Atlanta Sober Living & Recovery Centers

Getting help in Atlanta: a local guide

Checked November 6, 2026 against the official sources listed at the end. General information, not medical advice.

Of the Atlanta-area AA meetings listed here, 235 meet online, 44 are hybrid, 117 are women's meetings and 2 are held in Spanish. Times change, so confirm with the group before you go.

Sober living in Georgia: no state license

Georgia doesn't license recovery residences (sober living homes), the state Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division says. The Georgia Association of Recovery Residences (GARR), the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), certifies homes and keeps a directory of its certified programs. The state's Transitional Housing for Offender Reentry (THOR) directory also lists recovery residences accredited by GARR, the Department of Community Health, CARF or the Joint Commission, though the state says a listing isn't an endorsement.

Since July 1, 2021, Senate Bill 4 has made patient brokering illegal in Georgia: no one, including a recovery residence or treatment program, may pay, offer, solicit or accept kickbacks, bribes or split fees for patient referrals.

Treatment programs are different: Georgia licenses them as drug abuse treatment and education programs (DATEPs), and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) oversees that licensing.

If cost is a barrier

Georgia's public mental health and addiction services, run by DBHDD, are reached through the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225. GCAL answers 24/7 and can connect you to crisis help or to outpatient providers in your area.

Crisis and support lines

• In immediate danger, call 911.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, any time. In Georgia, 988 calls are answered by GCAL.
• Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL): 1-800-715-4225, 24/7.
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free and confidential treatment referral, 24/7, in English and Spanish (TTY 1-800-487-4889), or text your ZIP code to 435748.

AA in Atlanta

The Metro Atlanta Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous answers its hotline at 404-525-3178 from 9 a.m. to midnight daily. The office line is 404-523-5650, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Naloxone (Narcan)

Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose, and the FDA has allowed naloxone nasal spray to be sold without a prescription since 2023. Georgia Overdose Prevention, a nonprofit, provides free naloxone kits directly to people who may experience or witness an overdose; you can request one online.

Before you move into a sober home

• Is the home GARR-certified? Check GARR's directory and ask to see the certificate.
• What does rent cover, what's due at move-in, and is any of it refundable?
• What are the house rules (curfew, chores, meetings, guests), and what happens after a relapse?
• How and how often is drug testing done?
• Does the home accept residents who take medication for addiction treatment, such as buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone?
• Can you read the written resident agreement before you pay?

Be wary of anyone who offers free rent, travel or cash to get you into a particular program. Georgia's patient brokering law and federal law (18 U.S.C. § 220) both ban kickbacks for referrals. To report a problem home, contact your local district attorney or the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 404-651-8600; GARR also takes ethics complaints about its members.

Sources

• Georgia Attorney General Consumer Protection Division: recovery residences
• Georgia Association of Recovery Residences (GARR)
• NARR: Georgia affiliate (GARR)
• Georgia SB 4 (2021): patient brokering (signed act)
• Georgia DBHDD: licensure information
• Georgia DBHDD: how to get services (GCAL)
• Georgia CACJ: 988 in Georgia (PDF)
• SAMHSA: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• SAMHSA: National Helpline
• Metro Atlanta Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
• FDA: first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray
• Georgia Overdose Prevention: request a naloxone kit
• 18 U.S.C. § 220 (Cornell LII)