Sober Living Homes Face Stricter Policies In Prescott
It is no secret that Malibu luxury rehab centers are a popular thing–but it turns out that it is the city’s second biggest industry. The industry seems to be growing, to the point that some get clean and open their own clinics.
Arizona
There may have been some news from time to time about celebrities checking themselves in at Malibu luxury rehab centers, but Arizona resident Erin Burk had a very different experience.
In 2010, she noticed that over a period of time, she has seen white vans in her neighborhood. These vans were taking guests at rehab facilities to sober living homes located in her neighborhood. These sober living homes serve as half-way homes for recovering individuals who are transitioning from life at the center to a more independent way of living. She conducted her own investigation and found out that there were up to 15 of them within a block from her house. It was difficult for her to accept this. In 2016, the number of these halfway homes peaked at 170, but is now down to 33 in operation by 2017. It was estimated that last year, one in every 30 Prescott residents was recovering.
Growing Concern
It is estimated that more than 2 million Americans seek professional help for opioid and heroin addiction every year. There is treatment available, and while some are thankful and satisfied with the fact that they are finally sober, some were deeply affected by the treatment that they received that they decided to open their own facilities as well.
However, Burk explains that this is starting to cause some problems for her neighborhood. The increasing number of sober living homes has caused more noise and more traffic. She feels that the neighborhood is losing control of the situation. What particularly alarmed her was when her kids found a bag of Oxycodone from a lawn from across the street.
Stricter Regulation
After incidents showing the risks of halfway homes may bring to neighborhoods, the local authorities at Prescott enacted a law regulating sober living homes by setting standards for their management team and requiring these facilities to have licenses before operating.