Desert Awakenings

The Basics

Located in the desert community of Indian Wells, California, Desert Awakenings provides a highly structured, all-male recovery environment. Founded in 2013, it offers clients sober living with an emphasis on accountability and the 12 steps.

Accommodations and Amenities

Desert Awakenings can host between seven and nine men, ages 18 and over. The large house includes five bedrooms, two dining rooms, two living rooms, a large kitchen, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a three-car garage, a swimming pool and laundry facilities. The main living room is furnished with vintage armchairs and a rose-colored couch topped with floral pillows. Old-fashioned paintings hang from mint-colored walls, as well as plaques portraying Bill W. and Dr. Bob.

Residents share double-occupancy, 300-square-foot rooms, each furnished with full-sized beds with comforters and extra pillows, dressers, nightstands and lamps. Each room also has full-sized windows with white shutters, allowing for plenty of natural light, a ceiling fan and AA plaques adorning the pastel-colored walls.

The house includes three large refrigerators for food storage. Additionally, each client gets two lockers in the garage that they can use for storing canned goods and other non-perishable items.

Though most food is supplied at Desert Awakenings, many residents also qualify for food stamps. All clients are expected to prepare their own meals. One exception is on Wednesday, where clients take turns preparing a large meal for the entire household at 5 pm before a Big Book study at 7 pm.

Amenities include street parking (as garage parking is limited), two satellite TVs, six computer stations and Wi-Fi. The house is also located three blocks from an AA meeting hall that has meetings from 5:30 am to 10 pm seven days a week. Smoking is permitted outside the home, though only in the backyard.

Rules and Regulations

At Desert Awakenings, clients must commit to a three-month stay. The average length of stay is usually no more than a year. Prior to admittance, each resident must have a minimum 30 days sober. (though preferably, they have also just come out of an inpatient program).

During the first 30 days, the curfew is 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. After 30 days, things get more lenient, with a midnight curfew on Sunday through Thursday and a 1 am curfew on Friday and Saturday. Clients are allowed overnight stays not exceeding two nights in a row, with exceptions for emergencies (like a funeral or court appearance). After 90 days, all curfews are lifted and overnight rights are flexible, though residents must still give advance notice to the house.

Weekly requirements include attending four outside 12-step meetings (including at least one meeting for men only), a check-in with a sponsor and an outside AA/NA commitment. All clients must also complete daily chores, attend all in-house administrative meetings and find work, attend school or perform community service for 40 hours a week.

Desert Awakenings has a zero tolerance policy for those who test positive in drug or alcohol screenings, bring in firearms, smoke inside the house or have sex on the premises. Anyone caught violating these rules is immediately evicted. For those moving out, the house asks for 30 days’ notice.

Extras

Desert Awakenings is a member of the Riverside County Sober Living Coalition, which provides additional support and resources to those in early recovery.

In Summary

While the rent at Desert Awakenings is relatively steep and the desert heat may deter some, the house is beautifully furnished and comes with a range of amenities. Overall, it is a safe and structured place for clients to continue their recovery.

Desert Awakenings
74045 Mockingbird Trail
Indian Wells, CA 92210

Desert Awakenings Cost: $1,050 (30 days rent, refundable one-month deposit due upon move-in). Reach Desert Awakenings by phone at (760) 808-3586 or by email.

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