The Basics
Founded by Dr. Kristi Walsh and her husband, Dr. Jim Mannes, a husband and wife team who both hold doctorate degrees in the mental health field with a specialization in addiction, Sulphur Mountain Sober Living is a high-end sober living home for women. While Walsh and Mannes have lived on the six-acre property in Ojai, California for 12 years, their dreams to convert their house into a sober living home were finally realized in 2015. Their mission is teaching clients how to change by establishing a nurturing relationship with a Higher Power. Additionally, Sulphur Mountain Sober Living utilizes the beautiful natural setting of Ojai in their program by offering many outdoor activities including organic gardening.
Accommodations and Amenities
Surrounded by trees and foliage and sitting on more than five acres, the rustic style house includes front and back porches and is replete with windows that boast a surrounding view of the Los Padres Mountains. The house accommodates a maximum of ten women, but does not usually operate at capacity. Up to two residents share a fully furnished bedroom and there are three full bathrooms, including a master bath with a separate shower, living room, a piano room, a recreation room with a pool table and a fully equipped kitchen with white cabinets, tiled floors and a large kitchen table.
At Sulphur Mountain Sober Living, there is an emphasis on community. While clients are responsible for some groceries and meal preparation, a resident who is a gourmet chef prepares a daily home-cooked dinner. The gourmet meals include fresh veggies, grilled shrimp and other tasty entrees. Chickens on the property provide fresh eggs. The residence includes two house managers.
Rules and Regulations
At Sulphur Mountain Sober Living, new clients must have a minimum of 30 days of clean and sober from any chemical substances. There is a required 90-day time commitment. The women must be enrolled in outpatient treatment, school, actively employed or doing full time community service work. Clients typically attend a rehab of their own choosing in Ventura or Ojai.
During the first 30 days, residents must attend a daily 12-step meeting. After that period, weekly requirements include five 12-step meetings. Other rules include timely completion of minor household chores and working with a sponsor. The curfew is 10 pm seven days a week. After 30 days, clients are eligible for a weekend family pass and after 60 days, the women receive weekend passes and visit other loved ones or friends.
Sulphur Mountain Sober Living prides on being a program of compassion. While the house conducts random drug and alcohol screenings, relapsed clients are usually given a second chance. They are not completely removed from the program, but are asked to leave for a few days until they get clean and sober.
Extras
Residents receive life skills mentoring and participate in meditation, art therapy, sand play therapy and yoga. Other amenities, some available at an additional cost, include local transportation, gym membership and massage therapy. Activities offered include a knitting circle, organic gardening, hiking, astronomy, resume writing and vocational guidance.
Guided meditation is conducted in a small cabin or outdoors on the property.
In Summary
While Sulphur Mountain Sober Living is a relatively new facility, the psychoanalyst husband and wife team of Walsh and Mannes boast impressive credentials. That, coupled with a holistic approach to recovery makes Sulphur Mountain Sober Living a highly compatible match for women seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Sulphur Mountain Sober Living
PO Box 1858
Ojai, CA 93024
Physical address:
11841 Sulphur Mountain Rd
Ojai, CA 93023
Sulphur Mountain Sober Living Cost: $3,500 (30 days). Reach Sulphur Mountain Sober Living by phone at (805) 666-5352 or by email at kristi@sulphurmountainsoberliving.com. Find Sulphur Mountain Sober Living on Facebook and Google+
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Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
