Living Sober in NZ: Programmes at The Retreat
Alcohol and drug addiction can cause serious disruptions to your life and while it can seem like a tumultuous road to recovery, taking the first step towards living sober in NZ is essential.
Over time, addiction and alcoholism has a disastrous effect on your health and can lead to both emotional and economic harm to those afflicted, their families, and even their communities. However, addiction and alcoholism is a disease and therefore, it requires a special approach to overcome. Without integrated treatment programmes, relapse rates increase.
The Retreat New Zealand is dedicated to helping individuals live a sober life in recovery. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities affected by alcohol and drugs or other substance abuse by providing supportive services grounded in 12 Step principles. We achieve this by separating guests from their drinking and drugging environments and instead, make sure that they are surrounded by like-minded individuals who are actively working towards, and passionate about finding sobriety. The Retreat relies on community support to show our guests that they’re not alone with their struggles. Many of our volunteers have gone through the programme, which helps those currently struggling to find hope.


Living Sober in NZ: Programmes at The Retreat
While there are many options for different sober houses in New Zealand, finding the right programme is one of the most important aspects of recovery. The Retreat New Zealand is a community aimed at helping guests overcome addiction and alcoholism in a friendly community that fosters feelings of safety, acceptance, and honesty. The first step in transitioning to sober houses in New Zealand is to get clean and join a recovery programme. The Retreat New Zealand offers a 30-day intensive rehabilitation programme modelled on The Retreat USA. This model was developed in 1998 and has shown increasingly positive outcome rates. In fact, guests who undergo rehab using this model tend to have outcomes which exceed traditional treatment at a fraction of the cost. Our primary goal is enabling our guests to understand and practice the power of the 12 Step programme of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous. Upon completion of the 30-day programme, guests may continue with their recovery by moving into sober living houses.
The main thing to look for when considering a sober living situation is the support that surrounds the independence. The goal is to transition guests from an intensive programme to a more independent programme so that they can begin to find their footing in the real-world while staying sober. We want our guests to maintain their sobriety after returning to their lives, which is why we offer a variety of programmes to fit each individual’s needs. While sober living may not be as structured or rigid, it will still require adherence to rules and ongoing participation in the programme. To learn more about all of the ways The Retreat New Zealand can help you live a sober lifestyle, contact us today
Finding the Right Programme for Sober Living in New Zealand


Both on-site and off-site programmes encourage guests to continue to live sober lifestyles outside of the strict scheduling of our residential rehab options. We view them as interim steps on the path to sobriety where people recovering from addiction can continue to live in a supervised and sober environment with structure and rules. Those enrolled in our sober living programme will need to uphold curfew, do their part in completing chores, and attend service and fellowship meetings. Living sober in NZ is possible when you actively work towards making a change. The Retreat New Zealand is here to help.
When enrolled in The Retreat’s sober living programme, guests are required to follow certain rules. There are absolutely no drugs or alcohol allowed on either on-site or off-site locations and guests must participate in recovery meetings. We require active work with a sponsor in a 12 Step recovery programme and will conduct random drug and alcohol tests to ensure that these rules are being followed. Guests must submit rent payments on-time and be involved in either work, education, or service.
Get Help Now
If you or a loved one are interested in our Sober Living programme or want to better understand how our programme works please fill out the form and we will make sure to have one of our dedicated staff members reach out for more information.
If you need to complete a pre-registration contact us at 0800 276 237 for assistance.