Recovery questions, answered

Sober living homes are structured, substance-free houses where people in recovery live together while rebuilding daily life — work, school, meetings, family. Rehab (residential treatment) is clinical care with therapy and medical staff. Many people complete detox or rehab first, then move into sober living for ongoing stability. You can browse both on our San Antonio directory.

Most sober living homes charge monthly rent, typically anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand per month depending on neighborhood, room type, and amenities. Many homes ask for first month plus a deposit. Always ask exactly what rent includes (utilities, food, drug testing, house fees) before committing. See our cost guide for more detail.

Most San Antonio sober living homes fall into budget, mid-range, and upscale tiers; prices vary by neighborhood, amenities, and whether the home is certified. We published a full local breakdown — see the San Antonio cost guide for current ranges and the questions that affect price. Always confirm current rates and what's included directly with the home.

Insurance often covers detox, residential treatment, and outpatient programs — but usually not sober living rent, which is treated like housing. Coverage depends on your specific plan. Use our free Insurance Finder to see which San Antonio facilities report accepting Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, TRICARE, self-pay, or sliding-scale payment, then call the facility to confirm.

Some treatment programs accept Medicaid — our Insurance Finder lists San Antonio facilities whose federal SAMHSA records report Medicaid acceptance. SAMHSA's free 24/7 helpline at 1-800-662-4357 can also route you to state-funded options if money is the barrier.

Detox is short-term medical stabilization while substances leave your body — usually days, with medical supervision. Residential treatment is live-in clinical care, often 30-90 days. IOP (intensive outpatient) and PHP (partial hospitalization) are structured day programs while you live at home or in sober living. Many recovery journeys chain these together: detox, then treatment, then IOP plus sober living.

Tour in person if you can. Ask: Is there a house manager on site? What are the rules on curfew, drug testing, meetings, and guests? What gets someone asked to leave? What does rent include? How long do residents usually stay? A good home answers these directly. Check ratings and reviews on our listings, and trust your gut on cleanliness and how current residents seem.

Yes. AA and NA meetings are free and run daily across San Antonio — our directory lists hundreds of weekly meetings by day, time, and neighborhood. Our free audio library streams classic recovery talks and the Big Book. If cost is blocking treatment, ask facilities about sliding-scale fees and call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-4357 about state-funded beds.

Yes. Every meeting on our San Antonio meetings page has a Calendar button that adds that single meeting to your phone or desktop calendar. To get the whole weekly schedule at once, subscribe to the calendar feed at /meetings.ics — it opens in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook, and meetings repeat weekly, so your calendar stays current on its own.

Usually, yes — most sober living homes and treatment centers welcome family tours, and many encourage family involvement in recovery. Visiting policies vary widely (especially during early treatment phases), so call ahead. The phone number is on every listing.

Pack like you're moving into a shared house: clothes, toiletries, ID and insurance card, any prescribed medications (tell the house manager — most homes have medication policies), phone and charger, and some spending money. Leave anything containing alcohol (even mouthwash) at home. Ask your specific house for their list — most have one.

Listings start with our live San Antonio directory and are verified against federal records — SAMHSA's national treatment locator and CMS NPPES provider registrations — and CDC data informs the trends we publish. You can read the full verification process on our methodology page, or watch the numbers update on our live data report.

If there's immediate danger or a suspected overdose, call 911. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) — free, confidential, 24/7. For treatment referrals, SAMHSA's helpline at 1-800-662-4357 is free and answers around the clock. You don't have to figure this out alone.