Sober Coach

A sober companion or sober coach is an addiction treatment professional who provides one-on-one assistance to newly recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. The therpeutic goal is to help the patient maintain sufficient abstinence from alcohol and drugs to establish healthy routines outside of a residential treatment facility.

A sober companion chaperones a recovering addict to help ensure they do not relapse. They may be be hired to provide round the clock care, be on-call, or to accompany the recovering addict during particular activities. A companion acts as an advocate for the newly recovering person and provides new ways for the client to act in their own living environment. Companions use techniques such as meditation, prayer and affirmation of sober choices, common to other recovery methods like Alcoholics Anonymous and counseling. They may also search for hidden drugs and restrain a client to prevent them from relapsing.

Companions are sometimes used as a replacement for residential addiction treatment or other forms of drug rehabilitation but companions such as Caine and rehabilitation center staff such as Dr. Hunsicker recommend a combined approach, particularly for people at high risk of relapse. They suggest that companions can help a patient successfully transition from a heavily structured, secure environment into the world where he or she previously failed to stay sober. Despite this some experts like Dr. Jennifer Schneider are skeptical of the companion approach and its dependence on a single individual.

Companion treatment usually last from one to four weeks, with ten to fourteen days being the norm. Ideally, a companion's presence in the patient's life will decrease as the patient proves his or her ability to confront family, work, and legal issues without relapse. Some providers stay with their client for many months, and some offer only transportation services (for instance, to and from treatment facilities or sober living homes).

In keeping with several other forms of drug rehabilitation practitioners do not need to have any formal training. Most companions are recovering addicts who, themselves, have been able to maintain multiple years of sobriety. While some companions will have some training in psychology, sociology, and/or medicine, in addition to a strong personal program of recovery, there are no professional associations or boards to set standards or monitor the state of the field. This lack of oversight and accountability is a concern according to the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.

Sober Companions are sometimes used in cases where an actor or a musicians will not attend treatment, but must remain abstinent to complete a film or recording project. They are also depicted by some media outlets as adult babysitters for actors, musicians, and other celebrities. While some coaches do work with high-profile clients, most work anonymously with non-celebrities re-entering the world after residential treatment for alcohol and/or drug abuse.