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According to SAMSHA's decades of research, each pillar addresses a critical dimension of well-being: from stabilizing physical and emotional health to fostering connection, structure, and meaning in daily life. Together, they create a holistic, accessible path that empowers individuals in our sober housing and other good sober houses to rebuild with clarity, dignity, and support. As a Sober living in Connecticut we can say we are evidence-backed. Read how we expand each of the pillars into a workable, living and breathing framework for your success. We urge anyone in recovery to become familiar with them and to apply them no matter where they go after rehab. Remember, it's not enough to want to stay sober, you must spring "into action" to succeed. Here's what to do for lasting, sustainable recovery and why.
WHAT WE DO
Your plan of recovery is whatever works for you in each of the four pillars of recovery. Each of them has a profound impact on your recovery, but they all need to come together for a complete and sound recovery. They form the original RX - a healthy lifestyle.
#1 FIND RECOVERY COMMUNITY
Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. Our residents form lasting bonds through:
- Shared meals and 12-step meetings
- Group outings and events
- Peer mentorship and alumni engagement
This supportive network cultivates belonging—and reinforces the belief that no one has to recover alone.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Community is considered the most important of the four foundational pillars of recovery—the others being Health, Home, and Purpose. If community means connection, then community isn’t just a backdrop to healing—it’s the soil in which recovery takes root. Because in the end, recovery isn’t just about abstaining from substances. It’s about belonging. And community is where that feeling of belonging begins.
#2 A PERSONAL WELLNESS PLAN THAT YOU CAN CARRY WITH YOU
At Right Path House, we help residents prioritize well-being by urging them to access wrap-around medical, mental health care, nutritional guidance, and utilize their fitness gym memberships. By restoring physical health and emotional balance, residents learn to take control of their energy and clarity by taking care of themselves, both inside and out.
Here, you'll have a clinical program tailored to your needs, a gym membership, and support for spiritual reflection. When you take care of yourself, you tend to put yourself first- not in a selfish way, but, rather in a natural way that feels more like self-respect than selfishness.
#3 YOU CAN ENJOY A STABLE ENVIRONMENT
In SAMHSA’s recovery framework, Home is defined as a stable and safe place to live -- it’s more than just a roof overhead—it’s about creating an environment where recovery can take root:
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A space free from substance use and triggers
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A place where structure supports predictability and safety
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A setting that fosters dignity, rest, and personal responsibility
Stability is essential. Without it, the nervous system stays on alert, and the work of recovery becomes harder to sustain. At Right Path House and similar programs, home is intentionally designed to be more than shelter—it’s where residents can begin to trust both the space and themselves. Because when someone feels safe at home, they can begin to feel safe in their own skin.
#4 WHERE YOU CAN REDISCOVER THE JOY OF PURPOSE
We ask for active participation in one or more of the following:
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Part-time or full-time employment
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Enrollment in school or a structured educational program
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Approved volunteer service or internships
This isn't about productivity for its own sake—it’s about restoring a reason to get up in the morning, building confidence, and creating pathways for meaningful reintegration. Expectations are set at 30 hours of purposeful activity outside the house per week.
Sober House Case Narrative-C.
Presenting Background: C., 31, entered our sober living program following her third arrest for DUI, complex trauma, substance use, and disruptions to her domestic life. During initial intake, C. disclosed she’d been let go at her job because of cutbacks not because she was fired because of her attendance record or being intoxicated while at work. She had that job for almost a decade and was proud to have been promoted. The loss of her job meant more than she was stating: “I just wasn’t someone who finished first. That was for other people, yet, I did so well I could support myself. But my driving while drinking was my mess up.” - carried shame around her work history. While consistently intelligent and insightful in our setting, she struggled with internalized beliefs that she was "damaged goods" and did not deserve access to higher paying jobs—associating it with a version of herself she felt she'd forfeited long ago. What we offered: - Weekly case management check-ins focused on exploring strengths, not just stability - Neurofeedback brought her high anxiety level to normal level. - EMDR sessions addressing root beliefs about unworthiness and failure - Peer mentorship from a residents who had returned to work after starting recovery. - Assignments involving small, manageable acts of curiosity (e.g., auditing online lectures, attending one of the many museum and art gallery tours) - Reframing work as a tool for integration, an opportunity to connect with people at her pace, not proof of perfection Key Turning Point: In Month 5 of residency, C. went home for a long weekend and relapsed. She completed a detox and two weeks of treatment. She returned and was able to be honest with our group. With her knowledge of the value of being honest, we asked her to get involved co-facilitating a workshop on tying honesty to boundaries. The experience unlocked something—she expressed feeling both “useful and smart” for the first time in years. She continued to be a contributor to the group. -----She also choose a assessment using a QEEG, neurofeedback mapping. It revealed that her anxiety was exceptionally high. She completed neurofeedback training with Gray Matters and found, starting in the second of eight weeks, that she had reduced her anxiety to the level a normal person would experience. She displayed deep insight, lost her need for approval, and her coach suggested that she become a coach. She soon completed recovery coaching school. Outcome: - was accepted into working as a coach where she focused on trauma recovery. She now works part-time and is satisfied with her position while remaining engaged in continuing her own therapy and working with a sponsor. She's exploring the possibility of school. Her confidence has grown measurably—both in her work setting and in interpersonal connections. Current Status: - 14 months sober - Appreciated at her job - Active in the recovery community - Spearheading new ways to make all residents feel good about themselves. Closing Note: C.’s recovery didn't hinge on returning to work or doing neurofeedback—but returning to work and completing eight weeks of neurofeedback became the living metaphor for who she now knows herself to be: not someone broken, but someone becoming. What once felt like a door she’d closed off is now the very place she’s choosing to re-enter her life, on her terms.
