The family of a victim of an overdose has chosen to sue the sober-living facility where she was living. According to the news from Nov. 13, the parents of the young woman, 21, knew that she was moving into a group home that claimed it was there to help people stay clean. The young woman had just finished a drug and alcohol treatment program.

The home she chose to move into, Bright Futures Sober Living Homes, claimed that it was a structured environment that would help her retain her sobriety. The home claimed that it would ask her to submit to drug tests randomly. The home allegedly had strict curfews and in-house meetings to help keep individuals on track.

On Sept. 4, 2015, the woman was found dead at the home. She had overdosed on a form of heroin laced with the potent drug fentanyl. Her parents claim that she ended up overdosing because the visits from staff and structure they heard about just weren’t there. In reality, they believe that the young woman only saw the staff when it was time to pay rent.

Right now, sober-living facilities don’t have many requirements. Anyone can purchase a home and encourage people to come there to maintain a sober lifestyle. In this case, the woman was only drug tested once, her parents claim, and she never went to meetings, because they weren’t held.

In cases like this, it sometimes takes a tragedy to show what’s going wrong for individuals recovering from drug addiction. No one should take advantage of those who are already struggling.

Source: The Times-Tribune, “Overdose victim’s family sues sober house,” Terrie Morgan-Besecker, Nov. 13, 2017