About this Sober House
Portland Sober Living is a men's recovery residence in Portland, Maine, in the city's historic Bayside neighborhood. Portland is the largest city in Cumberland County, and the residence is a large single family home that the operator describes as a comfortable environment for residents to begin their journey in recovery.
Who Portland Sober Living Serves
The house is for men. Its stated mission is to help residents develop a strong foundation for continued sobriety as they begin to transition back into the community, and it takes men in early recovery, including men arriving from out of state. That transitional framing is the key to who fits here: the residence is aimed at the stage where a man is re-entering ordinary life, with work, family and routine to rebuild.
A 12-Step, Abstinence-Based Program
Portland Sober Living is twelve-step focused and abstinence-based. Residents are challenged to achieve goals geared toward spiritual growth, employment, family, education and more, and, in a house founded by people in long-term recovery, they receive individual mentorship alongside the fellowship of the other men living there.
The combination of goal-setting and mentorship gives the house a shape that is more directive than a simple sober rooming house. A resident is expected to be working on something specific and to have someone holding him to it.
Family Involvement
Family involvement is a stated priority rather than an afterthought. Portland Sober Living says that having an open relationship with the family is a priority, and that with the resident's permission the family will be invited to take part in his recovery process.
That reflects the residence's operator. Portland Sober Living is run by The Family Restored, a New England based nonprofit that works to strengthen and support families affected by addiction, and the family-facing side of that work is available around the residence.
Certification and Standards
Portland Sober Living is certified by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences at Level 2, appearing in the MARR certified residence directory as a Portland residence, and it describes itself as a proud member of MARR. Certification means the house has been reviewed against the state association's standards for recovery housing and is accountable to them, which for a prospective resident is the clearest external signal available about how a Maine house is run.
Sober Living in Bayside and Downtown Portland
The residence is in the heart of Portland, and its location does real work for residents. Being in close proximity to hundreds of businesses and to daily twelve-step meetings means residents will find that everything they need is accessible by foot or public transportation. For a man without a car, and often without a license, that is the difference between a program he can actually attend and one he cannot get to.
Bayside sits just inland from the peninsula's downtown core, within reach of the city's employers, services and transit. Portland also carries the densest concentration of recovery meetings in Maine, so a resident is choosing among meetings rather than hoping one exists nearby.
The house links residents to the Portland Recovery Community Center and to local staffing agencies, in its own words to quickly establish healthy connections within the community. Those two connections cover the two things a man usually needs first: a recovery community outside the house and a way into work.
Cumberland County holds the largest share of Maine's recovery housing, treatment providers and employers, and Portland is the center of it. For someone searching for sober living in Portland, Maine, a MARR certified men's residence in Bayside, run by a nonprofit whose whole purpose is family recovery, is a distinct option within a crowded city.
About Portland Sober Living: Starting a life in Sobriety
12-Step focused recovery is an integral part of our residents' success. Residents are challenged to achieve goals geared towards spiritual growth, employment, family, education and more. Founded by addicts in long-term recovery, our residents receive individual mentorship and a fellowship of men who have faced and overcome a similar struggle.
We are a firm believer in 12 Step recovery. Every resident must be actively working the 12 Step process with a sponsor and be making measurable progress in their step program. We offer structure and accountability to motivate our residents towards their recovery goals.
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.
General Rules & Expectations:
-All residents must remain substance free and submit to regular drug testing.
-Active participation in a 12-step program including 12 Step meeting attendance and face-to-face contact with a qualified sponsor each week.
-Participate in two mandatory house meetings each week.
-Achieve weekly goals developed with PSL staff.
-Obtain and maintain full time employment.
-Adhere to nightly curfew and complete daily chores.
-Meet all program rules and expectations.
-Remain free of newly developed sexual or exclusive relationships for first 90 days
-Show up, willing and interested in making real change
