About this Sober House
Providence Retreat is a sober living home for men in Hollis Center, Maine, built around the twelve steps. Hollis is a rural town in York County and part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, which puts the house in the countryside without putting it out of reach of southern Maine's services and employers.
The First 28 Days at Providence Retreat
The retreat's defining feature is the pace at which it moves men through step work. Guests are taken through the twelve step process in the first 28 days they are with the house, which the operator describes as giving them a solid foundation for putting these principles into action in their lives as quickly as possible. Most sober houses leave step work to a sponsor and whatever pace a resident sets; here it is the program.
The work is done mostly one-on-one and peer-to-peer. Men are not given an overload of information throughout the day, but are led methodically through the book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Providence Retreat is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous or any other twelve-step organization, and it says so plainly: it uses the twelve steps and the book as a guide through its own program.
Who Comes to the Retreat
The house serves men seeking recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, and its stated mission is to provide a safe and understanding atmosphere for men who have the desire to recover. It was formed specifically as an opportunity for men who have had trouble in the past with traditional rehab and who have stumbled in their step work, and who need a place where they can pull back and get into the work of the steps.
Applicants must have been through the detoxification process before entrance. That requirement is standard for recovery housing and matters at the planning stage, because it means detox has to be arranged elsewhere first.
Recovery Support, Not Clinical Care
Providence Retreat describes the difference between itself and a typical rehab directly: it does not provide psychiatric or medical care, and it is a twelve-step based spiritual retreat. Insurance is not accepted, because the house is not a medical facility, and when a guest needs clinical or medical services the retreat connects him to an outside provider.
Anyone comparing options should read that as a scope statement rather than a limitation. A man who needs psychiatric care or medication management will need those from a provider in the community, and the retreat's role is the living environment and the step work around it.
A Farmhouse in Rural York County
The setting is a deliberate choice. Providence Retreat notes that most sober living homes are in urban areas and may be overwhelming during the early stages of recovery, and it chose a nineteenth-century New England farmhouse setting to run its program instead. The rural surroundings, the quiet and the pace are part of what the house is offering.
Hollis Center is a rural community whose residents largely commute, so someone living here is genuinely in the country rather than on the edge of a city, while still inside the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metro area for work, appointments and family visits. York County covers Maine's southwestern corner, from the Portland suburbs down to the New Hampshire line, taking in Biddeford, Saco, Sanford and the coastal towns. Most of the county's recovery housing sits in those larger towns, so a rural men's house offers something structurally different while staying inside the same region and job market.
Independent Living and Staying Connected
For men further along, the retreat offers an Independent Living option, described as extended recovery for men who have incorporated a solid recovery program into their daily lives. That gives a resident somewhere to go after the intensive early phase without leaving the community he has built.
The house also keeps its alumni close. Many former guests come back to its meetings to pass on what was given to them, and the retreat says that is how it measures its success. It rejects the idea that relapse is a required part of recovery, and for a man who has cycled through programs before, a house full of people who came back by choice is a different kind of evidence.
About our Men's Sober Living Home: Providence Retreat
A Spiritually-Based Rehabilitation Facility
Recovery from substance use disorder isn't just about finding the right sober living or recovery residence; it's also about being somewhere you feel comfortable, with people who respect you and encourage you to be your best selfsomewhere that feels like a community. We started Providence Retreat with this vision in mind. Substance abuse recovery is personal for us because we've been there.
Most sober living homes are in urban areas and may be a overwhelming during the early stages of recovery. Our recovery program is different. Located in beautiful Hollis, Maine, Providence Retreat is designed to feel warm, welcoming and peaceful. We take in no more than 12 men at a time. It's why we chose this 19th century New England farmhouse setting to run our program. From the moment you walk through our door, you're made to feel at home.
The Providence Retreat Mission
Our mission is to offer a path of substance abuse recovery to men experiencing alcoholism and addiction. We do so in a safe and serene environment using a time-tested recovery program grounded in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. As we help guide you through the phases of healing, your background and life experiences are always considered. You're an individual; you should be treated like one.
But that doesn't mean you can do it alone. We believe in the power of peer-to-peer support. Not only do we share our own experiences with you; we encourage you to share with one another. Our goal is to create a space where your story is heard and where your journey is given the respect it deserves.
At Providence Retreat, we don't believe that relapse is a requirement for substance abuse recovery. Instead, our experience has shown us that when the 12-step way of life is presented in a simple, loving and respectful way, amazing things can happen.
For those who wish to continue sober living after the completion of their first phase at Providence Retreat, we offer space at Providence Place Sober Living, in Portland, to continue the journey.
