Sober Houses Fill The Gap

VIDEO – IT’S THE SUBOXONE –

May 6, 2022 – In 2021, Maine saw an estimated 636 people die from fatal overdoses, shattering the 2020 record of 504 fatalities, according to a report by the Rural Drug & Alcohol Research Program at the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.

Experts have said the crisis is being exacerbated by the lack of treatment programs, but sober living homes in Maine are helping fill that gap for people who need support now to get on the path to sobriety. Angie, who asked us not to use her last name, runs a tight ship as the manager of Enso Recovery, a sober house in Augusta.

“They have their curfew, which is 10 p.m. on weekdays,” Angie said.

Helping run the Enso Recovery home for women is a busy job.

Enso Recovery operates recovery homes and treatment facilities for men and women in Augusta and Sanford.

There are also mandatory “house” meetings, where the women learn how to administer Narcanor naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose.

Women do chores, shop and cook meals, and attend intensive outpatient therapy five days a week at a clinic next door. The majority of the staff also are in active recovery, including Angie.