Friends of Choices

About Friends of Choices

• We provide safe, supportive and well-managed sober living environments in West Los Angeles
• We enrich the lives and strengthen the recoveries of our residents and the local recovery community in various ways
• We extend a hand to the homeless and incarcerated suffering from alcoholism and addiction
• We raise the funds needed to maintain our level of service to the community

Friends of Choices is committed to supporting recovery from chemical dependency. We're a 501(c)(3) public benefit non-profit corporation. The organization was founded in California in March 1993, as a support group for a local hospital's chemical dependency program (Choices at Brotman). Although that program no longer exists, our work had just begun.

A short time later, a nearby sober living home needed new management and stronger local support. Friends of Choices assumed that responsibility, and in the following years opened additional homes in the area. Each was a response to urgent community need (which still exists), and was made possible through the commitment of our supporters and volunteers.

Through time we've expanded our services. The most significant one is funding sober living for recovering alcoholics and addicts who need but cannot afford it. We've also expanded services to our residents and to the recovery community in general. A few years ago we began an annual camping and trout fishing trip in the Sierras with our residents. In 1999 we organized the first Search for Serenity Men's Retreat, now an annual event. Those attending include many who have been instrumental in our growth and success. That year we also launched Take the Test, our online series of self-tests for alcoholism, drug and other addictions. For a more complete description of what we do, please see our Programs and Services page.

To date, we have been home to over 400 recovering alcoholics and addicts. Friends of Choices is financially sound, and our operating model has been fine-tuned over decades of operation.

Our services are in great demand, and we receive far more applications for admission than we can accommodate. The houses are thriving, and we're proud of the fact that our residents consider them their homes. Since the beginning we've provided clean, safe and supportive recovery living at an affordable cost.

Our residents are, for the most part, in the very early stages of recovery and just beginning to build new lives. They have a great deal to overcome. For many, problems include marginal literacy, learning disabilities, legal and financial problems, and other issues. With the help of volunteers we help them find the resources and the strength to overcome obstacles to a better life.

Programs like ours are a cost-effective means for helping many achieve long-term recovery, but they receive virtually no public funding. Our biggest challenge remains funding the costs of sober living for those who cannot afford it.

Our success is measured in transformed lives. Men residing with us have gone on to achieve things they never dreamed were possible when they began the journey to recovery. A few of their personal accounts tell the story better than we can.

In our early days, men looking for sober housing found us through word of mouth. Today we receive client referrals from well-known facilities specializing in the treatment of chronic alcoholism and addiction. Our program provides their clients with an effective transition between formal treatment and life on their own.

The need for our services continues to grow. Our financial situation is sound, but our ability to help those who cannot afford sober living is limited. Program income provides only limited support for those who cannot afford sober living. We would like to increase the number we can help in this way.

Looking ahead, we know that inadequate funding for addiction treatment, and the trend toward short-term and outpatient programs, guarantee an increasing population of recovering alcoholics and addicts in need of our services. Despite the challenges, our commitment to supporting and nurturing those in recovery is steadfast. Friends of Choices will be there, doing our part in a spirit of love and service.

We would be delighted to show you our facilities, introduce you to our staff, share our ideas and listen to yours. If you would like further information please contact us: