Sober living, halfway house, recovery residence, sober apartment, step down, IOP and aftercare mean different things, and the differences matter when choosing where to live after treatment. This glossary from Blackburn Recovery Services in Los Angeles defines each term in plain language and links to the guide that explains it in depth.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
How should you use this glossary?
People use these words loosely, and even professionals do not always agree. When a home or program uses a term, ask what it means there. The definitions below describe how the words are generally used, and where it helps, how they apply at Blackburn. For a side by side comparison of the main options, read sober living vs halfway house vs IOP vs rehab.
Types of recovery housing
Recovery housing: Any alcohol and drug free home where people in recovery live together and support each other. Sober living homes, sober apartments and Oxford Houses are all forms of recovery housing.
Recovery residence: Another name for recovery housing. It is used often in policy and research writing.
Sober living home: A shared, alcohol and drug free home for people in recovery, with house structure such as testing, curfews and meetings. Sober living is housing, not treatment. Read what is sober living.
Sober living house: The term researchers often use for a sober living home. It means the same thing.
Halfway house: Often used loosely for sober living. In stricter use, it means a home tied to a treatment program or to the justice system, sometimes with a set length of stay.
Oxford House: A self-run model of recovery housing. Residents govern the house together and there is no staff.
Sober apartment: Independent living for people in recovery, with a commitment to stay sober that is checked by testing. Blackburn Sober Apartments in West Los Angeles are for men, furnished and month to month, with weekly random testing. See sober apartments vs sober living.
Independent sober living: Sober housing with very little house structure beyond staying sober. Blackburn Sober Apartments are a form of it, with no curfew and no overnight permission.
Men’s sober living: Sober living for men only. Every Blackburn home and apartment is men only.
Guest agreement: The written agreement a person signs to stay in some forms of sober housing. Men who live in Blackburn Sober Apartments are guests under a guest agreement.
Levels of care and treatment
Level of care: How intensive a treatment setting is, from weekly outpatient therapy up to inpatient care. A clinician recommends the right level.
Detox: Short term, medically supervised care while alcohol or drugs leave the body. It manages withdrawal safely and is usually the first step, not the whole treatment.
Residential treatment: Treatment where a person lives at the program full time, often for several weeks. People often move to sober living afterward.
Partial hospitalization program (PHP): Intensive treatment for most of the day, several days a week, while the person sleeps at home or in sober living.
Intensive outpatient program (IOP): Treatment for a few hours a day, a few days a week. Many sober living residents attend IOP while they live in the house.
Outpatient care: Therapy or psychiatry appointments that fit into a normal week. Blackburn Clinical Services offers outpatient therapy and psychiatry in Los Angeles.
Dual diagnosis: Having a substance use problem and a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, at the same time. Both need care.
Step down: Moving from a more structured setting to a less structured one, such as from residential treatment to sober living, or from sober living to a sober apartment. Read stepping down from sober living.
Aftercare: The support a person keeps after a treatment program ends, such as therapy, meetings, testing and recovery housing.
Continuing care: Another name for aftercare, common in clinical writing.
Discharge plan: The plan a treatment program makes with a client for where he will live and what support he will have when he leaves.
Treatment team: The therapists, doctors and case managers working with a person. Blackburn sends weekly updates to treatment teams with the resident’s permission.
Case management: Help organizing the practical side of recovery, such as appointments, benefits, work and school. See case management.
Testing and medications
Random drug testing: Testing on days the resident cannot predict, so it measures normal life rather than a planned clean day. Read random drug testing in sober living.
UA: Short for urinalysis, a urine drug test. It is the most common test in sober living.
Breathalyzer: A breath test that measures alcohol in the body at that moment.
Daily alcohol testing: Checking for alcohol every day, usually by breath test. Blackburn sober living tests for alcohol daily and for drugs 3 times a week.
Medication management: A system for storing, giving out and tracking medications so they are taken as prescribed. Every Blackburn sober living home has one.
Vivitrol: A brand name for an injectable form of naltrexone, given monthly, that blocks the effects of opioids and reduces alcohol cravings. Vivitrol is supported in Blackburn sober living.
Naloxone: A medicine, sold as Narcan, that can reverse an opioid overdose. It is often kept on hand in recovery housing.
Recovery terms
12 Step program: A peer support program built on twelve steps, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Blackburn homes hold weekly 12 Step meetings. Find meetings in our West LA meeting guide.
Sponsor: A more experienced member of a 12 Step program who guides another member through the steps.
Step work: Working through the twelve steps with a sponsor, usually by reading, writing and talking.
Home group: The 12 Step meeting a person commits to attending regularly.
Sober network: The sober friends and peers a person spends time with. Research ties a sober network to better outcomes.
Relapse: A return to alcohol or drug use after a period of sobriety. It is a reason to reassess the plan, and safety comes first.
Relapse prevention plan: A written plan naming a person’s triggers, warning signs and who to call. It is often made in treatment.
Curfew: The time residents must be home each night. It is common in sober living and absent in independent sober apartments.
Overnight pass: Permission to spend a night away from a sober living home.
Goal setting: Regularly naming and reviewing personal goals for work, school, recovery and relationships. Blackburn homes do it weekly.
Sober companion: A trained person who stays with someone in early recovery through a hard stretch, such as travel or the first days after treatment. See sober companion and sober transport.
Sober transport: Safe, sober travel from one place to another, such as from treatment to a sober living home.
Intervention: A planned conversation, often guided by a professional, to help someone accept help. See intervention services.
Family support group: A group for the families of people in recovery. Blackburn’s free virtual group meets every other Tuesday, 6 to 7 PM Pacific, led by a licensed therapist from Blackburn Clinical Services.
Glossary questions
What is the difference between a halfway house and sober living?
People often use the terms to mean the same thing. When they differ, a halfway house is usually tied to a treatment program or the justice system, while sober living is a privately run sober home that people choose to live in.
What is a step down?
A step down is a move to a less structured setting as a person gets stronger in recovery. Moving from residential treatment to sober living is a step down. So is moving from sober living to a sober apartment.
What is a guest agreement?
It is the written agreement a person signs to stay in some kinds of sober housing. At Blackburn Sober Apartments, men are guests under a guest agreement, and it includes the commitment to stay sober with weekly random testing.
Is sober living the same as treatment?
No. Sober living is a place to live, not a clinical program. Many residents attend outpatient therapy, IOP or psychiatry while they live in the house.
Still unsure which option fits?
Call us. We will help you sort out the terms and talk about what fits.
For the apartments, schedule an apartment tour.