Most men from North Miami, Miami Shores or Biscayne Park who call us about a sober house ask some version of the same question. Should I find a place close to home, where my job, my family and my meetings already are? Or should I put some distance between me and the streets I used on? There isn’t one right answer. But there is a good way to think it through, and that’s what this piece is for.
A quick note on where we stand. The Foundry runs two FARR-certified men’s sober living houses. Foundry: Lakehouse is in North Miami Beach, in 33162, right next door to 33161. Foundry: Beachhouse is in Hollywood, farther north in Broward. So we can offer either answer, and I’ll try to be fair to both.
The question every man from 33161 asks
It usually comes up at the end of a treatment stay. You’ve done 30 days or more somewhere structured, and now the discharge planner is asking where you’ll live. Going straight back to the house or apartment you left feels risky. A sober house feels right. And then the next question shows up: which part of Miami?
For a man from 33161, “close to home” and “a few miles away” are often less than half an hour apart. That’s the good news. You don’t have to choose between your life and your recovery. You’re choosing how much of your old routine you bring with you.
The case for staying close to home
- You keep your job. Losing a job in early recovery adds money stress at the worst time. If your work is on Biscayne Boulevard or near Barry University, a short commute protects it.
- You keep your outpatient program. If you’re stepping down into IOP, staying near it means fewer missed sessions.
- You keep your people. A sponsor, a home group, a brother who checks on you. Those relationships are worth a lot, and they’re easier to keep up across a 15-minute drive than a 45-minute one.
- Family can be part of it. When family visits are appropriate, being nearby makes them easier. At The Foundry, new residents have an initial blackout period first, and visits come after that.
The case for a few miles of distance
- Old routes are habits. The drive home from work that passed the same bar, the gas station where you bought, the friend’s place you stopped at “for a minute.” Your body knows those routes. A different neighborhood breaks the pattern.
- Old friends know where you live. Not everyone from before wants you sober. A new address puts a little friction between you and the people who aren’t good for you right now.
- A fresh start feels like one. Some men do better when everything around them is new: new streets, new meetings, new faces. It makes the change real.
A simple test: map your week
Here’s an exercise I’d suggest before deciding. Take a sheet of paper and write down every place you need to be in a normal week: work, IOP, meetings, court dates or probation check-ins, a sponsor, family. Then write down the places and people you need to stay away from.
Now look at the two lists together.
- If the first list is mostly in and around 33161 and the second list is short, a house nearby is probably the right call.
- If the second list is long, or if it’s on the same streets as the first, a few miles of distance is worth the longer drive.
- If you can’t tell, ask someone who knows you well, like your counselor or sponsor. They usually see it more clearly than you do.
One rule of thumb that holds up: try to keep the trip to work and to your main meetings under about 30 minutes. Long commutes wear men down, and tired men skip meetings.
Sober house or halfway house? The words in Miami
You’ll see “sober house,” “sober living home,” “recovery residence” and “halfway house” used almost interchangeably in Miami listings. They aren’t always the same thing. A halfway house is often tied to a treatment program or the justice system. A sober house is usually a private home where residents pay rent and follow house rules. Our post on halfway houses vs. sober living in Miami covers the difference in detail, and our sober house Miami guide covers the basics of how these homes work.
Whatever it’s called, check whether it’s certified. In Florida, certification is still voluntary. It’s done under section 397.487 of the Florida Statutes through the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR), and you can look a house up on FARR’s site yourself.
How The Foundry fits either answer
If you want to stay close: Foundry: Lakehouse, 871 NE 182nd Terrace, North Miami Beach, is roughly 10 to 25 minutes from most of 33161, depending on where you start and the traffic. It’s a lakeside house with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, canoes and kayaks, a hammock, a tree swing and a fire pit, near Aventura and I-95. Close enough to keep your job, your IOP and your sponsor. Different enough that the walk out the front door doesn’t lead anywhere you used to go.
If you want more distance: Foundry: Beachhouse, 701 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, sits on the Intracoastal Waterway minutes from Hollywood Beach, with a rooftop terrace, pool, ping pong, kayaks and a billiards room. It’s a different county, but still reachable for family visits and many Miami jobs.
The rules are the same in both: no alcohol or drugs, randomized drug testing, curfew, chores and required meetings. Every resident is working, in school, volunteering or in an outpatient program within his first couple of weeks. Men get rides to meetings and appointments early on, and residents in good standing may have a car later. Both houses are men-only, and most men stay three to twelve months.
Questions to ask any sober house
Close or far, ask these on the phone before you visit:
- Is the house certified, and can I verify it on FARR’s site?
- Who runs the house day to day, and how often are they there?
- How does drug testing work, and what happens after a positive test?
- What’s the curfew, and how many meetings a week are required?
- What does the rent include, and is there anything extra?
- How do you help residents get to work, meetings and appointments?
- When can family visit?
A good house answers all of these without hesitating. For more on the 33161 area itself, see our 33161 sober living guide.
Make the call
If you want to talk it through, call The Foundry at (954) 817-7143 or visit our admissions page. Tell us where your job, your program and your family are, and we’ll tell you honestly which house makes more sense, or whether another option would suit you better.
If anyone is in crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Maps: 33161 to the Foundry houses
Tap a route for live directions from the 33161 area to either house.
