About this Recovery House
Fresh Life Recovery Homes is a women's recovery residence at 1219 31st Street West in Bradenton, Florida, the seat of Manatee County. The operator runs a group of women's homes across Bradenton and reports serving 87 residents across Manatee and Sarasota counties.
A Women's Recovery Residence in Bradenton
Everyone living here is a woman. The organization describes itself as addicts supporting addicts, and it staffs the houses accordingly: a house manager runs the household from inside it, and a Certified Recovery Residence Administrator, a credential issued to individuals by the Florida Certification Board, is on staff. Homes and bedrooms come fully furnished, with bedding supplied to anyone who arrives without it, a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, household cleaning supplies, Wi-Fi, a house phone and security cameras.
What the House Asks of Residents at This Bradenton Sober Living Home
Fresh Life publishes its requirements plainly:
- Attendance at twelve-step meetings.
- A completed chore.
- A curfew.
- Random drug screenings.
- Twenty hours a week of work, school or community service.
- House meetings.
The twenty-hour rule is the one that defines the place. It says the house expects a resident to be out of it during the day, and everything else in the schedule is built around that assumption.
Medication Policy at This Women's Sober House
The operator runs abstinence-based, twelve-step focused housing and accepts residents on medication-assisted treatment, with policies written for it. Non-narcotic and non-controlled medications prescribed by a doctor are permitted. Marijuana is not allowed on the property, including with a Florida medical card. Acceptance of medication for opioid use disorder is not universal in recovery housing, and a woman who loses her housing over a prescription can lose the prescription with it, so a written policy on this point is worth more than a verbal assurance.
Daily Life and Transportation in Manatee County Recovery Housing
The house does not provide transportation. It does not need to: jobs, meetings, stores and bus stops sit within walking distance, and Manatee County Area Transit covers the Bradenton grid, including the 14th Street West and Cortez Road corridors. Cars are allowed with a valid registration, insurance and license. Bradenton is the county seat, so the courthouse, county administration and Manatee Memorial Hospital are all in the city, and Sarasota is a short run south on US-41. Pets are not accepted.
Certification of Recovery Residences in Florida
Florida certifies recovery residences through the Florida Association of Recovery Residences, the only credentialing entity the Department of Children and Families has approved, and participation is voluntary under state law. A certified house agrees to a code of ethics, to written disclosure of fees and rules before move-in, to a written relapse and discharge policy and to complaint review outside the household. Ask the operator to confirm the current status of the specific address you are applying to.
The Fresh Life Sober Living Homes in Bradenton
Fresh Life publishes seven homes, numbered Fresh Life 1 through Fresh Life 7, all of them serving women in the Bradenton area. Placement runs through one application, so a resident who needs a different house is considered by people who already know her. The operator is a Florida limited liability company and takes donations through a published wish list of household supplies.
All residents are required to seek employment or attend school while living in the home. Living a structured and active lifestyle with work, school, regular 12 step fellowship meeting attendance, and participation in that 12 step fellowship with a sponsor and step work is a requirement and is critical in maintaining long term recovery.
Sober living homes are group residences for people who are recovering from addiction. In most instances, people who live in sober homes have to follow certain house rules and contribute to the home by doing chores. Most importantly, residents must stay sober throughout their stay in the home.
