Sober living industry goes before lawmakers
But activists are frustrated with federal proposal for more studies instead of action
To all the key players — parents whose kids died doing drugs in so- called recovery homes, neighbors who live beside the often problematic businesses, and many of the rehabbing residents themselves — reforming the fraud- plagued sober living industry can’t happen quickly enough.
Earlier this month, three Congress members introduced a bill aimed at improving the quality of care offered to recovering addicts living in sober living homes.
Dubbed “The Excellence in Recovery Housing Act,” the proposed law would require the National Academy of Sciences to study high- quality recovery housing and make recommendations for increasing its availability. It also would determine how to improve data collection about recovery, ensure that medicationassisted treatment would be available for people seeking to stay sober and explore the legal tangles that still exist on the state and local front involving recovery housing.
The bill also would push the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to work with “reputable providers” to come up with comprehensive guidelines for struggling state governments, and would provide some $ 57 million in grants states could use to help make quality housing a reality.
“For millions of Americans living with addiction and the millions more who love them, entering a recovery residence, or ‘ sober home’, is an incredibly significant step that means hope of a life beyond addiction,” said U. S. Rep. Judy Chu, DPasadena, in a statement.
“But that hope can be fragile, as recovery is a delicate time requiring skilled, professional attention. That is why we must ensure that recovery housing is actually providing the safe and stable environment we expect. Sadly, I have heard too many stories of those who have lost someone while they were in recovery because the staff lacked training to recognize things like the signs of an overdose.”
While federal attention on the issue is welcome, activists who’ve been pleading for stronger regulation of the addiction treatment industry are frustrated by yet another bill that aims for guidelines rather than stringent rules, and for recommendations rather than
action.
“To the extent this bill encourages all states to take responsibility for and serve their recovering populations, this could be a good bill,” said Laurie Girand of Advocates for Responsible Treatment in San Juan Capistrano.
“But when the government only focuses on the ‘ good’ providers, it fails to address the whole picture,” Girand added.
“What we really need is for Congress to have the guts to say ‘ the emperor has no clothes.’ This is an industry desperate for government regulation.”
To that end, state legislators are preparing to re- introduce legislation in Sacramento that would take major steps towards reform of the industry in California.
Forward
The federal bill was introduced by Reps. David Trone, D- Maryland, Mike Levin, D- San Juan Capistrano and Chu. It builds on Chu’s earlier legislation that prompted guidelines on quality recovery residences that some critics found wanting.
This bill will help SAMHSA improve those guidelines, and provide resources for states to promote the availability of high- quality recovery residences. It has the support of a variety of large, national treatmentrelated groups.
State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie- Norris, D- Laguna Beach, is spearheading a bipartisan group of Sacramento legislators pushing for more fundamental reform in California. She will reintroduce Jarrod’s Law, which would requiring outpatient centers, which are now completely unsupervised by the state, to be licensed and regulated by the Department of Health Care Services.