Recovery housing: assessing the evidence

Area of Science:

• Addiction research
• Public health
• Social services

Background:

• Recovery housing provides supervised, short-term accommodation for individuals with substance use disorders.
• This service is often utilized following inpatient or residential treatment.
• It addresses co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe recovery housing as a service.
• To assess the existing evidence base for recovery housing effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, etc.).
• Six individual articles from 1995-2012 reporting on randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies were identified.
• Evidence was categorized into high, moderate, or low based on study quantity and methodological quality.

Main Results:

• The overall level of evidence for recovery housing was determined to be moderate.
• Studies indicated positive substance use outcomes and improvements in functioning, including employment and reduced criminal activity.
• Limitations included inconsistent definitions, small sample sizes, and single-site evaluations.

Conclusions:

• Recovery housing is a potentially valuable component of the care continuum for individuals with substance use disorders.
• Replication of findings with enhanced specificity and in varied settings is crucial for validating effectiveness.