Denver Sober Living & AA Meetings

Getting help in Denver: a local guide

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

Of the Denver-area AA meetings listed here, 150 meet online, 109 are hybrid, 66 are women's meetings and 121 are held in Spanish. Times change, so confirm with the group before you go.

Sober living in Colorado: certification now, a state license from 2027

Colorado requires recovery residences (sober living homes) to be certified by a state-approved certifying body, a rule set by House Bill 19-1009; the only exemption is for homes that had operated in Colorado for 30 years or more by May 23, 2019. The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) currently contracts with Ohio Recovery Housing, an affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), to run certification. Its Colorado site, corecoveryhousing.org, lists certified residences and takes grievances.

Under a 2023 law, House Bill 23-1204, a recovery residence must post its code of conduct, drug-screening policy and discharge and transfer policy in common areas, have each resident sign a program agreement and keep a relapse plan. Before discharging someone, it has to offer referrals to treatment and other housing, and the certifying body must give residents a way to appeal a discharge they believe was wrong.

A 2026 law, Senate Bill 26-113, replaces certification with licensing. From July 1, 2027, it will be unlawful to run a recovery residence without a BHA license, and health care providers won't be able to refer people to an unlicensed home. Homes certified by then can keep operating on their certification while they apply, but from July 1, 2028 they need an approved license application to stay open. The law also bars any recovery residence from turning someone away, or requiring them to taper off, because they take prescribed medication for addiction treatment; before, that protection covered only homes receiving state money.

Treatment programs are different: since January 1, 2024, the BHA has licensed substance use disorder programs as behavioral health entities, and its OwnPath Care Directory lets you search for BHA-licensed providers.

If cost is a barrier

Since July 1, 2025, regional Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASOs) have coordinated mental health, substance use and crisis care for Coloradans who are uninsured or underinsured. Denver is in Region 4, with Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, and its BHASO is Signal Behavioral Health Network: call 888-607-4462 or email findcare@signalbhn.org. Statewide, Colorado LIFTS care navigators answer 1-844-CO-LIFTS (265-4387) weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can connect you with low- or no-cost care.

Crisis and support lines

• In immediate danger, call 911.
• 988 (the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line): call or text 988, any time; texting works in English and Spanish. 988colorado.com also lists walk-in crisis centers.
• 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 Denver

The Denver Area Central Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous answers its hotline 24 hours a day at 303-322-4440, and daccaa.org lists in-person and online meetings.

Naloxone (Narcan)

Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose, and the FDA has allowed naloxone nasal spray to be sold without a prescription since 2023. Through a Denver Department of Public Health & Environment program, free naloxone is available at every Denver Public Library location. Health First Colorado (Medicaid) members can get naloxone from a pharmacy at no cost.

Before you move into a sober home

• Is the home certified (and, from July 2027, licensed by the BHA)? Look it up on corecoveryhousing.org and ask to see the certificate.
• Ask for the code of conduct, drug-screening policy and discharge policy; Colorado homes have to post them.
• 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?
• Does the home accept residents who take medication for addiction treatment, such as buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone?
• Can you read the written program agreement before you pay?

Be wary of anyone who offers free rent, travel or cash to get you into a particular program. Paying or accepting kickbacks for referrals to recovery homes and treatment facilities is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. § 220). Problems with a certified home can be reported to the certifying body through corecoveryhousing.org.

Sources

• Colorado BHA: certified recovery residences
• Colorado General Assembly: HB 19-1009 (signed act)
• Colorado General Assembly: HB 23-1204, recovery residence discharge policy
• Colorado session laws 2023, chapter 145 (C.R.S. 27-80-129)
• Colorado General Assembly: SB 26-113, recovery residence licensing (signed act)
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Colorado
• Colorado BHA: behavioral health licensing
• Colorado BHA: OwnPath Care Directory
• Colorado BHA: Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations
• Colorado BHA: free and low-cost help (Colorado LIFTS)
• 988 Colorado
• SAMHSA: National Helpline
• Denver Area Central Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous
• FDA: first over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray
• City and County of Denver: free naloxone at Denver Public Library
• Health First Colorado: naloxone for members (PDF)
• 18 U.S.C. § 220 (Cornell LII)