Guide

Alabama recovery residence certification (AARR)

The Alabama Alliance for Recovery Residences (AARR) is Alabama's affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). It certifies sober living homes that meet the national NARR standard. Right now we list 40 AARR-certified residences.

What certification means

A certified home has agreed to follow the NARR Standard and AARR's code of ethics, and AARR has reviewed it. The standard covers how the home is run, resident rights, a safe and healthy building, and recovery support. Certification is voluntary in Alabama, so an uncertified home isn't automatically unsafe. Certification does give you an outside check.

NARR levels of support

• Level I (Peer-run): run democratically by the residents, usually in a single-family home, with house meetings and drug screening.
• Level II (Monitored): a house manager or senior resident oversees the home, with house rules and peer-run groups.
• Level III (Supervised): paid staff, a set structure, life-skills work and clinical services in the community.
• Level IV (Service provider): clinical services on site, often tied to a treatment provider.

Source and full definitions: AARR and NARR.

How to check a home

1. Look for it on the official AARR certified member list.
2. Ask for the home's certificate and NARR level, the house rules, and the full cost, including fees and deposits.
3. Ask how they handle medications, including MAT such as buprenorphine, and what happens if someone relapses.
4. Tour the home and talk to current residents if you can.
5. Warning signs: offers of free rent or travel, pressure to go to one specific treatment center, or billing your insurance for "housing."

Report a concern

Contact AARR through aarronline.org. If you think there's insurance or patient-brokering fraud, you can also report it to the Alabama Attorney General.