Delray Beach isn’t just picturesque (though it is that). It isn’t just charming either (though it is that too). It may also be the most sober town on the entire Florida Coast. Little wonder then why it’s sand-filled shoreline is known as Sober Beach.
Then again, you could likely find sober beaches all up and down Florida’s East Coast – that’s how things work when you’re living close to an ocean. Still, Delray Beach seems to have an inordinate amount of sobriety. Perhaps that’s why so many folks not only get sober here, they stay sober here. Heck, they even seem to stay sober once they’ve left here!
Welcome to Sober Beach
Delray Beach may be considered part of the Miami Metropolitan Area, but it’s really a good 40 minutes away from that Magic City. In fact, Delray is technically equidistant between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. That makes it close enough to the big and medium cities, but not too close for comfort. It also makes it a lot more affordable.
Sure, Delray has more than its share of multi-million dollar homes, but the kid coming up can also find a reasonably-priced home here. That’s important, of course. It’s especially important in early sobriety. Considering a large portion of those affordably-priced places happen to be sober homes, its also beneficial. Extremely beneficial.
In enter Healing Properties. We didn’t open up shop in Delray Beach because it was packed with sober housing. That would’ve been a bit foolish, at least from a business sense. No we opened up here because we believed Delray needed sober housing. We knew the clubs and the craziness were all within drinking and drugging distance, but we didn’t see anything to help those who were looking to avoid that life.
Okay, when we say “we” we really mean Tim Schnellenberger. Tim is HP’s founder. And it is his vision that made this place possible. That vision is also a lot of what makes this place special. Then again, when you see eye-to-eye with thousands, one is bound to find something special.
Tim tells the story better himself. After all, it is his story. So please take an extra minute and read the Letter from Our Founder.
The Making of Sober Beach
Now back to today… Like we said, HP came to Delray Beach because there was a sober home shortage. These days though there are sober housing facilities on nearly every other block. Thankfully, most of those sober homes are doing the right thing. Unfortunately, a bad few are not. In fact, there’s an element that are only in it for a quick buck. And it’s of course crucial to choose a sober home that actually cares more about sobriety than they do about loot. Especially considering your life is on the line.
The good guys are pretty easy to spot though. In the first place, they’re full of smiling, happy people. In the second, there will be evidence everywhere. Facebook posts. Reviews – Google or otherwise; written and/or video-taped. Word on the street – or in the rooms. All of these things will help you identify a reputable sober living facility. So well what they do.
When a Sober Home is Truly Sober
You can tell if/when a sober is truly sober by scoping out they way it operates. Do they employ caring techs? If so, are they also graduates from that particular facility? How about those grads? Are there others hanging around? Does the sober home even have an alumni program?
An effective sober house will likely have a good chunk of folks who are devoted to its cause. That means techs who came up through its system, as well as alumni who are often around. In fact, a good sober home will very likely have alumni coming around sponsoring the new guys. And few things better say true sobriety than two men working the 12 Steps.
Some Sober Home Do’s
Active Alumni Program Are the sober home grads evident and active?
Graduate Staff Did the staff itself graduate from that particular sober home?
12 Steps Does the house insist on working the Steps?
On Site AA Meetings Does it hold its own weekly AA meetings? Alumni hosted?
Strong Sober Community Is the sober home near AA meetings and other sober interests?
HP hosts monthly Recovered Alumni Group meetings, as well as on-site AA meetings. And yes, all our staff are grads. That’s a must. After all, they represent what we can do. And since we firmly follow the dictates of Alcoholics Anonymous, we also insist on making meetings and working the 12 Steps. No, not everyone will skip right through them. In fact, some might take months to Step all the way through. That’s okay. Way okay. So long as you’re working on your sobriety.
As far as a strong sober community, well, Delray Beach not only offers pretty much non-stop AA meetings, but it’s filled with sober-friendly businesses, restaurants and employers. That’s right. You can easily find work among folks who, like you, are walking the walk, and that’ll include your boss!
That Sober Beach
Then of course there is that Sober Beach, which is the reason for this post. There’s nothing like taking a peaceful stroll along a beautiful ocean when you’re sorting out life. And there’s nothing like being able to bask in the cool Atlantic waters while you’re rebuilding your health. It’s especially refreshing to know you can do these things within minutes from your home each and every day of the year!
Equally important are the beachside AA meetings. That’s right, there’s a Sunrise Beach Meeting, at 7am, every Saturday and Sunday. And while they do recommend you bring your own chair (or blanket), that’s about all you’ve gotta bring. Well, that and your vision for the future. Because there’s something about sitting on the sand and watching the sun rise over the ocean that opens up a world of possibilities. Throw sobriety into the mix and you’ve got one promising future.
Delray Beach isn’t the only coastal town to host coastal AA meetings of course. A quick look shows meetings on Juno’s Loggerhead Beach, as well as Jupiter’s Lighthouse Park. We’re sure there are many, many more too.
But it’s Delray Beach that has the unique pairing of active sober community and robust sober beach. Indeed, in addition to the sunrise AA meetings there are Frisbee meetups, as well as weekend volleyball tournaments made up with folks from the various sober homes around town. In fact, you’ll often find various sober homes squaring off across the net against one another. It’s all in healthy healing fun of course. Then again, healthy healing fun seems to be the order of every day.
So yes, Healing Properties came to Delray Beach in order to combine the healing properties of the beach with the healing properties of a sober living community. In the end, the world wound up with Sober Beach. We’ll take it. Gladly. And cherish every moment too.
How About You?
How about you? Are you in a safe and sober place? Are you among sober folks? The sober-friendly? Would you like to be? Well, then give us a ring. Please. We’ll help get you sorted. Remember, HP has been doing sobriety for 20 solid years. That means we’ve learned a thing or three about being sober. We’ve also learned a thing or three about how to help.
(Image courtesy pxhere.)