How to Handle Emergency Situations in Your Sober Living Home
What's Your Protocol When Someone Overdoses at 2 AM?
Call 911 immediately, administer NARCAN if available, then notify staff - in that exact order, according to Blessed Builders Sober Living's policy guidelines. Don't attempt CPR unless you're certified.
The call comes at 2:17 AM. Resident found unconscious in the bathroom. You've got maybe minutes.
According to MASH Sober Housing's sample package, seventeen specific triggers require calling 911 in recovery housing. Overdose sits at the top. Fire, violence, suicide attempts, severe injuries cover what kills people in houses like yours. But overdose happens most.
Here's what works: NARCAN first. Questions later.
Most operators keep Narcan in the kitchen and the house manager's room. Some residents carry it. The protocol is simple: give it immediately while 911 is coming. Don't try to move them, and don't attempt CPR unless you're trained, per MASH Sober Housing's guidelines.
The aftermath matters as much as the response. Ohio requires emergency checklists as part of its recovery housing preparedness standards. Pennsylvania mandates evacuation procedures for recovery houses. Your state probably has similar requirements. But the real protocol isn't what's written down. It's what residents do when staff isn't there.
Train every resident on the basics. Because the person who finds them unconscious might be the person who saves their life.
Sources
James covers the business of running sober living homes, from startup costs to the daily grind of keeping beds filled and bills paid. He's spent nearly a decade in recovery housing operations across Texas and California. He writes about what actually works, not what looks good in a business plan. Based in San Diego.
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