10.2190/SH.8.2.d C65883W3U6763240 4 The Setting is the Service: How the Architecture of Sober Living Residences Supports Community-Based Recovery 189 225 20140814 20140814 20140814 20140814 C65883W3U6763240.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=C65883W3U6763240 2 Friedner D. Wittman Babette Jee Douglas L. Polcin Diane Henderson Public Health Institute, Emeryville, California The architecture of residential recovery settings is an important silent partner in the alcohol/drug recovery field. The settings significantly support or hinder recovery experiences of residents, and shape community reactions to the presence of sober living houses (SLH) in ordinary neighborhoods. Grounded in the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, the SLH provides residents with settings designed to support peer-based recovery; further, these settings operate in a community context that insists on sobriety and strongly encourages attendance at 12-step meetings. Little formal research has been conducted to show how architectural features of the recovery setting—building appearance, spatial layouts, furnishings and finishes, policies for use of the facilities, physical care and maintenance of the property, neighborhood features, aspects of location in the city—function to promote (or retard) recovery, and to build (or detract from) community support. This article uses a case-study approach to analyze the architecture of a community-based residential recovery service that has demonstrated successful recovery outcomes for its residents, is popular in its community, and has achieved state-wide recognition. 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