The Trenton Times published the following editorial on March 19, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Editorial: Temperance House in Trenton shows importance of transitional housing in drug treatment

By Times of Trenton Editorial Board 
on March 19, 2013 at 7:02 AM, updated March 19, 2013 at 7:09 AM

After the structure and limits of drug or alcohol rehabilitation, the wide open world can be a frightening and dangerous place – especially for those returning to the same neighborhoods and people who helped forge their addiction.

The first few months are the make or break time for recovery — newly clean addicts either fall back into drugs and dependence or stick to their road of sobriety.

One of the newest approaches for those who have finished treatment but are not yet ready for independent living is respite in a sober living home. A concept that first took root in California, it’s moved to this region in a burst of common sense that experts say is helping to keep recovering addicts from relapsing.

The Temperance House, preparing to open soon in Trenton, has room for 25 men, according to brothers Brian and Allen Sassman, the entrepreneurs who envision a series of such group homes in the area.

The Sassmans, who operate a construction company in Princeton, also have a background in the disease of addiction. Both have experienced it; both have been in recovery for many years.

Knowing well the struggles of their clients, the Sassmans’ rules are simple as the furnishings of the graceful stone house on Rutgers Place. Absolutely no drugs and alcohol are permitted inside the house; nightly curfews are enforced; and residents, who will pay $650 a month, must agree to random drug testing.

Residents must attend 12-step meetings and have a sponsor.

They’ll also be required to work or volunteer in the local community.

Temperance House residents also will have the opportunity to practice life skills and learn how to go about completing their education or searching for a job. In the throes of addiction, those are steps they may have missed completely.

It’s probable that the sober living homes in Trenton and elsewhere will be the subject of “not in my backyard” protests. And that’s a shame because an 18-month study in California suggests the approach is economical and effective.

New Jersey has demonstrated an increasingly enlightened attitude toward drug and alcohol addiction, and part of that response is the stabilization that places such as Temperance House can offer.

The costs of drug and alcohol addiction to New Jersey business and industry are staggering. The cost in pain and suffering to addicts and their families is incalculable.
The sober home model, an approach that’s working, is something we all should support.