What is an Oxford House? Oxford House Recovery Homes

We believe that selecting multi-level, multi-methods approaches allowed us to better clarify complex phenomena that we were studying. Economic data also were supportive for participants in the Oxford House condition over the course of the two-year study. Oxford House participants earned roughly $550 more per month than participants in the usual care group. Annualizing this difference for the entire Oxford House sample corresponds to approximately $494,000 in additional benefits to those in the Oxford House condition.

Self-run, Self-supported Recovery Houses

• Each member has an equal voice in the group and each has an opportunity to relearn responsibility and to accept decisions once they are made.
• This principle contrasts sharply with the principle of providing the alcoholic or drug addict with assistance for a limited time period in order to make room for a more recently recovering alcoholic or drug addict.
• According to the Oxford House model, as each founding member moves out, a new member who shares the group’s common pursuit is voted in.
• Oxford House participants earned roughly $550 more per month than participants in the usual care group.
• Our group has recently received a federal grant to explore this new type of culturally modified recovery home.
• Alcoholism and substance abuse affects over 20 million Americans, and thus is the most prevalent mental disorder facing our nation (Jason, Ferrari, Davis, & Olson, 2006).

Oxford House, Inc. will consider favorably a Charter application whether or not a loan is received from the State or some other outside source. Oxford House offers a supportive way of living and opportunities to learn skills in a clean and sober environment. Each house represents a remarkably effective and low-cost method of preventing relapse and encouraging emotional growth. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community – a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. Using the contact information for the house you’ve chosen, call and set up an interview.

How to Start an Oxford House

It is no more difficult than for an ordinary family to find a house to rent. Each Oxford House is an ordinary single-family house with two bathrooms and four or more bedrooms. Ideally several of the bedrooms are large enough for two twin beds so that newcomers, in particular, are able to have a roommate. This discourages isolation and helps the newcomer to learn or relearn socialization to get the full benefit of recovering individuals helping each other to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse. Clearly, it is important to improve the quality of the data for outcomes research with residential substance abuse treatment.

• One of the strongest predictors of criminal recidivism is substance use (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005).
• An important part of why Oxford House has been so successful is that accountability and responsibility are given to the recovering individuals themselves.
• Therefore, the landlord and the founding members give form to substance by structuring the lease as a rental agreement between the landlord and the Oxford House as a group.
• It is possible that these positive effects are due to the fact that having children present leads to increased responsibility among all House residents, aiding in recovery.

What Happens if You Relapse in a Sober Living Home?

Finally, consistent with a broad conceptualization of recovery, residents reported that living in Oxford House helped them remain sober but also facilitated the development of life skills and a new sense of purpose along with increased self-esteem. Limited research is also available comparing Oxford Houses versus more traditional recovery homes, which also tend to have supervising staff and less democratic self-governing principles. This study did not provide outcome data regarding residents’ experiences living in these recovery communities. Few methodologically sound studies have emerged in the area of traditional recovery homes. In one of the few recovery home longitudinal studies, Polcin (2006) found that 51% of recovery home residents were abstinent from drugs and alcohol at a six-month follow-up. Regrettably, there are few studies reporting differential outcome data contrasting recovery home and therapeutic community residential treatments for substance abuse.

• Oxford House is built on the premise of expanding in order to meet the needs of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.
• As soon as Oxford House Inc., hears of such problems, it takes corrective action because the good name of Oxford House is an important factor in the recovery of thousands of individuals.
• In this respect, they are similar to a college fraternity, sorority, or a small New England town.
• Women also reported that Oxford House residents helped one another with child care.
• One rule of an Oxford House is that the residents cannot drink alcohol or use drugs of any kind.
• In 1975, a tight budget in Montgomery County, Maryland led to a decision to close one of the four county-run halfway houses.

Q. Can both men and women live in the same Oxford House?

While research on AA has been limited by the role of anonymity in recovery, the willingness of the Oxford Houses to open their doors to academic research gives us an opportunity to see recovery from addiction in action. Equal Expense Shared (EES) is generally between what is the oxford house 80 and 160 dollars a week and includes utilities. Weekly business meetings are mandatory to discuss any issues that the house may be facing. It is at these meetings that checks are written for bills and residents are made aware of where they stand financially.

Q. Do Oxford Houses serve veterans?

Some homes are part of a behavioral health care system where residents live next to a rehab clinic, participate in outpatient therapy and have access to the clinic’s recreational activities. Oxford Houses are established in good neighborhoods to integrate the recovering individuals into mainstream communities, away from former environments, people and habits. Behavior change is key for successful recovery and living in a nice house and a nice neighborhood helps restore pride and self-esteem and provides additional incentive for the member to stay clean and sober. In fact, Oxford House creates an environment whereby each member can more fully realize the benefits available from active AA or NA membership.

A new house member must be interviewed by current residents and must receive an 80 percent vote of approval to be accepted. Second, only a lease to the House as a group accurately reflects that the House is responsible as a group. The property is being used by the group as a treatment for alcoholism for the benefit of the group.

People Can Change. Lives Can Change. Hope Can Be Restored.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous provided a framework for us to change physically, mentally, and spiritually. The degree to which we were able to successfully change our lives had a direct relationship to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Many of us soon learned, however, that living alone or living among our old drinking companions made it more difficult to practice the principles necessary for continued sobriety.

Recovery. Responsibility. Replication.