether medications for opioid use disorder are available, what therapies are used, how family involvement works, and what insurance or payment is accepted. These listings are unrated - verify services, licensing, cost, and availability directly.

Start with the level of care and the services a person needs - withdrawal management, medications for opioid use disorder, therapy, psychiatric care, or a sober living setting - then check licensing, accepted insurance, and cost. These SAMHSA listings are unrated, so the fit of the service matters more than any score.

Where you can, call each option in the United States and confirm services, licensing, cost, insurance, and current openings in writing. No ratings, inspections, or quality scores are published for these SAMHSA listings, so direct confirmation is the surest check.

Browse providers

Sober Living Homes directory (736 providers) · Drug & Alcohol Rehab directory (7,831 providers)

Frequently asked questions

How do sober living homes and drug & alcohol rehab differ?
Sober Living Homes offer substance-free housing and peer support. Drug & Alcohol Rehab provide outpatient and residential substance use treatment. The two meet different needs, so compare them by the level of care a person requires.
Are these listings rated?
No. SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov directory does not publish star ratings, inspection findings, or quality scores for these listings. Confirm services, licensing, cost, and availability directly with each provider.
How do I choose between the two?
Begin with the person's medical needs. Ask about house rules, drug and alcohol testing, whether clinical services are provided on site or nearby, length of stay, and total monthly cost including deposits and fees. Confirm the home's licensing or registration status. These listings are unrated - verify services, licensing, cost, and availability directly. Ask which levels of care are offered, whether medications for opioid use disorder are available, what therapies are used, how family involvement works, and what insurance or payment is accepted. These listings are unrated - verify services, licensing, cost, and availability directly.

Data sources

Source: SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov. Processing date: 2026-10-08. This comparison is provided for information and is not medical advice.

Required disclosures

For general information only, not medical advice. This website shares public data and general information. It does not offer medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment guidance, and it cannot replace a consultation with a qualified health care professional.

Independent and unaffiliated. RehabProviders.org is a private, independently run directory. It is not affiliated with, nor endorsed or operated by, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or any government agency. SAMHSA has not reviewed or endorsed this site.

Confirm details before acting. Facility records come from public federal datasets and may lag or contain errors. These listings are unrated; always verify current services, licensing, availability, and cost directly with the provider.

In a crisis, get help now. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

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