About this Sober House
The Atlantic House is a men's sober living residence on Brighton Avenue in Portland, Maine, in Cumberland County. It opened in July 2008 as a twelve-step recovery residence where chemically dependent and alcoholic men could begin rebuilding their lives in a safe, secure, alcohol- and drug-free environment.
A Twelve-Step Recovery Residence for Men
The house was founded by managing partners who were themselves in twelve-step recovery, and the program reflects that directly. The Atlantic House describes its purpose as practicing the twelve steps to help residents bridge the gap between intensive treatment and full recovery, which places it clearly in the stage after clinical care rather than in place of it.
That positioning is worth taking seriously when comparing options. No clinical service is offered at the house. What it provides is an abstinent household, a structure to live inside and other men working the same program, at the point where a person has finished treatment but is not yet ready to live alone.
Structure and House Expectations at The Atlantic House
The house is supervised rather than self-governing: a House Manager and an Assistant Manager are on site, and the house describes itself as providing a structured environment. The expectations attached to living there are specific and are published in advance.
- Random drug testing
- Mandatory house meetings, as well as local AA, NA and CA meetings
- Working with a qualified sponsor
- Either working, volunteering or attending school
Taken together those four requirements describe an ordinary structured week: accountability for abstinence, a fellowship commitment, a one-to-one recovery relationship and something purposeful to do with the daytime. Men who have relapsed out of unstructured living often do better with exactly this kind of scaffolding, and men who chafe at supervision should know what they are agreeing to before they apply.
Practical Support for Residents
Alongside the recovery requirements, the house helps with the administrative work of getting re-established. It assists residents with job placement and resumes, with selecting a sponsor, and with applications for food stamps and health care assistance.
Those are not incidental services. A man leaving treatment without income, without health coverage and without a current resume faces a stack of paperwork at precisely the moment his tolerance for paperwork is lowest, and having someone in the house who has walked other residents through the same applications is often what keeps the process moving. It also aligns with the house's requirement to work, volunteer or study, since job placement support and the work expectation are two halves of the same idea.
The House Culture
The Atlantic House states its aim as creating an other-centred environment based on the principles of responsibility and service. In a shared house that translates into everyday things: taking on tasks that benefit the household rather than only oneself, showing up for people who are newer, and treating service work as part of recovery rather than as a chore imposed from outside.
It also explains the emphasis on sponsorship and meetings. A house built on service tends to measure a resident less by how long he has been abstinent than by whether he is contributing, which is a culture that suits some men well and is worth understanding before moving in.
Sober Living in Portland, Cumberland County
The house is in the heart of Portland, and the operator points to public transportation and shopping within walking distance as one of the practical advantages of the location. For a resident expected to work, volunteer or attend school, being able to get to a job or a class without a car removes one of the most common reasons placements fail.
Portland is also the center of Maine's recovery community. Cumberland County carries the state's largest concentration of AA, NA and CA meetings, of outpatient and peer support services, and of the entry-level employers who hire people rebuilding a work history. A twelve-step house in central Portland is positioned to make use of all three.
About Our Addiction Recovery Sober Living home
The Atlantic house in Portland, Maine opened in July 2008 & presently has 16 beds. The managing partners of the Atlantic House were inspired by their own experience of recovery with the 12 Steps. This led to the idea of opening a sober living house for addicts and alcoholics needing additional treatment beyond the traditional rehabilitation setting.
We provide a structured environment with a House Manager and Assistant Manager on site. Residents are:
-Randomly drug tested
-Required to attend mandatory house meetings, as well as local AA/NA/CA Meetings
-Work with a qualified sponsor
-Either work, volunteer, or attend school.
Information
The Atlantic House offers washer/dryer, phone, wireless internet access, HD TV and coffee and condiments. (Residents are responsible for their bedding and food.) We assist with job placement/resume, sponsor selection, and food stamp/health care assistance. The Atlantic House is located in the heart of Portland, with convenient public transportation & shopping within walking distance. Portland is a progressive, vibrant community that offers many amenities to those in early recovery.
